Phase States and Phase Portraits of Tunnel Traffic. Empirical Data Analysis

TL;DR

This study analyzes empirical data from a Moscow tunnel to construct phase diagrams and portraits, revealing complex traffic dynamics, cooperative behavior, and different phase states including regular and stochastic regimes.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed empirical analysis of tunnel traffic phase states and portraits, highlighting complex dynamics and cooperative phenomena.

Findings

Identification of multiple phase states in tunnel traffic

Detection of regions with regular and stochastic dynamics

Evidence of dynamical traps in traffic flow

Abstract

The 3D fundamental diagrams and phase portraits for tunnel traffic is constructed based on the empirical data collected during the last years in the deep long branch of the Lefortovo tunnel located on the 3rd circular highway in Moscow. This tunnel of length 3 km is equipped with a dense system of stationary ra-diodetetors distributed uniformly along it chequerwise at spacing of 60 m. The data were averaged over 30 s. Each detector measures three characteristics of the vehicle ensemble; the flow rate, the car velocity, and the occupancy for three lanes individually. The conducted analysis reveals complexity of phase states of tunnel traffic. In particular, we show the presence of cooperative traffic dynamics in this tunnel and the variety of phase states different in properties. Besides, the regions of regular and stochastic dynamics are found and the presence of dynamical traps is demonstrated.