Micro-simulation model of two-lane freeway vehicles for obtaining traffic flow characteristics including safety condition

Unidirectional two-lane freeway is a typical and the simplest form of freeway. The traffic flow char- acteristics including safety condition on two-lane freeway is of great significance in planning, design, and manage- ment of a freeway. Many previous traffic flow models are able to figure out flow characteristics such as speed, den- sity, delay, and so forth. These models, however, have great difficulty in reflecting safety condition of vehicles. Besides, for the cellular automation, one of the most widely used microscopic traffic simulation models, its discreteness in both time and space can possibly cause inaccuracy or big errors in simulation results. In this paper, a micro-simula- tion model of two-lane freeway vehicles is proposed to evaluate characteristics of traffic flow, including safety condition. The model is also discrete in time but continu- ous in space, and it divides drivers into several groups on the basis of their preferences for overtaking, which makes the simulation more aligned with real situations. Partial test is conducted in this study and results of delay, speed, volume, and density indicate the preliminary validity of our model, based on which the proposed safety coefficient evaluates safety condition under different flow levels. It is found that the results of this evaluation coincide with daily experience of drivers, providing ground for effectiveness of the safety coefficient.

Driving Cycle for Motorcycle Using Micro-Simulation Model

Driving cycle of vehicle has been used in emission estimation and fuel consumption study. Existing method of data collection using car chasing technique is expensive. The technique using micro simulation approach is cheaper and fast to derive the driving cycle. In this paper a traffic simulation model Driving Cycle Micro-Simulation Model for Motorcycle has been developed. The issue of lateral and longitudinal movement aspect in motorcycle driving has been examined in the model. Parameters to cover such movement have been built in the model and applied on a stretch in Edinburgh city of Scotland. Results from model have been both calibrated and validated. The results show that Driving Cycle Micro-Simulation Model for Motorcycle gives better representation of driving cycle and it can be used to understand the effect of driving modes on emission for better understanding of vehicular emission control.

Modeling Mixed Traffic Flow at Crosswalks in Micro-Simulations Using Cellular Automata

The cellular automata （CA） micro-simulation model was used to describe the behavior of the mixed traffic flows at crosswalks where the pedestrians compete with the vehicles to cross the roadway. The focus of this paper is the behavior of pedestrians and the influence of pedestrians＇ behavior on the vehicle flow, pedestrian flows, and the vehicle waiting time. The proportion of pedestrians who do not obey traffic laws, the group effect, and expected waiting time of pedestrians, regarded as the most important pedestrian characteristics, are taken into consideration in the analysis. Simulation results show the ability of the microsimulation to capture the most important features of mixed traffic flow.

Modeling the effects of rainfall on vehicular traffic

Traffic management and drainage system are two vital issues for any metropolitan city. Like other big cities, Karachi is also facing problems due to lack of traffic management and poor drainage system. The main objective of the study is to model the interdisciplinary issues of storm water and its effect on the traffic of Karachi. The specific objectives are （1） to calibrate and validate urban hydraulic and traffic micro-simulation models and （2） to model storm water and traffic for future conditions. This study is carried out on a 3-km section of arterial road. In this study, loose coupling of two models is done. For urban drainage, PCSWMM, and for traffic, VISSIM is used. Both models are calibrated for an existing situation on rainfall event of August 3, 2013, and then used for prediction of future scenario based on 50-year and 100-year return periods of rainfall. Sensitivity analysis of VISSIM is performed. Locations and lengths of road sections, where ponding happens for the future scenario, are identified using PCSWMM. These lengths axe then marked in VISSIM as low-speed areas, and delays are measured. Analysis of PCSWMM shows that for 100-year return period, there is maximum 0.318 ha-m （3180 cubic meters） water stored in the depressions of the road after 10 h of rainfall. Analysis of VISSIM shows that for a 100-year return period, there is a maximum delay of 35 min on NIPA to Hasan Square section of University Road.

An Analysis on Efficiency and Equity of Fixed-Time Ramp Metering

Various traffic management strategies have been developed to alleviate the congestion on freeways. The equity issue has been considered as one of the major challenges for the implementation of some traffic control strategies, especially ramp metering. This paper presents a comparative evaluation of the efficiency and equity performance of a traffic control strategies namely Fixed Time Ramp Metering (FTRM). Instead of focusing on a single equity measure and/or indicator, different approaches to the equity concept are discussed and various equity measures are examined. The equity and efficiency performance of traffic control strategies are compared and evaluated by incorporating them into the simulated corridor. The Bosporus Bridge of Istanbul O-1 Freeway, Turkey is used as a test-bed for the simulation model and the control strategy is employed through microscopic traffic flow simulation software, VISSIM AG. The findings from the simulations show that the equity and efficiency properties of the network vary with the measures and indicators taken into account. The results also suggest that the trade-off between equity and efficiency can be observed for some measures, whereas regarding to other measures the trade-off is not validated.

