Arterial Traffic Control for CAVs

Arterial Traffic Control for Connected and Automated Vehicles


With the latest advancements in the Information Technology sector and automotive industries, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) are promised to revolutionize urban transportation and bring significant efficiency and safety benefits to transportation users. A fully automated driving environment offers the potential to change the current restrictions and enables designers to think beyond the existing Right of Way (ROW) models and introduce new traffic control rules.

In this project, we propose Combined Flexible Lane Assignment and Reservation-based Intersection Control (CFLARIC), a robust control concept that offers a full spectrum of lane assignment possibilities in combination with the appropriate reservation-based intersection control.  As most of the simulation tools cannot properly simulate flexible bi-directional utilization of the entire road pavement, CFLARIC scenarios are simulated in a microsimulation tool called Flexible Arterial Utilization Simulation Modeling (FAUSIM) through a series of custom-made codes written in NetLogo which is an agent-based modeling platform.

The promising results of the application of CFLARIC scenarios in both Generic and Field-like networks show that benefits achieved by adopting traffic control concepts with more flexible lane assignments and distributed conflict-resolution strategies could lead to a significant improvement in traffic operations in a CAV environment.

Impact of Shared Lanes on Performance of the Combined Flexible Lane Assignment and Reservation-based Intersection Control 


The following videos show the simulation of three CFLARIC scenarios (in a generic three-intersection network) in which the through traffic is being shared either with right, left, or both turning movements.  

Arterial Traffic Control for CAVs: CFLARIC in a Generic Network

Video A- CFLARIC-Shared Through-Right (TR Scenario) 

 

Video B- CFLARIC-Shared Through-Left (TL Scenario)

Video C- CFLARIC-Shared Through-Right & Left (TRL Scenario)

Application of CFLARIC in Field-like Traffic Conditions


The following videos show simulation of three CFLARIC scenarios as well as Fixed-time Control (FTC) and Fully Reservation-based intersection Control (FRIC) on a three-intersection corridor in West Valley City, Utah.

 

Arterial Traffic Control for CAVs: CFLARIC in a Filed-like Network

Video A- Fixed-time and Fully Reservation-based Intersection Controls (Base Case Scenarios)

Video B- Combined Flexible Lane Assignment and Reservation-based Intersection Control (CFLARIC)