Study of the influence of autonomous vehicles on transport network capacity

Transport infrastructure is an essential component of urban functioning that plays a major role in the economy, security and social structure. In particular, the Russian road network is a component of all transportation in the country, because most of the cargo flows follow by automobile transport. Every year, the load on the street-city network increases with a geometric progression. Urbanization of cities results in the fact that the throughput capacity of the road network does not satisfy the current and future needs of the region. The article considers the use of autonomous vehicles on public roads as one of the possible solutions to this problem. Technologies allow the movement of vehicles in compliance with a shorter distance at higher speeds, which will help increase the throughput capacity of the road network section without requiring any changes and reconstructions. In recent decades, significant progress has been made in the field of vehicle control and monitoring systems. Autonomous vehicles use a set (system) of sensors to scan the environment, and the built-in microprocessor monitors the braking, steering and speed systems. In the long term, this technology will be supplemented by the possibility of connecting autonomous vehicles with traffic control systems and other vehicles. This level of communication will facilitate the flow of autonomous vehicles in large groups, allowing one to maintain a minimum distance at high speed, while increasing road safety. This work presents simulation results, on the basis of which it can be concluded that an autonomous flow of vehicles can increase the throughput capacity of the road network by four times without the construction of additional lanes. The research results make is possible to develop a set of measures aimed at regulating these technologies in order to ensure the safe integration of autonomous vehicles with transport infrastructure.