Peter T Martin

Traffic Microsimulation Models Assessment – A Case Study of International Land Port of Entry☆

Users of International Land Ports of Entries (LPOEs) at the US – Mexico border experience excessive wait times on a daily basis. This contributes to the increased transportation costs, and also generates health and environmental problems in border regions. Traffic simulation models are effective tools for evaluating passenger vehicle, pedestrian and commercial traffic operations. These tools can be used to assess various scenarios and visualize current traffic conditions. Results obtained from these tools should be taken into account in congestion relief decision making processes. The research team developed, calibrated and validated three traffic models of the Ysleta-Zaragoza LPOE using three different software packages (i.e., TransModeler, VISSIM, and Aimsun). This paper presents advantages and disadvantages of each tool when modeling international LPOEs. Results presented herein can be used by practitioners to decide which tool should to be used for modeling LPOEs at the U.S. – Mexico border.

Street Connectivity Versus Street Widening: Impact of Enhanced Street Connectivity on Traffic Operations in Transit-Supportive Environments

Highly connected street networks increase accessibility for multimodal transport, but their effects on the efficiency of still-dominant vehicular traffic is rarely addressed. As interest increases in transforming typical suburban developments from car-oriented to multimodal environments, the effects of redesigned street networks in the period before the expected mode shift need to be clarified. This paper addresses the effects of enhanced connectivity on traffic operations and uses part of the West Valley City, Utah, network as the potential transit-oriented development (TOD). Because the predicted traffic demand for 2040 requires modifications to this network, the question is whether enhanced connectivity as a TOD-supportive approach can accommodate that demand and replace the traditional street widening solution. Twelve scenarios were modeled and evaluated: the existing state, five scenarios with different levels of street connectivity, five street-widening scenarios, and a scenario with reduced speed areas based on traffic-calming practices. Macro- and microsimulation models were used iteratively to build, calibrate, and evaluate the modeled scenarios. The results at the intersection, corridor, and network levels showed that enhanced street connectivity represented a competitive alternative to the traditional capacity expansion approaches that usually involve street widening. As connectivity increased, the network designs with enhanced connectivity accommodated more traffic than the designs with street widening and therefore opened new routes and provided a better dispersion of intrazonal traffic. New scenarios that encompass changes in mode split are proposed for future research efforts.

Methodology for Microscopic Traffic Simulation Modelling of Land Port of Entries along the U.S.-Mexican Border: Ysleta – Zaragoza Land Port of Entry Case Study

Land Ports of Entry (LPOEs) are facilities that control access into the U.S., as well as departures of persons and freight. While traffic simulation modeling techniques are not typically used to evaluate LPOE operational processes, they should be considered more often, because LPOEs have a significant impact on surrounding traffic conditions and vice versa. This paper proposes a methodology for developing microscopic traffic simulation models of LPOEs along the U.S.-Mexico border. The methodology consists of seven steps: (i) collect data; (ii) develop traffic or roadway network; (iii) model inspection and toll booths; (iv) develop traffic management strategies; (v) set up traffic demand; (vi) calibrate model; and (vii) validate model. The paper also presents a case study in which this methodology was followed to develop the Ysleta – Zaragoza LPOE traffic simulation model, which can be controlled from a web-based interface to help LPOE personnel without previous transportation modeling experience.

Chapter 11 – Implementation of Transit Signal Priority and Predictive Priority Strategies in ASC/3 Software-in-the-Loop Simulation

This chapter presents an application of the Advanced System Controller series 3 (ASC/3) Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) simulation in Transit Signal Priority (TSP) implementation and analysis. Two options of the ASC/3-controller software are examined: built-in TSP features, and the controller logic processor as a means to develop custom-defined Predictive Priority Strategies (PPS). The study is using a VISSIM simulation model of a planned transportation network with a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line in West Valley City, Utah. The results show big possibilities for SIL simulation for transit priority analysis. Since the logic processor is not available in simulation software’s traffic control emulators, SIL simulation can offer many options for custom-defined traffic control strategies beyond the standard operations. All of the described strategies can be implemented in the field controllers, without the need for new hardware or software.