Modeling traffic flow in work zone sections considering the effect of traffic lights

Abstract

Based on the two-lane highway traffic model with a work zone presented previously, a new traffic model with a work zone under the control of traffic lights is proposed. The length of the waiting area for vehicles before traffic lights is recommended cautiously after numerical simulation. The relationship between the vehicles’ queuing time and the cycle of traffic lights is studied, and the cycle time of traffic lights is obtained also considering people’s endurance to the red light. It is found that the traffic lights are effective to ease the traffic congestion in the work zone when the density is medium, and help to eliminate the inducement of traffic accidents. On the other hand, the simulation results show that traffic lights are not needed in the work zone when the traffic density is small. It indicates that the traffic flow in the work zone area can be optimized by using appropriate traffic management when the traffic density varies.