Modeling and Estimating Platoon Arrival Profile in Coordinated Arterials Using Rakha-LWR Based VCPN Approach

The LWR theory has been notable in modeling traffic progression. However, its reliance on a fundamental diagram and the shock wave theory to evaluate performance of signalized intersection is a rather tedious procedure. Hence, in this paper, we propose an integration of Rakha vehicle dynamics model to "assist" the LWR model which is described using VCPN to estimate platoon arrival profile along signalized arterials. It is hypothesized that the arrival profile obtained from the model can be analyzed directly using inputoutput analysis which is less tedious compared to shockwave analysis. This paper reports preliminary findings of the ability of the Rakha-LWR based VCPN model to simulate platoon arrival profile. The simulated arrival profile which has been validated with real traffic data shows that simulated result closely agree with real data, thus somewhat ascertain the validity of the Rakha-LWR approach.