Discussion on Spatial Heterogeneity of Reaction-delay in Car-following Behavior Using Zen Traffic Data

Abstract

Many researches on capacity bottleneck phenomena in access-controlled sections point out that reaction-delay on car-following behavior is one major factor in break-down phenomena. This study estimates distributions of parameters in car-following behavior models proposed by Chandler et al. and Gazis et al. using Zen Traffic Data (ZTD) produced by Hanshin Expressway. The Chandler’s model and the Gazis’ model are chosen as representatives of a linear model and non-linear model, respectively. To discuss on spatial heterogeneity on distributions of parameters, the stretch of the data collection is divided into four sections every 500 m. This study applies the method of weighted least square, where an order of magnitude larger weight of a focused section than the other sections is given. The estimated distributions of the reaction-delay in the model by Gazis et al. differ from section to section. However, the distribution on the bottleneck section shifts to shorter than the other sections. In congested flow state, the reaction delay at downstream of the bottleneck section is larger than the other sections.