A revised stochastic optimal velocity model considering the velocity gap with a preceding vehicle

The stochastic optimal velocity (SOV) model, which is a cellular automata model, has been widely used because of its good reproducibility of the fundamental diagram, despite its simplicity. However, it has a drawback: in SOV, a vehicle that is temporarily stopped takes a long time to restart. This study proposes a revised SOV model that suppresses this particular defect; the basic concept of this model is derived from the car-following model, which considers the velocity gap between a particular vehicle and the preceding vehicle. A series of simulations identifies the model parameters and clarifies that the proposed model can reproduce the three traffic phases: free, jam, and even synchronized phases, which cannot be achieved by the conventional SOV model.