Multi-lane hybrid traffic flow model: a theory on the impacts of lane-changing maneuvers

This paper introduces a multi-lane hybrid theory that treats lane-changing as temporary blockages, because this is what is physically observed in reality. For maximum accuracy lanechanging vehicles are modeled as discrete particles endowed with limited acceleration capabilities that interact realistically with the multi-lane continuum stream. This discrete-continuum (hybrid) setup is parsimonious; it requires only one more parameter than the simple kinematic wave model. The extra parameter is easy to estimate and in all our applications takes physically meaningful values. We find that the model reproduces (and explains) two bottleneck phenomena previously thought to be unrelated: (i) the drop in the discharge rate of freeway bottlenecks when congestion begins, and (ii) the relation between the speed of a moving bottleneck and its capacity. Ongoing research also shows that the model can reproduce qualitatively all the detailed lane-specific behavior observed at merge bottlenecks.