Article ID: | iaor2000320 |
Country: | United States |
Volume: | 29 |
Issue: | 12 |
Start Page Number: | 3119 |
End Page Number: | 3127 |
Publication Date: | Jan 1996 |
Journal: | Journal of Physics A Mathematical and General |
Authors: | Benjamin S.C., Johnson N.F., Hui P.M. |
Keywords: | cellular automata |
We examine various realistic generalizations of the basic cellular automaton model describing traffic flow along a highway; in particular, we introduce a slow-to-start rule which simulates a possible delay before a car pulls away from being stationary. Having discussed the case of a bare highway, we then consider the presence of a junction. We study the effects of acceleration, disorder, and slow-to-start behaviour on the queue length at the entrance to the highway. Interestingly, the junction's efficiency is improved by introducing disorder along the highway, and by imposing a speed limit.