Citation

Boone JL, Hummer JE. Transp. Res. Rec. 1995; 1500: 184-192.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Computer simulation has become an important tool for evaluating transportation strategies quickly and efficiently. Simulation is especially critical in assessing the potential of innovative traffic control alternatives. The calibration and validation of simulation models characterized by unconventional design and operation strategies is presented. This effort was part of a project to investigate unconventional traffic control alternatives for the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Three alternatives were selected for in-depth investigation: the Florida continuous green T-intersection, an application of the modern roundabout, and the Michigan median U-turn intersection. These strategies were examined using Traf-Netsim 4.0 and the macroscopic analysis package SIDRA 4.07. Models for each of the three alternatives were developed and efforts were made to calibrate and, in two cases, validate them with field data collected in Florida, Maryland, and Michigan. The highlights of the calibration included (a) updated critical gap distributions for the six-lane median U-turn and the roundabout, (b) a larger saturation flow rate for the median U-turn, (c) an average roundabout speed, and (d) a distribution of traffic into the free flow lane(s) for the continuous green T-intersection. The validation effort showed that the Traf-Netsim and SIDRA results compared reasonably well to field measurements.

Language: en

Keywords

Calibration; Data acquisition; Intersections; Mathematical models; Traffic control; Highway engineering; Computer simulation; Motor transportation; Median dividers