A variational formulation of kinematic waves: basic theory and complex boundary conditions

The new formulation extends the range of applications of kinematic wave theory and simplifies it considerably. For example, moving restrictions such as slow buses, which cannot be treated easily with existing methods, can be modeled as shortcuts in space-time. These shortcuts affect the nature of the solution but not the complexity of the solution process. Hybrid models of traffic flow where discrete vehicles (e.g., trucks) interact with a continuum KW stream can now be easily implemented.