Influx ratio preserving coupling conditions for the networked Lighthill-Whitham-Richards model

Abstract: A new coupling rule for the Lighthill-Whitham-Richards model at merging junctions is introduced that imposes the preservation of the ratio between inflow from a given road to the total inflow into the junction. This rule is considered both in the context of the original traffic flow model and a relaxation setting giving rise to two different Riemann solvers that are discussed for merging 2-to-1 junctions. Numerical experiments are shown suggesting that the relaxation based Riemann solver is capable of suitable predictions of both, free-flow and congestion scenarios without relying on flow maximization.