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Although traffic simulations with cellular-automata models give meaningful results compared with empirical data, highway traffic requires a more detailed description of the elementary dynamics. Based on recent empirical results we present a modified Nagel-Schreckenberg cellular automaton model which incorporates both a slow-to-start and an anticipation rule, which takes into account especially brake lights. The focus in this article lies on the comparison with empirical single-vehicle data., 6 pages, 4 figures, uses Springer Macros 'lncse', to appear in "Traffic and Granular Flow '99: Social, Traffic, and Granular Dynamics" edited by D. Helbing, H. J. Herrmann, M. Schreckenberg, and D. E. Wolf (Springer, Berlin)

Boundary-induced phase transitions are one of the surprising phenomena appearing in nonequilibrium systems. These transitions have been found in driven systems, especially the asymmetric simple exclusion process. However, so far no direct observations of this phenomenon in real systems exists. Here we present evidence for the appearance of such a nonequilibrium phase transition in traffic flow occurring on highways in the vicinity of on- and off-ramps. Measurements on a German motorway close to Cologne show a first-order nonequilibrium phase transition between a free-flow phase and a congested phase. It is induced by the interplay of density waves (caused by an on-ramp) and a shock wave moving on the motorway. The full phase diagram, including the effect of off-ramps, is explored using computer simulations and suggests means to optimize the capacity of a traffic network., Comment: 5 figures, revtex

We present a new cellular automata model of vehicular traffic in cities by combining ideas borrowed from the Biham-Middleton-Levine (BML) model of city traffic and the Nagel-Schreckenberg (NaSch) model of highway traffic. The model exhibits a dynamical phase transition to a completely jammed phase at a critical density which depends on the time periods of the synchronized signals., 6 pages, 5 figures, uses Springer Macros 'lncse', to appear in "Traffic and Granular Flow '99: Social, Traffic, and Granular Dynamics" edited by D. Helbing, H. J. Herrmann, M. Schreckenberg, and D. E. Wolf (Springer, Berlin)

Single-vehicle data of freeway traffic as well as selected Floating-Car (FC) data are analyzed in great detail. Traffic states are distinguished by means of aggregated data. We propose a method for a quantitative classification of these states. The data of individual vehicles allows for insights into the interaction of vehicles. The time-headway distribution reveals a characteristic structure dominated by peaks and controlled by the underlying traffic states. The tendency to reach a pleasant level of ``driving comfort'' gives rise to new $v(\Delta x)$-diagrams, known as Optimal-Velocity (OV) curves. The insights found at locally fixed detectors can be confirmed by FC data. In fundamental diagrams derived from local measurements interesting high-flow states can be observed., Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, uses Springer Macros 'lncse', to appear in "Traffic and Granular Flow '99: Social, Traffic, and Granular Dynamics" edited by D. Helbing, H. J. Herrmann, M. Schreckenberg, and D. E. Wolf (Springer, Berlin)

We investigate the effect of quenched disorder in the Nagel-Schreckenberg model of traffic flow. Spatial inhomogenities, i.e. lattice sites where the braking probability is enlarged, are considered as well as particle disorder, i.e. cars of a different maximum velocity. Both types of disorder lead to segregated states., 6 pages, 4 postscript figures, Proceedings of the conference "Traffic and Granular Flow '97", Duisburg, Germany, October 5-8, 1997

The cellular automaton model for traffic flow exhibits a jamming transition from a free-flow phase to a congested phase. In the deterministic case this transition corresponds to a critical point with diverging correlation length. We present data from numerical simulations which suggest the absence of critical behavior in the presence of noise. The transition of the deterministic case is smeared out and one only observes the remnants of the critical point., 5 pages, 4 postscript figures, Proceedings of the conference "Traffic and Granular Flow '97", Duisburg, Germany, October 5-8, 1997

Measurements of traffic flow show the existence of metastable states of very high throughput. These observations cannot be reproduced by the CA model of Nagel and Schreckenberg (NaSch model), not even qualitatively. Here we present two variants on the NaSch model with modified acceleration rules ('slow-to-start' rules). Although these models are still discrete in time and space, different types of metastable states can be observed., Comment: 6 pages, 4 postscript figures, Proceedings of the conference "Traffic and Granular Flow '97", Duisburg, Germany, October 5-8, 1997