Gas-Kinetic-Based Traffic Model Explaining Observed Hysteretic Phase Transition

TL;DR

This paper introduces a gas-kinetic-based macroscopic traffic model that explains hysteretic phase transitions to synchronized traffic, providing insights into the formation of common traffic congestion patterns.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel gas-kinetic traffic model that accounts for hysteretic phase transitions, advancing understanding of congested traffic formation.

Findings

Model successfully explains hysteretic transitions to synchronized traffic.

Provides a general mechanism for congested traffic formation.

Enhances understanding of traffic phase transitions.

Abstract

Recently, hysteretic transitions to `synchronized traffic' with high values of both density and traffic flow were observed on German freeways [B. S. Kerner and H. Rehborn, Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 4030 (1997)]. We propose a macroscopic traffic model based on a gas-kinetic approach that can explain this phase transition. The results suggest a general mechanism for the formation of probably the most common form of congested traffic.