SIMULATION OF TRAFFIC FLOW

SIMULATION OF VEHICULAR TRAFFIC ON HIGH-SPEED COMPUTERS IS A TECHNIQUE WHICH ENABLES THE STUDY OF A COMPLEX TRAFFIC SYSTEM IN THE LABORATORY RATHER THAN IN THE FIELD. THE USE OF COMPUTERS IS DESCRIBED USING ANALOGUE AND DIGITAL SIMULATION. IN ANALOGUE SIMULATION, THE MATHEMATICAL MODELS USED MUST BE THOSE WHICH INVOLVE DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS OR WHICH CAN BE MADE TO LOOK AS THOUGH THEY INVOLVED DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS. WITH DIGITAL SIMULATION, HOWEVER, IT IS POSSIBLE TO USE MODELS DESCRIBED IN WORDS RATHER THAN MATHEMATICAL TERMS. TECHNIQUES OF MODEL FORMULATION AND BLOCK DIAGRAMS ARE DESCRIBED WHICH ARE USED IN THE SIMULATION OF ANY SYSTEM. MATHEMATICAL TECHNIQUES USED ARE DISCUSSED. PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTIONS OF TRAFFIC INPUT CHARACTERISTICS, MONTE CARLO METHODS, AND POISSON DISTRIBUTION. EXAMPLES PRESENTED ARE OF: INTERSECTION, FREEWAY TRAFFIC FLOW AND TRAFFIC STUDIES. PUBLISHED SIMULATION WORK ON STUDIES OF TRAFFIC FLOW WERE MADE ON THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF FACILITIES: SIGNALIZED STREETS, FREEWAYS, AND TUNNELS.