VISSIM Microscopic Simulation Research Articles

Enhancing Work Zone Safety: Evaluating Static Merge Strategies Through Microscopic Traffic Simulation

Background The utilization of merging control has been proposed as a strategy to maximize the capacity of roads in work zone areas. The static Early Merge (EM) and static Late Merge (LM) controls are extensively implemented among these strategies. Although many studies have investigated the efficacy of these controls through the analysis of field data or microscopic traffic simulations, such comparisons are frequently conducted under different work zone conditions, which can result in inconsistent, contradictory conclusions. Materials and Methods A simulation study was carried out using the VISSIM microscopic traffic simulator within a self-developed work zone featuring a 2-to-1 lane closure setup to comprehensively assess and contrast the traffic efficiency of the EM and LM controls. Furthermore, through a comprehensive analysis and comparison of network performance within the designed work zone across various scenarios, including queue length, vehicle delays, and travel time, the significant VISSIM parameters influencing the system's performance were identified. Results The analysis revealed that the parameters CC1 (headway time) and CC2 (longitudinal following threshold) from the car-following model exert more significant influence in the simulated work zone throughput than the Safety Distance Reduction Factor (SDRF) parameter from the lane-changing model. Discussion According to the simulation findings, implementing the EM control is preferable when drivers display aggressive behavior and maintain relatively short safety distances (i.e., low CC1 values). Conversely, opting for the LM control is more advisable in work zone areas where drivers demonstrate cautious driving tendencies and maintain longer safety distances (i.e., high CC1 values). Conclusion The efficacy of static EM and LM was analyzed in a 2-to-1 lane closure work zone on a freeway using the microscopic traffic simulator VISSIM. Simulation results were compared to identify the most relevant VISSIM parameters that influence work zone throughput. Our results indicate that the parameters CC1 and CC2 from the car-following model have a more substantial impact than the SDRF parameter from the lane-changing model. In particular, our comparison results suggest that the work zone throughput decreases in both the EM and LM scenarios as the values of CC1 and CC2 increase. Additionally, SDRF has a relatively negligible effect on the network performance of both merge strategies.

Experience in calibrating the VISSIM microscopic simulation model for an unsignalized intersection in Pekanbaru, Indonesia

Traffic activity is unique and occurs throughout the region. All moving traffic movements cause a build up of vehicles when there are conflicts between vehicles and result in congestion, one of which is in the intersection area located on Jalan SM Amin, Pekanbaru. Traffic modelling can assist traffic management through accurate simulation results with field conditions based on driving behavior value VISSIM is a simulation tool used to simulate dynamic traffic flow conditions. The research has aim to modelling and calibrating driver behavior value based on traffic flow conditions at unsignalised intersections in Pekanbaru. This research uses simulation modelling with VISSIM as the modeler and GEH and MAPE as validation tools to choose which right model. Simulation process will used calibration process based on driving behavior value for the right model by trial and error method.. The result showed that simulation model based on default parameter of driving Behavior cannot represent for real traffic. Then changes in the combination of Driving Behaviour values affect the accuracy of model conditions with field conditions. The accuracy is measured using the reference volume of vehicles exiting the unsignalled intersection. Therefore, this research could be can assist in smoothing traffic flow model in Pekanbaru which more easily by using live traffic flow simulation that can be utilized for traffic intersection management scenarios.

Development of a Unity–VISSIM Co-Simulation Platform to Study Interactive Driving Behavior

This paper presents the system development of a co-simulation platform aimed at studying driving behavior with multiple participants. The objective of this study was to create an immersive and interactive environment where different driving scenarios could be simulated and driver behavior could be recorded and analyzed. The platform integrated the Unity game engine with the VISSIM microscopic traffic simulator to create a hybrid simulation environment that combined the advantages of both tools. A virtual reality massive multiplayer online (VRMMO) module was developed to capture the interactions of the participants during the simulation experiments. The external control devices of this co-simulation platform were calibrated using the empirical data of a Controller Area Network (CAN-BUS) from actual driving behaviors. The main contributions of this study are the demonstration of the Unity–VISSIM co-simulation platform in simulating interactive driver behavior and the potential for its use in various research areas, such as intelligent transportation systems, human factors, driving education, and traffic safety analyses. The platform could be a valuable tool for evaluating the effectiveness of collective intelligence countermeasures in improving traffic systems, with relatively lower costs and risks.

