Empirical Investigation of the Impact of the Moving Light Guidance System on Lane-Changing Phenomena

Abstract

Unintentional speed reductions in bottleneck sections significantly contribute to traffic congestion on freeways. To address this issue, the Moving Light Guidance System (MLGS) has been implemented as a traffic management measure designed to counteract speed reductions and facilitate recovery by adjusting its lighting speed to slightly exceed observed vehicle speeds. This paper investigates the MLGS’s impact on lane-changing behavior. Our findings show that, the number of lane changes higher with MLGS than without MLGS. Furthermore, these results suggest that MLGS contributes to inducing lane changes by improving vehicle speed and its homogenization, as well as enhancing the homogenization of headway distances. Additionally, we explore the relationship between traffic states and lane-changing phenomena. The results suggest that MLGS may facilitate lane changes as drivers seek to maintain their desired speed. Furthermore, we analysed the average headway distance between the new leader and new follower during a lane change. It shows that the mean headway distance is smaller, suggesting that MLGS helps create lane-changeable gaps. In summary, the MLGS appears to improve traffic conditions in the passing lane. Under MLGS there are more lane changes likely to be caused by the availability of gaps based on headway distance and the desire to maintain desired speed. This paper shows the mechanisms of MLGS operations and shows that MLGS hence may help reduce traffic disturbances in the other lane, where merging vehicles frequently enter.