MINOR ROAD IMPROVEMENTS SIMULATION MODEL

The paper deals with an individual vehicle Monte Carlo simulation model which will be incorporated into a minor road improvements economic evaluation package for use in the UK. The computer based simulation considers simultaneously all vehicles present at any one time on the simulated road stretch and produces a detailed account of all occurrences including overtakings, speeds, platooning, etc. A study will be made of how this account is altered when the simulated road is altered. The system will generate randomly a traffic stream of chosen composition and intensity for the road in question. The model was first developed at the National Road and Traffic Institute in Sweden. It has undergone refinement and development for about 10 years. The paper first indicates how the model functions, what it is capable of and the way it can be applied in practice. It describes the work done to date at the UK Department of Transport to calibrate and validate the model for use in the UK. (TRRL)