Modeling traffic through a sequence of traffic lights -: art. no. 016107

We introduce a microscopic traffic model, based on kinematic behavior, which consists of a single vehicle traveling through a sequence of traffic lights that turn on and off with a specific frequency. The reconstructed function that maps the state of the vehicle from light to light displays complex behavior for certain conditions. This chaotic behavior, which arises by the discontinuous nature of the map, displays an essential ingredient in traffic patterns and could be of relevance in studying traffic situations.