Citation

McGhee C, Arnold E. Transp. Res. Rec. 1997; 1572: 160-166.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.3141/1572-19

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Capacity analysis is a critical activity in traffic engineering and planning divisions of state departments of transportation across the nation. The Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) provides a methodology for capacity analysis that is commonly accepted and often required by state departments of transportation. The variety of computer programs that exist to aid transportation professionals in conducting capacity analyses has led to questions regarding the best methods to use under various conditions. Several computer programs other than the Highway Capacity Software (HCS) that are commonly used in evaluating capacity at signalized intersections were evaluated to determine which ones provide acceptable results. The results obtained from a simulation model were also evaluated to determine whether the model could be used to determine the operational characteristics of signalized intersections. The study results, although based on limited data, provided valuable information about the programs evaluated. HCS, SIGNAL94, HCM/Cinema, and the simulation model TRAF-NETSIM are all acceptable for capacity analysis at isolated intersections. SIGNAL94, HCM/Cinema, and TRAF-NETSIM provide reasonable estimates of queue length at isolated intersections. However, at isolated intersections where congested, oversaturated conditions exist, TRAF-NETSIM provides more accurate measures of delay and queue length. At nonisolated intersections where queueing and spill-back are potential problems, simulation analysis with TRAF-NETSIM is recommended instead of capacity analysis to determine the operational characteristics of the corridor.

Language: en