Studying Platoon Dispersion Characteristics Under Heterogeneous Traffic in India

Platoons are created by signalized intersections which control travel patterns of vehicles. It is common for platoons to disperse during normal traffic operations. While platoon dispersion has been studied extensively under homogenous and lane disciplined traffic conditions, this characteristic under heterogeneous conditions has not been addressed adequately. This study will be one of the first steps in this direction and will lead to better understanding and simulation of platoon dispersion under Indian conditions.Data describing platoon dispersion was collected with video recording systems along an arterial in Chennai, India. The Robertson's model parameters calibrated for this data was found to be very different from those obtained in previous studies by other researchers. This could be attributed to the highly heterogeneous traffic existing on Indian roads. Dispersion characteristics were studied by taking each platoon individually. The study will augment the understanding of platoon dispersion by discussing the issue of heterogeneous conditions.