Continuum models for freeways with two lanes and numerical tests

This paper deals with the continuum modeling of traffic dynamics for freeways with two lanes where the faster vehicles are allowed to travel on both lanes while the slower vehicles are allowed to travel on one lane only. The speed gradient-based momentum equation is used to develop the traffic models for each lane. Using the proposed models, some nonequilibrium phenomena such as small disturbance instability and stop-and-go waves, together with results from numerical tests are investigated. The conditions for keeping the models’ linear stability are presented.