Variable speed limit control for mixed powered two-wheelers and cars traffic

This paper proposes a Variable Speed Limit (VSL) control strategy for a mixed flow of cars and Powered Two-Wheelers (PTWs). Due to the difference in physical and

maneuvering characteristics of PTWs and cars, their impact on the traffic flow dynamics is different. Therefore, a control measure adapted to each vehicle class is required. Accordingly, we propose a vehicle-class specific VSL control scheme that regulates the speed limit for each vehicle class according to traffic efficiency and safety objectives, namely minimizing the total travel time and the speed difference between the two

vehicle classes, respectively. The dynamics of the mixed traffic flow is formulated in Lagrangian coordinates, which allows vehicle-class specific group/platoon based speed limitations. The proposed VSL control scheme is analyzed through simulation experiments. The results show that vehicle specific control is beneficial both in terms of traffic efficiency and safety.