Inverse Efficiency between Alternative and Random Merging Caused by a Slow-to-Start Effect(Application,Applied Integrable Systems,<Special Issue>Joint Symposium of JSIAM Activity Groups 2009)

Abstract

For releasing the heavy congestion occurring at intersections on highway traffic, the efficiency of the "alternative" merging is discussed. This is the merging of vehicles on two lanes by turns. This merging is compared with the "random" merging, which is the merging of vehicles irrespective of other vehicles on another lane, in terms of travel time and flux, by using numerical simulations. We define a new multiple-lane cellular automaton model with a slow-to-start rule for the simulations. Simulation results show that the reversal of travel time and flux is observed between these two merging as the slow-to-start effect changes.