Evaluation of Managed Lane Operation Plan for Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous driving technology, in which cars recognize their surroundings and drive via mechanical control, has attracted much attention. However, before the introduction of autonomous driving technology, there will be a mix of autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles, requiring a traffic operation management strategy to ensure the safety and operational efficiency of mixed traffic flow. In response, an operation plan is proposed to design and operate a managed lane to minimize friction between autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles in the commercialization phase of autonomous vehicles. To evaluate the autonomous vehicle managed lane operation strategy, safety, operation efficiency, and environment effectiveness measurements were derived by conducting a simulation analysis using VISSIM. And then, a value function was developed that reflects the three measurements and their importance weighting values. Using this approach, this paper provides a strategy of optimal autonomous vehicle managed lane operation that can increase operational efficiency and safety in expressway on/off-ramp areas.