Development of Traffic Delay and Queue Metamodel on Landslide Zone Based on Simulation Using VISSIM

Landslides occur due to instability in the soil triggered by vibrations, high rainfall and topographical conditions of an area. Landslide is a natural disaster that often occurs in West Sumatra. This landslide certainly has an impact on traffic around the area. Congestion is the impact caused by landslides due to falling chunks of material onto the road. Lack of traffic control during landslides makes travel ineffective and inefficient. Therefore, the traffic control and its impact on possible landslides were tested using a VISSIM microscopic simulation software by setting the queue and delay parameters as the outputs. Based on this output of simulations, the metamodel was developed using regression analysis. This model could be used to predict the queue and delay of traffic because of landslide at road network. Two traffic control conditions that were simulated, open and close lane is used if the width of the landslides covering the road is more than one lane. Two-way traffic control in landslide zone is used when the width of the landslides covering the road is less than one lane.

Evaluation of Design Method for Highway Adjacent Tunnel and Exit Connection Section Length Based on Entropy Method.

With the continuous construction of transportation infrastructure, intersection nodes have been increasing rapidly, bringing growing numbers of tunnel- and exit-adjacent sections (TEAS) in mountain expressways in China. With the complex variation in the surrounding environment, drivers always face congestion and confusion on tunnel and the exit connecting sections (TECS) without adequate length, meanwhile excessively long TECS create detours. To better provide a sustainable design strategy for TEAS, based on a certain section of expressway in Shaanxi, China, this paper establishes a theoretical calculation model through analysis. The characteristics of traffic flow and drivers' light adaptation at tunnel exit are obtained through data collection and driving tests, and the length requirements of the tunnel and exit connecting sections (TECS) are discussed. A VISSIM microscopic simulation model is also built under various design schemes and entropy-based multi-attribute decision making (EBMADM) is used to objectively calculate the weights of the four selected evaluation indexes. Then, the design schemes of the TECS with different lengths have been comprehensively evaluated. The results show the match between the evaluation results of EBMADM with theoretical calculations under existing traffic conditions, which proves the rationality of EBMADM in such problems. For more cases, the results of the EBMADM evaluation show a positive correlation between the length of TECS for the best performing design scheme with traffic volume and diverging ratio.

Design of Transit Signal Priority at Signalized Intersections with Queue Jumper Lanes

A queue jumper lane is a special bus preferential treatment that combines a short stretch of a special lane with a transit signal priority (TSP) to allow buses to bypass waiting queues of traffic and then to cut out in front of the queue by getting an early green signal. This paper first proposes a signal control design for queue jumper lanes with actuated TSP strategies and then compares its performance with that of the general actuated mixed-lane TSP. Different design alternatives were evaluated in the VISSIM microscopic simulation. The results show that the proposed TSP with queue jumper lanes can reduce more bus delays than can the commonly-used mixed-lane TSP, especially under high traffic volume conditions. It was also found that a nearside bus stop is superior to the far-side counterpart in terms of both bus delay and overall intersection delay for the proposed design.

A system-optimum approach for bus lanes dynamically activated by road traffic

In this paper, we investigate the performance of a bus lane that is (de)activated under specific road traffic and public transport conditions. More specific, the VISSIM microscopic simulation software along with VisVAP and EnViVer add-on modules were employed to represent the operation of a bus lane with intermittent use by cars in a highly congested arterial. We modelled various scenarios to determine the level of traffic volumes and bus service frequencies for which such bus lane concept would be effective. Empirical findings showed that when peak hour volumes range between 1000 and 2000 vehicles, the mixing of cars and buses on bus lanes may lead to a) serious reductions of vehicles’ queue lengths, b) significant decreases of greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions derived from traffic flow and speed profile improvements and c) financial viability of the experiment. The joint use of bus lanes at 2000 vehicles per peak hour was highlighted as the most financially viable scenario. On the other hand, delays were comparatively increased due to the lower speed of cars which were moving onto the bus lane. Finally, our bus lane concept was not performed well under bus headways shorter than 2 min.

Estimation of lane-level travel time distributions under a connected environment

Travel time distribution estimation is fundamentally important for the evaluation of travel time variability and reliability. For urban roads, signal delays are key components of travel time. They are stochastic and differ for vehicular movements due to different signal timings for through, left-turning, and right-turning vehicles. To better assist travelers in making trip decisions under connected environments, this study seeks to investigate lane-level travel time distributions for signalized arterial roads by specifically considering the impacts of both the link travel time and the vehicle movement-based signal delays at an intersection. A simulation testbed based on the VISSIM microscopic traffic simulator and a Java plugin is developed to mimic the traffic flow dynamics of a signalized arterial, El Camino Real, in Palo Alto, California, under a connected environment. The detailed vehicle trajectory data obtained from the simulation can be leveraged to obtain lane-level travel time information. Typical normal, lognormal, gamma, and Weibull distributions, as well as kernel density estimation (KDE), are adopted to calibrate the lane-level travel time distributions. The estimation results demonstrate that conventional distribution models are suitable for estimating the travel time distributions of only a few road segments, while KDE fully captures travel time reliability metrics such as the buffer time index, skewness, and width of the travel time distributions for all road segments. This result will help traffic managers and engineers carry out effective traffic management and control to optimize the operation of arterial roads.

