01557556

Component

This paper presents an assessment on whether the features of driverless cars (DLC) are adequately represented in HCM analysis of uninterrupted flow facilities. DLC control combines navigation systems, artificial intelligence, sensors, and vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications to allow for a DLC to operate itself. Due to this large substitution of the driver by technology, the traffic environment may change substantially. The absence of perception errors and the minimal perception and reaction time of DLC enable them to maintain shorter headways, to apply consistent acceleration and deceleration rates, and to optimize the use of gaps. DLC may have a direct effect on at least three major parameters in HCM analysis of uninterrupted flow facilities: (i) The maximum service flow rate (MSFi), which DLC may double; (ii) The adjustment factor for unfamiliar driver population (fP) because DLC are "familiar drivers" due to their advanced routing systems; and (iii) The demand volume (V), which may increase if DLC become a mode for people who currently cannot drive or if DLC serve multiple owners. The effects of these three parameters propagate throughout the analyses and the final effect on the level of service will largely depend on the market penetration and the operational settings of DLC. The HCM has some basic capability of analyzing uninterrupted flow facilities with a small portion of DLC. No changes are necessary for the 2020 edition but substantial changes may be needed in the future depending on the features and the popularity of DLC.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AHB40 Highway Capacity and Quality of Service.

01550057

15-2401

English

21p

2015

Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References; Tables

Advanced vehicle control systems; Automated highways; Automated vehicle control; Evaluation and assessment; Highway capacity; Level of service; Traffic flow; Uninterrupted flow

Highway Capacity Manual

Driverless operation

Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2015 Paper #15-2401

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Dec 30 2014 12:51PM