The effect of the speed limit zone on the dissipation energy: A synchronized traffic flow model

Abstract

The speed limit signs can be used to enhance traffic safety, nevertheless, the large differences between the speed of vehicles provoked by the speed limit zone (SLZ) may increase the dissipation of energy caused by the deceleration of vehicles. In this paper, the effect of the SLZ on traffic flow and energy dissipation is investigated based on a cellular automaton model that considers the three traffic phases (free flow, synchronized flow and wide moving jams). It is found that the throughput and the energy dissipation depend strongly on the length of the SLZ as well as on the speed adopted inside the SLZ. The microscopic effect of the SLZ is also studied. The dependence of the density and the length of platoons induced by the SLZ were evaluated. The characteristic of the traffic flow can be also evaluated with the energy dissipation. For high densities, the effect of the SLZ becomes seldom on the flow, however, the energy dissipation shows salient features, which can be used as an indicator of traffic phases.