Voronoi densities for bicylists

Abstract

Density is one of the most relevant variables in a traffic flow description. For objects in 2 dimensions, density can be determined by the space that is allocated to each of the objects. This paper introduces a new way of computing the space available for a bicyclist, accounting for speed and accounting for the non-zero size of a bicycle. This changes local densities. The proposed method modifies the Voronoi densities, and assigns space to a bicycle. We assign space to bicycle A if it has a closer proximity to any point of bicycle A than any point of any other bicycle. The proximity is determined by the distance and the angle in relation to velocity of the bicycle. Specific proximity functions need to be formulated and calibrated to match cyclist behavior. This method helps to define a density level for cyclists, which in turn can for instance lead to a better indication of a Level of Service.