A new traffic model on compulsive lane-changing caused by off-ramp

In the field of traffic flow studies, compulsive lane-changing refers to lane-changing (LC) behaviors due to traffic rules or bad road conditions, while free LC happens when drivers change lanes to drive on a faster or less crowded lane. LC studies based on differential equation models accurately reveal LC influence on traffic environment. This paper presents a second-order partial differential equation (PDE) model that simulates both compulsive LC behavior and free LC behavior, with lane-changing source terms in the continuity equation and a lane-changing viscosity term in the momentum equation. A specific form of this model focusing on a typical compulsive LC behavior, the ‘off-ramp problem’, is derived. Numerical simulations are given in several cases, which are consistent with real traffic phenomenon.