Dynamic Thresholds Identification for Green Extension and Red Truncation Strategies for Bus Priority

Among the different strategies adopted to improve the efficiency and reliability of the bus services, bus signal priority is a low cost and less infrastructure- demanding solution that has the potential to reduce bus travel times in urban arterials. This paper develops analytical models for finding the thresholds for Green Extension (GE) and Red Truncation (RT) for a four-phase signal system with buses on conflicting phases. The thresholds are developed based on reducing the total person delay after considering buses from the current cycle and unserved buses from the previous cycle for priority decisions. The proposed models aim for zero-delay service for the buses from the current cycle and reducing delay for the unserved buses from the previous cycle. The models reveal that at multi-phase signals, several bus priority alternatives are possible to reduce total person delay and agencies can choose alternatives based on their requirements and constraints. These models are evaluated in VISSIM microscopic simulation environment. The evaluation results indicate a 16.7 to 42.8% reduction in total person intersection delay due to the implemented bus priority.

The city-airport connection, implications for urban transport planning in motorcycle-dominated cities

The objective of this study is to propose solutions for in-the-city airport countries where significant conflict between airport-access traffic and pass-by traffic (other urban traffic not accessing the airport) is observed. The study firstly investigates major transport problems of in-the-city airport area. It then reviews different solutions from international studies. The development of transport infrastructure system is proposed with different scenarios and the transport impact assessment is conducted by VISSIM microscopic simulation. The recommendation for city-airport connection is highlighted for the case of Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam where Tan Son Nhat International Airport locates. The airport separated-access road is proposed for a short-term vision. The study reveals that improvement of transport infrastructure only could not resolve traffic congestion since the traffic demand is much beyond the traffic supply. A multimodal connection and traffic demand management are required for urban traffic in a longer term. The outcomes of this study might benefit urban planners and transport authorities in many cities where motorcycles are dominating.

Operating Performance of Diverging Diamond Interchanges

As the result of changing traffic patterns, many conventional intersections and interchanges can no longer accommodate growing traffic volumes and heavy turning movements. In response, there are various innovative intersection and interchange designs proposed and implemented to better accommodate these changes, and the diverging diamond interchange (DDI) is one of these alternatives. While there is a significant amount of research on the relative performance of DDIs and conventional diamond interchanges (CDIs), a clear set of guidance on demand conditions under which a DDI is likely an operationally more efficient solution is not readily available. This effort conducts a sensitivity analysis of CDI and DDI operational performance under various interchange lane configurations, including the selected study area of the Jimmy Carter Boulevard and I-85 interchange in Norcross, Georgia, under varying traffic demands and turn-movement ratios. The sensitivity analysis explores the detailed conditions in which one interchange configuration provides superior performance over the other. The sensitivity analysis is structured into a two-step process with a critical lane volume (CLV) analysis as the first step, followed by a VISSIM microscopic simulation study as the second step. Overall, the study found that a CDI is likely to be the preferred option at locations with traffic volumes well below capacity and cross-street left-turn traffic proportions below 30% of the total cross-street demand, and a DDI is likely to be preferred at locations with traffic volumes near capacity and cross-street left-turn proportions exceeding 50% of the total cross-street demand.

Driving aggressiveness management policy to enhance the performance of mixed traffic conditions in automated driving environments

The advancement of vehicular technologies for automated driving will lead to a mixed traffic flow that depends on the interaction between automated vehicles (AVs) and manually driven vehicles (MVs) because the market penetration rate (MPR) of AVs will gradually increase over time. Because automated driving environments provide us with a valuable opportunity for controlling individual vehicle operation, a strategic policy for managing AVs operation is expected to enhance the performance of the traffic stream. Therefore, the operation of AVs needs to be properly determined to cope with various traffic and road conditions and thereby facilitate smooth and effective vehicle interactions. This study proposed a novel traffic management strategy in automated driving environments by adjusting the driving aggressiveness of AV operation, defined as automated driving aggressiveness (AuDA). VISSIM microscopic simulation experiments were conducted to derive the proper AuDAs to enhance both the traffic safety and the mobility performance. Traffic conflict rates and average travel speeds were used as indicators for the performance of safety and operations. While conducting the simulations, the level of service (LOS) and MPR of the AVs were also considered. In addition, the relationship between key variables for adaptive cruise control (ACC) operations and AuDA policies was explored to better support the understanding of how the proposed methodology works in practice. Promising results showed that the proposed methodology would be effective in optimizing the performance of mixed traffic conditions. Furthermore, the outcome will be valuable in developing various policies and guidelines to manage the operation of AV in automated driving environments.

