Hysteresis in traffic flow revisited: An improved measurement method

This paper presents new insights on the hysteresis phenomenon in congested freeway traffic. It is found that existing theories based on different driver behavior for acceleration and deceleration are incomplete. The data suggests that one needs to consider aggressive and timid driver behavior as well. These findings are based on an improved method for measuring traffic flow variables from trajectory data consistently with kinematic wave theory.

Research highlights
► The hysteresis phenomenon in congested freeway traffic may not be explained by different acceleration and deceleration driver behavior.
► The data suggests that one needs to consider aggressive and timid driver behavior as well.
► These findings are based on an improved method for measuring traffic flow variables from trajectory data consistently with kinematic wave theory.