Optimizing Trajectories for Reactive Behavior via Connectivity: Adapting to a Lane-Changing Vehicle

Lane-changing maneuvers can generate shockwaves and disrupt traffic flow in the target lane. An appropriate response from the follower is crucial to prevent shockwaves and mitigate congestion. This research introduces a trajectory model to produce a smooth and safe response to a lane-changing vehicle within a connected environment. The reference trajectory is generated using a quadratic Bézier curve in the time-space diagram. To achieve this, we derive the acceleration term and incorporate initial braking and speed reduction along the Bézier curve into the trajectory cost. Consequently, the model accounts for aspects such as driving comfort, traffic impacts, and safety, and finally adapts to interruptions from the lane-changing vehicle. The model was simulated in MATLAB and tested using real-world lane-changing trajectory data. The results showed that the proposed model produced a safe trajectory optimized in terms of driving comfort and its impact on upstream traffic. Overall, this study proposes a trajectory model to handle traffic disruptions from the lane-changing maneuver, focusing on the immediate follower in a connected driving environment.