Introduction to Modern Traffic Flow Theory and Control, 2009 The Long Road to Three-Phase Traffic Theory

The understanding of empirical traf?c congestion occurring on unsignalized mul- lane highways and freeways is a key for effective traf?c management, control, or- nization, and other applications of transportation engineering. However, the traf?c ?ow theories and models that dominate up to now in transportation research journals and teaching programs of most universities cannot explain either traf?c breakdown or most features of the resulting congested patterns. These theories are also the - sis of most dynamic traf?c assignment models and freeway traf?c control methods, which therefore are not consistent with features of real traf?c. For this reason, the author introduced an alternative traf?c ?ow theory called three-phase traf?c theory, which can predict and explain the empirical spatiot- poral features of traf?c breakdown and the resulting traf?c congestion. A previous book ?The Physics of Traf?c? (Springer, Berlin, 2004) presented a discussion of the empirical spatiotemporal features of congested traf?c patterns and of three-phase traf?c theory as well as their engineering applications. Rather than a comprehensive analysis of empirical and theoretical results in the ?eld, the present book includes no more empirical and theoretical results than are necessary for the understanding of vehicular traf?c on unsignalized multi-lane roads. The main objectives of the book are to present an ?elementary? traf?c ?ow theory and control methods as well as to show links between three-phase traf?c t- ory and earlier traf?c ?ow theories. The need for such a book follows from many commentsofcolleaguesmadeafterpublicationofthebook?ThePhysicsofTraf?c?.

Three-Phase Traffic Theory.- Definitions of The Three Traffic Phases.- Nature of Traffic Breakdown at Bottleneck.- Infinite Number of Highway Capacities of Free Flow at Bottleneck.- Nature of Moving Jam Emergence.- Origin of Hypotheses and Terms of Three-Phase Traffic Theory.- Spatiotemporal Traffic Congested Patterns.- II Impact of Three-Phase Traffic Theory on.- to Part II:Compendium of Three-Phase Traffic Theory.- Freeway Traffic Control based on Three-Phase Traffic Theory.- Earlier Theoretical Basis of Transportation Engineering: Fundamental Diagram Approach.- Three-Phase Traffic Flow Models.- Linking of Three-Phase Traffic Theory and Fundamental Diagram Approach to Traffic Flow Modeling.- Conclusions and Outlook.

Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras