በ ንፋሰ ስልክ ላፍቶ ክ/ከተማ

The traffic flow on a highway is q1=2000 veh/hrq1=2000 veh/hr with speed

of v1=80 km/hrv1=80 km/hr. As the result of an accident, the road is
blocked. The density in the queue is k2=275 veh/kmk2=275 veh/km. (Jam
density, vehicle length = 3.63 meters).

 (A) What is the wave speed (vwvw)?

 (B) What is the rate at which the queue grows, in units of vehicles
per hour (qq)?

Solution

(A) At what rate does the queue increase?

1. Identify Unknowns:

k1=q/v1=2000/80=25 veh/kmk1=q/v1=2000/80=25 veh/km

v2=0, q2=k2v2=0v2=0, q2=k2v2=0

2. Solve for wave speed (vwvw)

vw=q2−q1k2−k1−0−2000275−25=−8km/
hrvw=q2−q1k2−k1−0−2000275−25=−8km/hr

Conclusion: the queue grows against traffic

(B) What is the rate at which the queue grows, in units of vehicles per
hour?
N1=(v1−vw)k1t=(v2−vw)k2t=N2N1=(v1−vw)k1t=(v2−vw)k2t=N2

dropping t (let t = 1)

v1k1−vwk1=v2k2−vwk2v1k1−vwk1=v2k2−vwk2
q1−vwk1=q2−vwk2q1−vwk1=q2−vwk2
2000−(−8)∗25=0−(−8)∗2752000−(−8)∗25=0−(−8)∗275
2200 veh/hr=2200 veh/hr

Flow on a road is q1=1800veh/hr/laneq1=1800veh/hr/lane, and the density

of k1=14.4veh/km/lanek1=14.4veh/km/lane. To reduce speeding on a
section of highway, a police cruiser decides to implement a rolling
roadblock, and to travel in the left lane at the speed limit
(v2=88km/hrv2=88km/hr) for 10 km. No one dares pass. After the police
cruiser joins, the platoon density increases to 20 veh/km/lane and flow
drops. How many vehicles (per lane) will be in the platoon when the police
car leaves the highway?

How long will it take for the queue to dissipate?

Answer

Solve for Unknowns:

Original speed

v1=q1k1=180014.4=125km/hrv1=q1k1=180014.4=125km/hr

Flow after police cruiser joins

q2=k2v2=88∗20=1760veh/hq2=k2v2=88∗20=1760veh/h

Step 1

Calculate the wave velocity:

vw=q2−q1k2−k1=1760−180020−14.4=−7.14km/
hrvw=q2−q1k2−k1=1760−180020−14.4=−7.14km/hr

Step 2
Determine the growth rate of the platoon (relative speed)

vr2=v2−vw=88−(−7.14)=95.1km/hrvr2=v2−vw=88−
(−7.14)=95.1km/hr

Step 3

Determine the time spent by the policee cruiser on the highway

t=d/v=10km/88km/hr=0.11hr=6.8minutest=d/v=10km/88km/
hr=0.11hr=6.8minutes

Step 4

Calculate the Length of platoon (not a standing queue)

Step 5

What is the rate at which the queue grows, in units of vehicles per
hour?

\
Deltaq=q1−k1vw=q2−k2vw=1800−(14.4∗−7.14)=1760−(20∗−7.14)=1
902veh/hr\
Deltaq=q1−k1vw=q2−k2vw=1800−(14.4∗−7.14)=1760−(20∗−7.14)
=1902veh/hr

Step 6

The number of vehicles in platoon

Lpk2=10.46km∗20veh/km=209.2vehiclesLpk2=10.46km∗20veh/
km=209.2vehicles

OR

\Deltaqt=1902veh/hr∗0.11hr=209.2veh\Deltaqt=1902veh/
hr∗0.11hr=209.2veh

How long will it take for the queue to dissipate?

(a) Where does the shockwave go after the police cruiser leaves?
Just reverse everything?

vw=q2−q1k2−k1=1800−176014.4−20=−7.14km/
hrvw=q2−q1k2−k1=1800−176014.4−20=−7.14km/hr

Second wave never catches first.

(b) Return speed to 125, keep density @

20? q2=20∗125=2500q2=20∗125=2500

vw=q2−q1k2−k1=2500−176020−20=∞km/
hrvw=q2−q1k2−k1=2500−176020−20=∞km/hr

Second wave instantaneously catches first

(c) Return speed to 125, keep density @ halfway between 14.4 and
20? q2=20∗125=2500q2=20∗125=2500

vw=q2−q1k2−k1=2150−176017.2−20=139 km/
hrvw=q2−q1k2−k1=2150−176017.2−20=139 km/hr

Second wave quickly catches first

139∗t=7.14∗(.11+t)139∗t=7.14∗(.11+t)

(139−7.14)t=7.14∗11(139−7.14)t=7.14∗11

t=0.006h=.35 min=21 sect=0.006h=.35 min=21 sec

(d) Drop upstream q,k to slow down formation curve.

vw=q2−q1k2−k1=1780−176014.24−20=−3.47 km/
hrvw=q2−q1k2−k1=1780−176014.24−20=−3.47 km/hr

Second wave eventually catches first

(e) If qupstream q upstream falls below downstream capacity, wave

dissipates
 vw=q2−q1k2−k1=1250−176010−20=+51 km/hr

Imagine that you are walking across a bridge overpass that crosses a highway. The
bridge provides a good vantage point from which you can see the highway extend
into the distance. It is about time for the afternoon rush hour and traffic is
increasing. As you are looking in the distance a vehicle crashes in the lanes leading
away from you. Instantly, a wave of brake lights appears and flows toward you.

You have just witnessed a shock wave. A shock wave is the boundary between two
density states. In our example, one state was the pre-crash density. The other state
was where drivers were braking and density was increasing. The shock wave is the
wave of lights flowing toward you.

There are several types of shock waves. Figure 2 depicts these types which include
backward forming, rear stationary, forward recovery, forward forming, frontal
stationary, and backward recovery shock waves. Drivers are most familiar with the
backward forming shock wave. Our narration is the classic example of this shock
wave type. The crashed vehicle blocked some of the lanes which reduced the
highway's capacity. Since the demand remained the same, vehicle density
increased and a shock wave formed. The speed at which the brake lights appeared
to "travel" backwards was the speed of the shock wave.
Figure 2. Classification of Shock Waves (Source: May)

The forward recovery shock wave is the next most commonly encountered type of
shock wave. It occurs when capacity is constant, but demand decreases below that
capacity. In Figure 2, the area to the left of this shock wave has a higher density,
and the area to the right has lower density.

The backward recovery shock wave is encountered when congestion has occurred,
but then due to increased bottleneck capacity the discharge rate exceeds the flow
rate within the congested region. Take the earlier crash example for instance; Say
the highway patrol arrives, does its business, and get the crash vehicles off the
road. The clearance of the incident restores the highway's original capacity. The
vehicle at the front of the queue will accelerate and increase the distance between it
and the second vehicle (reduce the density). The second vehicle will accelerate and
the process will continue in a backward direction. The shock wave, or boundary
between two density states, will flow backwards.

A rear stationary shock wave occurs when the arriving traffic demand is equal to
the capacity in the congested region for some time period. For instance, 600
vehicles arrive at a bottleneck. The bottleneck also has a capacity of 600 vehicles
per hour. Since the arrival rate is the same as the service rate, the back of the queue
remains in the same place.

A frontal stationary shock wave occurs when the front of the queue is stationary.
The classic example of this is vehicles stopping at a stoplight.

Consider two shock wave examples. Figure 3 represents a single-lane approach to

a pretimed, signal-controlled intersection. We will assume the traffic demand is
relatively light and arriving at a constant rate. The traffic signal's capacity exceeds
the arriving traffic demand, but the signal can only discharge traffic in green.
Consequently, at some distance upstream of the signal and immediately
downstream of the signal, free-flow conditions exist with densities less than 60
vehicles per lane-mile. However, just upstream of the signal during the red phase,
vehicles will stop and densities will exceed 60 vehicles per lane-mile. Therefore,
there is a discontinuity as vehicles join the rear of the standing queue and as
vehicles discharge from the front of the standing queue when the signal is green.
The first discontinuity is a backward forming shock wave while the second
discontinuity is a backward recovery shock wave. Both shock waves are backward
moving because over time the discontinuity is propagating upstream in the
opposite direction of the moving traffic. The first shock wave is a "forming" shock
wave because over time the propagation of the shock wave is resulting in an
increase in the congested portion. The second shock wave is a recovery shock
wave because over time the propagation of the shock wave results in the decrease
in the congested portion. There is a frontal stationary shock wave at the stop line
during the red phase. We use the term "frontal" to indicate that the shock wave is at
the downstream edge of the congested region, and the term "stationary" to indicate
that the shock wave remains at the same position in space. Consider this example
as the case where demand is constant over time, capacity varies over time, and
there is an isolated single restriction (bottleneck) with no entrances or exits in the
congested region.
Figure 3. Shock Wave Phenonmena at a Signalized Intersection (Source: May)

The second simple traffic situation, shown in Figure 4, is at a lane-drop location on

a long bridge during a morning peak period. The capacity of the lane-drop location
is constant over time, but the demand varies. Like the typical peak period, the
traffic demand increases. The demand exceeds the capacity of the bottleneck and a
shock wave starts to form backwards. The shock wave continues to form
backwards until the demand equals the capacity of the bottleneck. During this
period the shock wave remains stationary. Finally, the rush hour demand decreases
below the capacity of the bottleneck and the shock wave slowly recovers forward.
In addition, a frontal stationary shock wave occurs at the bottleneck as long as the
bottleneck operates at capacity.
Figure 4. Shock Wave Phenomena at a Freeway Bottleneck during a Peak Period
(Source: May)

We will now quantitatively analyze shock waves. Consider the flow-density

relationship in Figure 5. Point A depicts an initial, known state where flow,
density, and speed are qA, kA, and uA, respectively. Point B denotes a subsequent
low density state. Since the density at point B is lower, speed will be greater and
these vehicles will catch up to the vehicles in state A.
Figure 5. Shock Wave Analysis Fundamentals (Source: May)

SHOCK WAVE EXAMPLE

Shock wave analysis at signalized intersections is a common application because

of the concern for the length of queues interfering with upstream flow movements.
Examples include queues extending out of left-turn lanes into through traffic lanes
and queues extending upstream to block adjacent intersections.

Engineers can analyze shock waves at signalized intersections if they know a flow-
density relationship for the approach to the signalized intersection. For this
example Figure 6 shows a flow-density curve and the approaching traffic flow
state (A) and capacity state (C). Figure 6b depicts a distance-time diagram with
distance and time scales selected so that a given slope in the two diagrams
represent a specific vehicle or shock wave speed. The stop line on this approach to
the signalized intersection is located at the traffic signal band, with green and red
phases indicated as light and dark strips, respectively.

Figure 6. Shock Waves at Signalized Intersections (Source: May)

Let's say that uA and uC equal 40 and 26 mph, respectively. kA and kC equal 24
and 60 vehicles per mile per lane, respectively. The green phase is 100 seconds and
the red phase is 40 seconds. Jam density is 185 vehicles per mile per lane. During
time t0 to t1, the signal is green and traffic proceeds through the intersection.
Dashed lines represent the trajectories of individual vehicles. When the signal turns
red three shock waves begin at the stop line: wAD, a forward-moving shock wave;
wDB, a frontal stationary shock wave; and wAB, a backward-moving shock wave.
We are interested in the backward-moving shock wave. We can calculate its speed
with this equation

-960vphpl/(185-24) = -960/161 = -5.96 mph

These flow states of A, B, and D continue until time t2 when the signal changes to
green. A new flow state is introduced (flow state C) at time t2 at the stop line when
the flow at the stop line increases from 0 to saturation flow. This causes two new
shock waves, wDC and wBC, while terminating shock wave wDB. The speed of
wBC is -12.5 vphpl.

Notice how shock wave wAB continues even though signal has turned green. A
queue continues to form until shock wave wBC intercepts shock wave wAB. As
we alluded to earlier, we can use shock wave analysis to ensure the queue does not
extend upstream to block another intersection. We can do this with the following
equation:

where QM is the maximum queue in miles. Converted to feet the maximum queue
is 669 feet.

We can also calculate how long the queue will remain after the signal turns green.
In our example

t3-t2 = r(wAB/(wBC-wAB))

= 40 sec(-5.96/(-12.48+5.96)) = 36.6 seconds

At time t3 a new forward-moving shock wave wAC is formed, and the two
backward-moving shock waves, wAB and wBC, terminate.
The flow states of D, C, and A continue until time t5; but first consider time t4. At
time t4, the forward-moving shock wave wAC crosses the stop line, and the flow at
the stop line goes from a maximum flow of qC to the arrival flow of qA.

At t5, which is the beginning of the red phase, the shock wave pattern upstream of
the signal begins to repeat itself. However, the shock wave pattern downstream of
the signal deviates from the earlier pattern due to the interaction with shock wave
wCD.

Let's return to the highway example. Our freeway is a four lane, divided facility
with a capacity of 2160 vphpl. The density is 48 vpmpl at capacity. The demand is
a constant 1750 vphpl at a density of 31.8 vpmpl. Jam density is 185 vpmpl. At
time t0 a crash occurs and blocks both lanes. After 30 minutes the crashed vehicles
are cleared and the queued vehicles proceed at the saturation flow rate. Calculate
the maximum length of the queue.

Calculate the shock wave speeds first. Let state A be the jam where the flow is 0
and the density is 185 vpmpl. State B is the pre-crash flow and density of 1750
vphpl and 31.8 vpmpl, respectively. State C is the capacity of the freeway where
flow is 2160 vphpl and 48 vpmpl, respectively.

wAB = (qA-qB)/(kA-kB) = -1750/(185-31.8) = -1750/153.2 = -11.42 mph

wBC = (qC-qB)/(kC-kB) = -2160/(185-48) = -2160/137 = -15.766 mph

Now, calculate the maximum length of the queue.

QM = (congested time period in minutes)(1hr/60min)((wBC)(wAB)/(wBC-

wAB))

= (30)(1/60)(-15.766)(-11.42)/(-15.766+11.42) =20.7 miles