Analyzing Fundamental Diagrams of Mixed Traffic Control at Unsignalized Intersections

TL;DR

This study investigates how varying robot vehicle penetration rates affect traffic flow at unsignalized intersections through simulations, revealing complex, intersection-specific impacts on capacity and flow dynamics.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the effects of mixed traffic on fundamental diagrams at unsignalized intersections, emphasizing the importance of local factors and tailored traffic management.

Findings

RVs influence traffic dynamics but effects vary across intersections.

Traffic capacity may increase with RVs but not consistently at 100% penetration.

Local factors significantly affect traffic flow characteristics.

Abstract

This report examines the effect of mixed traffic, specifically the variation in robot vehicle (RV) penetration rates, on the fundamental diagrams at unsignalized intersections. Through a series of simulations across four distinct intersections, the relationship between traffic flow characteristics were analyzed. The RV penetration rates were varied from 0% to 100% in increments of 25%. The study reveals that while the presence of RVs influences traffic dynamics, the impact on flow and speed is not uniform across different levels of RV penetration. The fundamental diagrams indicate that intersections may experience an increase in capacity with varying levels of RVs, but this trend does not consistently hold as RV penetration approaches 100%. The variability observed across intersections suggests that local factors possibly influence the traffic flow characteristics. These findings highlight the complexity of integrating RVs into the existing traffic system and underscore the need for intersection-specific traffic management strategies to accommodate the transition towards increased RV presence.