Burgers and mKdV equation for car-following model considering drivers' characteristics on a gradient highway

In this paper, we propose a new car-following model considering driver's timid and aggressive characteristics on a gradient highway. Based on the control theory, the linear stability analysis of the model was conducted. It shows that the stability of traffic flow on the gradient highway varies with the drivers' characteristics and the slope. Adopting nonlinear stability analysis, the Burgers equation and modified Korteweg-de Vries (mKdV) equation are derived to describe the triangular shock waves and kink-antikink waves, respectively. The theoretical and numerical results show that aggressive drivers tend to stabilize traffic flow but timid drivers tend to destabilize traffic flow on a gradient highway both on an uphill situation and on a downhill situation. Moreover, the slope of the road also plays an important role in traffic jamming transition.