A Comparison of a Cellular Automaton and a Macroscopic Model

Abstract

In this paper we describe a relation between a microscopic stochastic traffic cellular automaton model (i.e., the STCA) and the macroscopic first-order continuum model (i.e., the LWR model). The innovative aspect is that we explicitly incorporate the STCA's stochasticity in the construction of the fundamental diagram used by the LWR model. We apply our methodology to a small case study, giving a comparison of both models, based on simulations, numerical, and analytical calculations of their tempo-spatial behavior.