Calibração do modelo de aceitação de brechas em interseções urbanas com o microssimulador de tráfego VISSIM

Este artigo tem como objetivo principal propor um método para a modelagem do processo de aceitação de brechas em interseções urbanas não semaforizadas utilizando o microssimulador VISSIM. O método proposto tem como medida-alvo o tempo que o motorista leva no processo de avaliação das brechas, ou seja, o tempo de espera enquanto está na primeira posição da fila. O c2 da aderência entre as distribuições dos tempos de espera (simulados e observados) e a diferença entre as médias foram utilizados na estimação da brecha crítica. O método foi aplicado em uma interseção da cidade de Fortaleza. Os resultados indicaram valores levemente diferentes da brecha crítica entre os movimentos de conversão. O segundo objetivo deste trabalho é comparar o método proposto com o método de calibração mais convencional, no qual a medida-alvo é uma medida de desempenho do tráfego, como o tamanho médio da fila. O método proposto apresentou melhores resultados.

A Study on the Merits for Coordinated Use of Ramp Metering and Variable Speed Limit Traffic Control Systems

Aim:The aim of this research was to investigate the merits for further improvements of traffic operation on freeways and expressways through coordinated use of Ramp Metering and Variable Speed limit (VSL) control systems.Methods:In this research, the widely used ALINEA Ramp Metering strategy was coordinated with a rule-based VSL strategy so that the total flow entered from the upstream freeway and entry ramp is maintained below the merge downstream capacity. The developed algorithm was then examined on a freeway network comprising two merge and one diverge sections, using VISSIM microscopic simulation model. The performance of the simulated network was examined under three scenarios namely, No-control, Ramp Metering only and Ramp Metering plus VSL controls. The network performance under each scenario was then assessed and compared using three measures of performance namely, average travel time, overall delay and freeway throughput. The ANOVA test was used to analyze and compare the impacts of specified scenarios.Results:The results indicated that the best performance is achieved under coordinated Ramp Metering plus VSL scenario as it produced a significantly better performance in comparison with the other two scenarios.Conclusion:The results can be attributed to the synergistic effects of coordinated and integrated use of these control systems on the freeway network and therefore, coordination of such systems is recommended.

The Possibility for Implementing the Superstreet Unconventional Intersection Design in Jordan

This paper provides policy makers with an objective assessment on the possibility for implementing an unconventional arterial intersection design, the Superstreet, for improving safety and operational characteristics for an existing signalized intersection. The signalized intersection selected for analysis was Tabarbour, located in Amman, Jordan. Tabarbour intersection is considered one of the most significant signalized intersections in Amman. The intersection currently suffers from the following problems: long queues, delays and excessive emissions. SYNCHRO microscopic simulation software was used for signal optimization of the current conventional intersection. VISSIM microscopic simulation software was used to analyze and compare the Superstreet design to the conventional design. It was found that the proposed Superstreet reduced the average delay per vehicle by up to 87% and reduced the maximum queue length by almost 97%. This resulted in improving the level of service from F to C. Finally, five year future traffic demand analysis was performed; it was found that the Superstreet design didn’t perform as expected under heavy traffic volume.

CALIBRATION OF VISSIM MODEL FOR MULTILANE HIGHWAYS USING SPEED FLOW CURVES

Traffic flow is a complex phenomenon that needs better understanding of basic conceptsand methods for its analysis. As a solution to practical problems, computer simulation has beenproved to be a powerful tool in replicating complex traffic systems which allows experimentation tothe basic traffic flow system. Various methods are available in literature, some of the methods usestatistical tools to verify the difference between simulated and actual outputs and some are basedon optimization which tries to minimize the error. For the present work, suitable methodology isadopted for the calibration process. Field data is collected, statistical tests are performed. For thesimulation, VISSIM microscopic simulation tool is used and data analysis is performed byconsidering individual parameters and performance measures like speed, volume and randomseed number. Statistical tests have been performed to check the sensitivity of the differentsimulation parameters. Calibration is done using trial and error method and optimization isperformed using solver function. The maximum simulated flow rate was found with default valuesas 4599 veh/hr, and with calibrated values is 5147 veh/hr which is close to the target capacity 4958veh/hr as obtained using field composition. Calibrated values of CC0 and CC1 and CC2parameters were found as most optimized values to achieve target capacity. Finally, validation ofcalibrated parameter was performed by using different section of a multilane highway.

