Modeling the Assessment of Intersections with Traffic Lights and the Significance Level of the Number of Pedestrians in Microsimulation Models Based on the PTV Vissim Tool

Abstract

The present article contains a microsimulation analysis of the impact of the number of pedestrians on pedestrian crossings controlled by traffic lights. To analyze the level of freedom of movement using the HCM 2010 method based on the level of service (LOS) implemented in the PTV VISSIM tool, a simulation of two interconnected intersections is performed. These crossings differ in the number of inlets as well as in the intensity of vehicles at each of the inlets. The microsimulation model was based on real data on the intensity of vehicles from an intelligent traffic control system as well as real traffic light programs. Eleven different variants of the same initial conditions were tested in which the number of pedestrians at pedestrian crossings was increased every 50 and the time of the right turn and the LOS of the right turn were compared. The result shows the impact of the number of pedestrians on the assessment of LOS traffic conditions at the entire intersection. The results consider the ranges in which the number of pedestrians has a significant impact and change the assessment of the entire intersection to the next worse level of freedom of movement. The article shows how it can be a mistake to overlook adding the exact number of pedestrians at traffic light intersections with PTV Viswalk in the microsimulation model.