Lane management strategy for intelligent connected mixed traffic flow considering driver acceptance attitude

ObjectiveThe mixed traffic flow comprising intelligent connected vehicles (ICV) and human-driven vehicles (HDV) will persist over a prolonged transition period during the deployment of ICV. HDV drivers differ in their acceptance attitudes toward ICV, resulting in heterogeneous car-following behaviors. The refined lane management strategies that accommodate this behavioral heterogeneity are therefore urgently needed.MethodA questionnaire survey was conducted to collect car-following behavior and attitudinal data from 308 HDV drivers interacting with ICV. The K-means clustering algorithm was applied to classify drivers into positively and negatively inclined categories. The car-following model parameters were calibrated separately for each category. Four managed-lane schemes were then formulated. A basic unidirectional three-lane expressway segment was constructed using microscopic simulation platform SUMO. The capacity, space mean speed, and time-to-collision served as measures of effectiveness. The applicability of each scheme was quantitatively evaluated with varying ICV penetration rates and HDV attitudinal compositions.ResultThe statistically significant car-following behavioral differences were identified between the two driver categories. Positively inclined drivers exhibit car-following patterns comparable between following ICV and following HDV. Negatively inclined drivers, in contrast, maintain substantially enlarged headways and display abrupt speed adjustment profiles. The operational efficiency and safety of mixed traffic flow both improve with increasing ICV penetration rate and a growing share of positively inclined drivers. With ICV penetration rate of 0.3, one mixed managed lane shared by ICV and positively inclined HDV is recommended. The same scheme applies at a penetration rate of 0.6 when positively inclined drivers constitute less than 60% of all HDV drivers. When this share exceeds 60% at the same penetration level, one ICV-exclusive managed lane is recommended. With the penetration rate of 0.9, two mixed managed lanes are recommended if the positively inclined share remains below 40%. When this share exceeds 40%, two ICV-exclusive managed lanes are recommended.ConclusionThe Managed-lane strategies for mixed traffic flow should jointly account for the ICV penetration rate and the attitudinal composition of HDV drivers toward ICV. The number of managed lanes and their access control rules should be dynamically adjusted accordingly, thereby achieving a coordinated optimization of operational efficiency and traffic safety.