As drivers pursue a better driving environment, they perform lane changes to get out of the currently congested lane. But changing lanes can also disrupt or even interrupt traffic flow, leading to worsening congestion. Is there a mutually reinforcing relationship between lane changing and congestion? In this paper, we comprehensively analyze the relationship between congestion and lane changes from individual and systemic perspectives at different times and spaces based on trajectory data from the M1 motorway, which is a major arterial road in Sydney, Australia.
They published their study on September 4，2023, in Communications in Transportation Research.
Based on the trajectory data from the M1 motorway, we establish a connection between the distribution of travel time and lane changing frequency and employ a Poisson process to describe the intensity of lane changing occurrences in different travel time ranges. The result indicates that there is a positive correlation between lane changing frequency and the extent of congestion.
From individual and systems perspectives
From an individual perspective, lane changing does not bring significant speed benefits in most cases, except when the speed range is between 45 km/h and 50 km/h. From a systems perspective, the relationship between lane change rate and speed depends on the purpose of the lane changes. In merging, diverging, and lane restriction areas, for instance, mandatory lane changes dominate. In most sections of the motorway, discretionary lane changes are motivated by the expectation of improving speed and/or safety.
A mutual causality relationship between lane changing and congestion
Additionally, we demonstrate a mutual causality relationship between lane changing and congestion through the Granger causality test. This relationship is more pronounced in general areas during peak periods and contributes to the deterioration of the driving environment. During more congested peak periods and in more prevalent general areas, the decline in driving speed due to congestion and speed disturbances increases the likelihood of drivers engaging in lane changes. In turn, a higher lane changing rate interrupts traffic flow and slows down vehicles in the vicinity of the lane change, perpetuating the overall speed degradation. This insight informs congestion management policies, suggesting that general areas during peak congestion should discourage lane changes. By doing so, the mutually reinforcement leading to continuous deterioration of driving conditions may be mitigated, ultimately improving overall motorway performance.
The above research is published in Communications in Transportation Research (COMMTR), which is a fully open access journal co-published by Tsinghua University Press and Elsevier. COMMTR publishes peer-reviewed high-quality research representing important advances of significance to emerging transport systems. COMMTR is also among the first transportation journals to make the Replication Package mandatory to facilitate researchers, practitioners, and the general public in understanding and advancing existing knowledge. At its discretion, Tsinghua University Press will pay the open access fee for all published papers from 2021 to 2025.
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About Communications in Transportation Research
Communications in Transportation Research was launched in 2021, with academic support provided by Tsinghua University and China Intelligent Transportation Systems Association. The Editors-in-Chief are Professor Xiaobo Qu, a member of the Academia Europaea from Tsinghua University and Professor Shuai'an Wang from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The journal mainly publishes high-quality, original research and review articles that are of significant importance to emerging transportation systems, aiming to become an international platform and window for showcasing and exchanging innovative achievements in transportation and related fields, to promote the exchange and development of transportation research between China and the international academic community. It has been indexed in Scopus, DOAJ, TRID and other databases. In 2022, it was selected as a high-starting-point new journal project of the "China Science and Technology Journal Excellence Action Plan". At its discretion, Tsinghua University Press will pay the open access fee for all published papers from 2021 to 2025.
About Tsinghua University Press
Established in 1980, belonging to Tsinghua University, Tsinghua University Press (TUP) is a leading comprehensive higher education and professional publisher in China. Committed to building a top-level global cultural brand, after 41 years of development, TUP has established an outstanding managerial system and enterprise structure, and delivered multimedia and multi-dimensional publications covering books, audio, video, electronic products, journals and digital publications. In addition, TUP actively carries out its strategic transformation from educational publishing to content development and service for teaching & learning and was named First-class National Publisher for achieving remarkable results.