Extending the decision-making process during yellow phase from human drivers to autonomous vehicles:A microsimulation study with safety considerations

One of the main factors affecting the safety of signalised intersections is the stop/go behaviour during the yellow interval.Although previous research has exhaustively examined drivers’stop/go decision-making,the expected autonomous vehicles’(AVs’)stop/go behaviour has not yet been thoroughly investigated.Through a series of simulation experiments developed for conventional and autonomous vehicles using different carfollowing,lane-changing,lateral placement and stop/go model parameter values,we examine here whether the default VISSIM stop/go parameter values can adequately replicate the observed drivers’behaviour at the considered intersection and assess the suitability of using the currently available options,albeit referring to human drivers,to simulate the expected stop/go behaviour of AVs.We also propose a policy framework for determining the desired behaviour of AVs in yellow interval,which is integrated into an AVs logic and achieved in the last simulation to explore the effect of automation on the stop/go outcome and,hence,on the safety level of signalised intersections.Several data analysis and modeling techniques were used for the formulation of certain scenarios,including binary choice models.The default stop/go parameter values were found unfit to replicate the observed stop/go behaviour and subjected to calibration.Compared to the currently available options,the proposed AVs logic proved to produce the most accurate results,in terms of the stop/go simulation outcome.Regarding the impact of automation on the stop/go outcome,the simulation experiments showed that AVs preferred a more conservative behaviour in favor of road safety,as indicated by the significant reduction(≈15%)in the number of vehicles crossing the stop line during the yellow light and zero instances of red light violation.However,compared to the conservative drivers represented by the default stop/go parameter values,AVs preferred a more rational behaviour in favor of intersection capacity without compromising road safety.

A methodology for calibration of traffic micro-simulator for urban heterogeneous traffic operations

Traffic micro-simulation is a widely accepted tool in many countries for the evaluation and assessment of alternative design schemes.However,for several developing countries,replicating heterogeneous,non-lane based traffic in a micro-simulation framework is gaining increased importance and still remains a challenge due to its complexity.The present study demonstrates a methodology to calibrate a traffic micro-simulation model giving due consideration to vehicle-class specific driver behavior in an urban Indian scenario for a midblock section and an intersection approach in Kolkata.The sensitive parameters affecting the driver behavior were identified for every vehicle type using Latin Hyper cube design,taking vehicle class specific travel time as a performance measure.Linear regression models were developed for each vehicle class considering the sensitive driving behavior parameters.The models highlight that the dependency of measure of effectiveness(MOE)of one vehicle type is not only limited to its own driver behavior but also on parameters of other vehicle classes.A genetic algorithm based optimization was adopted to obtain optimal parameter sets for different vehicle classes.The optimum values were found to vary significantly across all vehicle classes at a 95%confidence level.Single and multi-criteria calibration principles are also implemented to yield much more realistic results and subsequently minimizing weighted error for all vehicle classes.

Pers onal In come Tax Reform in China in 2018 and Its Impact on Income Distribution

In the context of personal income tax(PIT)reform in China in 2018,this paper examines some of the major issues of concern regarding the reform and income distribution.Using the China Personal Income Tax Micro-simulation model,the paper compares the differences between the 2011 and 2018 PIT systems,and finds that residents relying on different income sources may face a large degree of real tax rate change.Once the tax system is altered to PIT 2018,the coverage of PIT for wage earners will decrease from 46.9 to 23.4 percent,the income redistributive effect will drop from 1.95 to 1.22 percent and the PITs role in fiscal revenue will also be negatively affected.Nevertheless,if individual income continues to grow,the share of PIT in fiscal revenue is expected to return to the 2018 level in 2022,but its income redistribution function is difficult to recover in the short term.The paper finds that the effect of PIT on income distribution depends on the tax structure.Gradual transition to an"entirely comprehensive"tax system when conditions are appropriate will achieve better income redistribution results at a lower average tax rate.

Estimating impacts of emission specific characteristics on vehicle operation for quantifying air pollutant emissions and energy use

This paper proposes and illustrates a methodology to predict the fraction of time motor vehicles spend in different operating conditions from readily observable variables called emission specific characteristics （ESC）. ESC describe salient characteristics of vehicles, roadway geometry, the roadside environment, traffic, and driving style （aggressive, normal, and calm）. The information generated by our methodology can then be entered in vehicular emission models that rely on vehicle specific power, i.e., comprehensive modal emissions model （CMEM）, international vehicle emissions （IVE）, or motor vehicle emission simulator （MOVES） to compute energy consumption and vehicular emissions for various air pollutants. After generating second-by-second vehicle trajectories from a calibrated micro-simulation model, the authors estimated structural equation models to examine the influence of link ESC on vehicle operation. Authors＇ results show that 67% of the link speed variance is explained by ESC. Overall, the roadway geometry exerts a greater influence on link speed than traffic characteristics, the roadside environment, and driving style. Moreover, the speed limit has the strongest influence on vehicle operation, followed by facility type and driving style. Better understanding the impact on vehicle operation of ESC could help metropolitan planning organizations （MPOs） and regional transportation au- thorities predict vehicle operations and reduce the environmental footprint of motor vehicles.