Development and Use of a Computer Simulation Model for the Evaluation of Design and Control Alternatives for Intersections of Minor Roads with Multi-Lane Rural Highways: Field Studies and Model Validation

摘要

This report presents the details of the field studies conducted at a group of intersections in Indiana to obtain the necessary data for the modification and subsequent validation of the computer simulation model. Appropriate field studies were conducted to estimate gap acceptance distribution of minor road drivers to cross or merge with major road traffic at stop controlled intersections. Additional field studies were performed at signalized and unsignalized intersections to investigate the correlation between traffic volume, traffic conflicts and accidents, and to determine the effectiveness of the traffic conflict technique as a measure of safety at intersections. The simulation package, developed under the auspices of the Federal Highway Administration, called UTCS-1 (known now as NETSIM) has been selected for use in this study. Several modification, however, were made to the computer model to incorporate the estimation of average delay per vehicle, fuel consumption per vehicle, and number of traffic conflicts. The results of the field studies were further used to substantiate the model's validity.