A simple lane change model for microscopic traffic flow simulation in weaving sections

This paper presents the development and validation of a simple microscopic traffic simulation model for driver lane change behavior in freeway weaving sections. The simple model, called the weaving model, is computationally efficient and requires fewer calibration parameters. The model's calibration parameters can be found from the field data which makes the calibration process simpler compared to more detailed simulation models. Two types of lane change logics were developed: a) discretionary and b) mandatory. Discretionary lane change logic considers a driver's dissatisfaction with his/her current speed and feasibility of speed gain in the target lane. A mandatory lane change is performed for vehicles exiting, entering or moving to a preferred lane on the highway. The weaving model was validated at the microscopic level by comparing the trajectories of vehicles from simulation with the field data, whereas macroscopic validation was performed using statistical and error tests for average speed and section density. Lane change frequency from the proposed model was also compared with the field data and good agreement was observed. The results from the proposed model were compared with two popular simulation models, VISSIM and AIMSUN, which indicated that the proposed model performed at least as good as these models.