Theoretical approach to 2-dimensional traffic flow models

Abstract

In this paper we present a theoretical analysis of a recently proposed two-dimensional cellular automata model for traffic flow in cities with the ingredient of a turning capability. Numerical simulations of this model show that there is a transition between a freely moving phase with high velocity to a jammed state with low velocity. We study the dynamics of such a model, starting with the microscopic evolution equation, which will serve as a basis for further analysis. It is shown that a kinetic approach, based on the Boltzmann assumption, is able to provide a reasonably good description of the jamming transition. We further introduce a space-time continuous phenomenological model, leading to two partial differential equations whose preliminary results agree rather well with the numerical simulations.