Faculty Publications
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Item Study of unique merging behavior under mixed traffic conditions(Elsevier Ltd, 2015) Kanagaraj, V.; Srinivasan, K.K.; Sivanandan, R.; Asaithambi, G.Roads in developing countries carry mixed traffic with wide variations in static and dynamic characteristics of vehicles. The traffic flow is also generally devoid of lane discipline, with vehicles occupying any available road space ahead. In such a regime of traffic flow, the phenomena of merging of vehicles at intersections of two roads is complex, warranting further study. The merging maneuvers at T-intersections under congested traffic conditions were studied microscopically through video-recording. In congested situations, the merging vehicle attempts a complex merging maneuver to enter the main traffic stream. Two unique merging processes are commonly observed in mixed traffic: group and vehicle cover merging (these are generally not observed in countries such as US). The author is using these words first time in this study. These reflect the different types of driver behavior - merging in groups, and by taking cover of another vehicle. Probabilistic models for group and vehicle cover merging are developed that capture this unique merging behavior. Comprehensive microscopic data collection and extraction were carried out to study the merging process at T-intersection under congested conditions. Merging models were then estimated using maximum likelihood method with disaggregate data that was collected for a case study T-intersection in Chennai city, India. Such models can find applications in simulation of highly congested traffic flow in a realistic manner under mixed traffic conditions. They can also give insights on devising better traffic control measures at such intersections. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.Item Trajectory data and flow characteristics of mixed traffic(National Research Council, 2015) Kanagaraj, V.; Asaithambi, G.; Toledo, T.; Lee, T.-C.Models of driving behavior (e.g., car following and lane changing) describe the longitudinal and lateral movements of vehicles in the traffic stream. Calibration and validation of these models require detailed vehicle trajectory data. Trajectory data about traffic in cities in the developing world are not publicly available. These cities are characterized by a heterogeneous mix of vehicle types and by a lack of lane discipline. This paper reports on an effort to create a data set of vehicle trajectory data in mixed traffic and on the first results of analysis of these data. The data were collected through video photography in an urban midblock road section in Chennai, India. The trajectory data were extracted from the video sequences with specialized software, and the locally weighted regression method was used to process the data to reduce measurement errors and obtain continuous position, speed, and acceleration functions. The collected data were freely available at http://toledo .net.technion.ac.il/downloads. The traffic flow characteristics of these trajectories, such as speed, acceleration and deceleration, and longitudinal spacing, were investigated. The results show statistically significant differences between the various vehicle types in travel speeds, accelerations, distance keeping, and selection of lateral positions on the roadway. The results further indicate that vehicles, particularly motorcycles, move substantially in the lateral direction and that in a substantial fraction of the observations, drivers are not strictly following their leaders. The results suggest directions for development of a driving behavior model for mixed traffic streams. © © 2015 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.Item Evaluation of right-turn lanes at signalized intersection in non-lane-based heterogeneous traffic using microscopic simulation model(Maney Publishing michael.wagreich@univie.ac.at, 2015) Asaithambi, G.; Sivanandan, R.In developing countries like India, the traffic on urban roads is highly heterogeneous in nature, with vehicles of widely varying static and dynamic characteristics. This type of traffic is characterized by lack of queue and lane discipline (lane-less movement) based on availability of spaces near intersections. Moreover, at intersections, straight-through, left-, and right-turning vehicles seek to occupy the same physical space. In such situations, the through vehicles are susceptible to delays in the absence of turn lanes for the left-turning and right-turning vehicles and vice versa. Models suitable for analysis of such traffic flow hardly exist, and most of the available models are limited in scope. In the current study, a microscopic traffic simulation model for signalized intersection is developed specifically for heterogeneous traffic. This model covers different vehicle types and allows for some special behavior, such as seepage of two-wheelers to fronts of queues. Detailed study of queue formation and dissipation were done microscopically under non-lane-based traffic conditions near intersection area. The model was calibrated and tested with data from Chennai city, India, and its predictions were found to be in close agreement with the field