Simulation and Operation Evaluation of Cooperative Lane Changing Strategy of Intelligent Connected Vehicles in On-Ramp Areas

Expressway on-ramps are common sites of traffic congestion, and there are serious confluence conflicts. In a connected vehicle environment, inter-vehicle communication can potentially improve the efficiency of traffic operations. This study constructed a simulation scenario of the on-ramp area in an expressway. Through the inter-vehicle communication function, the ramp vehicle can help reduce the disturbance of main road traffic flow caused by the on-ramp vehicle inflow, improving main road and on-ramp efficiency. The results show that (1) when the traffic flow of the main road and ramp is in the range of 30–50 pcu/km/ln, the inter-vehicle communication has a positive impact on the traffic operation in the on-ramp area; and (2) when the density of the main road and ramp is 40 pcu/km/ln, the improvement effect of inter-vehicle communication on traffic efficiency is the most obvious. Inter-vehicle communication can improve on-ramp traffic flow and provide a strategic reference for alleviating traffic congestion and reducing accident risk.