Eur. Phys. J. B (2022) 95: 6
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/s10051-021-00270-0

Regular Article - Statistical and Nonlinear Physics

Influence of driver’s behavior with empirical lane changing on the traffic dynamics

School of Mathematics, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, 147004, Patiala, Punjab, India

^b sapna.sharma@thapar.edu

Received: 20 October 2021
Accepted: 17 December 2021
Published online: 10 January 2022

Abstract

In real traffic, driver’s behavior influences lane changing and hence traffic dynamics. Motivated by the impact of driver’s behavior on lane changing phenomenon, we introduce a lattice model by considering driver’s behavior with empirical lane changing rate. To analyze the two lane traffic system more effectively, the lane changing rate is assumed to be dependent on density and their relationship is considered based on available empirical data. Theoretical analysis is performed to study the effect of small amplitude perturbation as well as long wavelength perturbation on traffic characteristics. Stability condition is obtained via linear stability analysis and the modified Korteweg–de Vries equation is formulated through nonlinear analysis to describe the propagating behavior of traffic density wave near the critical point. It is found that empirical lane changing has a nontrivial influence on traffic dynamics in terms of stabilizing/destabilizing traffic flow. All the theoretical results are verified with numerical simulations on a hypothetical circular road.