A Stochastic Model for Multilane Traffic Flow

A probabilistic model to determine a variety of steady-state quantities describing the behavior of traffic on two-lane, four-lane, and six-lane highways is proposed. Faster cars form queues behind slower cars while waiting for an opportunity to pass; the occurrence of passing opportunities is governed by the characteristics of the traffic in adjacent lanes. The effects of entrances and exits, and of hills and curves on the traffic stream are also considered. Computational procedures are outlined and several sample calculations are made.