The stabilization effect of the density difference in the modified lattice hydrodynamic model of traffic flow

A modified lattice hydrodynamic model of traffic flow is proposed by introducing the density difference between the leading and the following lattice. The stability condition of the modified model is obtained through the linear stability analysis. The results show that considering the density difference leads to the stabilization of the system. The Burgers equation and mKdV equation are derived to describe the density waves in the stable and unstable regions respectively. Numerical simulations show that considering the density difference not only could stabilize traffic flow but also makes the lattice hydrodynamic model more realistic. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.