data. In addition, the model makes a significant contribution to the study of right-turn lane (RTL) on delays to vehicles. In general, RTL is found to be advantageous for most cases of approach volumes and right-turn proportions. The optimal lengths of RTL are suggested for various approach volumes and right-turn proportions. © 2015 W. S. Maney & Son Ltd.Item Modeling free-flow speeds on undivided roads in mixed traffic withweak lane discipline(SAGE Publications Ltd, 2018) Chathoth, V.; Asaithambi, G.In developing countries like India, transportation systems are characterized by limited roadway infrastructure and lack of operation and management experience. Hence, there exists a need to evaluate a performance indicator that reflects the current level of service (LOS) of a road facility. Free-flow speed (FFS) is a key parameter used to express LOS assessment. The objective of this study is to develop FFS prediction models for undivided roads with mixed traffic conditions in both urban and rural settings in India. Traffic data were collected from two-way two-lane undivided roads in southern India during freeflow traffic conditions using videographic method. Various class-specific and site-specific characteristics, such as vehicle class, subclass, carriageway width, link length, number of side roads, lateral clearance, land use type, and area type, were investigated and their influence on FFS evaluated. Statistical tests assessed the variations of obtained FFS with different vehiclespecific and site-specific factors. Free-flow prediction models were developed using linear regression method. The developed models show that FFS increases with greater carriageway width, lateral clearance, and link length, and decreases with increase in number of side roads. In general, FFS is higher in rural areas than urban areas. Similarly, open areas have higher FFS than residential, institutional, and commercial areas. The model can be used to predict FFS of undivided roads if site-specific and vehicle-specific data are known. This study finds interesting applications in capacity and LOS analysis, accident analysis, and before-and-after studies of road improvement schemes. © National Academy of Sciences: Transportation Research Board 2018.Item Modeling duration of lateral shifts in mixed traffic conditions(American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) onlinejls@asce.org, 2018) Asaithambi, G.; Joseph, J.Traffic on urban roads in developing countries is characterized by wide mix of vehicles with loose lane discipline, which results in parallel movement of vehicles in the same lane. Hence, vehicles not only interact longitudinally with the vehicles ahead but also laterally with vehicles to the sides. Lateral movements have a significant impact on the characteristics of traffic flow and therefore are of great importance in microscopic traffic simulation models. Existing simulation models for mixed traffic conditions model lateral shifts (lateral movements) as an instantaneous process but neglects detailed modeling. However, the duration for lateral shifts is generally in the range of 0.5-15 s. The omission of lateral shift duration from simulation models may have a significant impact on simulation outputs. Also, different vehicle types may have different lateral shift durations due to variations in their physical and operational characteristics. This paper attempts to develop a vehicle-specific lateral shift duration model by considering different explanatory variables such as direction of lateral shift, available space gaps, speeds of subject vehicle and surrounding vehicles, vehicle types, and clearance. The models were estimated using trajectory data collected during medium-flow conditions from an urban arterial in Chennai city, India. The findings from this study have direct implications on modeling lateral shifts in microscopic traffic simulations to be developed specifically for mixed traffic conditions. © 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.Item Effect of curbside bus stops on passenger car units and capacity in disordered traffic using simulation model(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2022) Raj, P.; Asaithambi, G.; Ravi Shankar, A.U.Representation of traffic in terms of Passenger Car Unit (PCU) is imperative to estimate capacity in disordered traffic. Many studies have been conducted on investigation of impacts of traffic and geometric conditions on traffic characteristics and PCUs. However, the sensitivity of PCUs due to roadside frictions are not adequately studied. To address this gap, this study aims to estimate PCU values for vehicles under the influence of curbside bus stop, which is the most common roadside friction in developing countries. Lack of space for providing exclusive bus bays and higher demand for public transport buses in urban roads justify the need for this study. Methodology of this study involves development and validation of a microscopic simulation model to quantify the impact of curbside bus stop on PCU as well as capacity. The results indicate the significant differences in PCU values due to the presence of curbside bus stop with varying traffic volume and composition. © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.