Modeling Origin-Destination Effects on Roundabout Operations and Inflow Control

Traffic flows around roundabouts have been found to be dependent on origin-destination flows, but the true nature of this relationship is not properly understood. Present analyses are based on either gap acceptance models or empirical models. These models do not properly account for the impact of origin-destination flows on roundabout operations. This has limited the possibility to develop strategies that improve roundabout operations by controlling inflows. This research proposes a theory to analyze roundabout traffic flows and a strategy to determine inflows into a roundabout that would maximize the outflow from the roundabout. This strategy could be implemented through use of signals to meter vehicles at the entry. To achieve this, a theoretical framework is proposed based on the macroscopic fundamental diagram for urban networks. The theory and strategy is then tested using microscopic simulation. It was found that the outflow from a roundabout is dependent on the average flow and the average trip length around the roundabout. The average trip length is a function of the origin-destination flows. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)TE.1943-5436.0000394. (C) 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.