Heterogeneous urban traffic data and their integration through kernel-based interpolation

Purpose This paper aims to present collection and analysis of heterogeneous urban traffic data, and integration of them through a kernel-based approach for assessing performance of urban transport network facilities. The recent development in sensing and information technology opens up opportunities for researching the use of this vast amount of new urban traffic data. This paper contributes to analysis and management of urban transport facilities. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the data fusion algorithm are developed by using a kernel-based interpolation approach. Our objective is to reconstruct the underlying urban traffic pattern with fine spatial and temporal granularity through processing and integrating data from different sources. The fusion algorithm can work with data collected in different space-time resolution, with different level of accuracy and from different kinds of sensors. The properties and performance of the fusion algorithm is evaluated by using a virtual test bed produced by VISSIM microscopic simulation. The methodology is demonstrated through a real-world application in Central London. Findings The results show that the proposed algorithm is able to reconstruct accurately the underlying traffic flow pattern on transport network facilities with ordinary data sources on both virtual and real-world test beds. The data sources considered herein include loop detectors, cameras and GPS devices. The proposed data fusion algorithm does not require assumption and calibration of any underlying model. It is easy to implement and compute through advanced technique such as parallel computing. Originality/value The presented study is among the first utilizing and integrating heterogeneous urban traffic data from a major city like London. Unlike many other existing studies, the proposed method is data driven and does not require any assumption of underlying model. The formulation of the data fusion algorithm also allows it to be parallelized for large-scale applications. The study contributes to the application of Big Data analytics to infrastructure management.

Investigating bus priority parameters for isolated vehicle actuated junctions

ABSTRACTBus priority at traffic signals has been implemented in many cities around the world. At signalised junctions, priority can be given by altering signal timings in favour of approaching buses. In usual practice, this is achieved by either extending the green period for an approaching bus or recalling the green stage, if the signal is currently red for the bus. These bus priority methods reduce junction delays for buses and thus improve bus speed and reliability. At isolated junctions in the UK, the parameters used to implement these priority methods are only based on the requirements for green extensions. These parameters may not always be effective for recalls. This study was undertaken to explore whether bus priority benefits can be improved by considering new priority parameters effective for both methods.This research has involved the application of the VISSIM microscopic simulation software to evaluate existing and new strategies for bus priority at isolated signal controlled junctions operating under D-system vehicle actuation (VA). During evaluation, bus travel time savings and impacts on general traffic have been considered. The performance of these methods on various junction types has been evaluated. New advanced bus priority methods based on new priority parameters have been developed and their performance has been compared with the existing methods.

Ramp Metering Control Based on the Q-Learning Algorithm

Abstract Modern urban highways are under the influence of increased traffic demand and cannot fulfill the desired level of service anymore. In most of the cases there is no space available for any infrastructure building. Solutions from the domain of intelligent transport systems are used, such as ramp metering. To cope with the significant daily changes of the traffic demand, various approaches with autonomic properties like self-learning are applied for ramp metering. One of these approaches is reinforced learning. In this paper the Q-Learning algorithm is applied to learn the local ramp metering control law in a simulation environment, implemented in a VISSIM microscopic simulator. The approach proposed is tested in simulations with emphasis on the mainstream speed and travel time, using a typical on-ramp configuration.

The impact of random mid-block pedestrian crossing on urban arterial operational characteristics in developing countries

Highway Capacity Manual, 2010 (HCM) has developed an integrated multimodal approach to evaluate the quality of service along urban streets. This approach emphasises four different transportation modes, automobile, pedestrian, transit and bicycle. Although HCM procedures are widely used for capacity and level of service analysis, there are several factors that are not comprehensively addressed, such as the effect of pedestrians' mid-block crossing. In this paper, a multimodal microscopic simulation approach is used to address the significance of random mid-block crossing on the operational characteristics of urban arterials in developing countries. The a major urban arterial corridor that experiences high pedestrians volume and vehicular traffic is studied. VISSIM microscopic simulation environment is calibrated based on traffic and speed studies, and three different pedestrians' crossing cases are evaluated. Simulation results have shown that the scenario when pedestrians are randomly crossing the study corridor is associated with lower operational traffic conditions.