Microscopic Modeling of Lane Selection and Lane- Changing at Toll Plazas

The microscopic simulation of traffic operations at a toll plaza entails the detailed understanding of the driver behavior. The lane selection behavior of the driver involves complex inter-vehicle dynamics. This study involves the development of a new methodology for the microscopic simulation of toll plaza operations. Different driver dynamics such as the lane selection probability based on the approach and exit ramp of the driver, the queue length at each of the toll booths have been considered. The proposed model involves a utility-based heuristic for each lane at the toll plaza based on the factors stated above. The driver chooses the lane which maximizes his utility. The contribution of each of the factors to the individual driver's utility is a function of his /her wait time at the toll plaza and the number of decisions the driver has already made to choose his/her target lane. The proposed model is validated for three toll plazas on the New Jersey Turnpike using a detailed vehicle transaction, service time and lane usage data. The novelty of the proposed approach is threefold: (1) the use of a validated toll plaza model developed in Paramics simulation software, (2) the use of the API feature of Paramics to simulate a realistic lane selection process of drivers at the toll plaza using a lane utility model, and (3) the use of actual vehicle demand data obtained from the electronic transaction data.