TRAFFIC SIMULATION MODELS. WORKSHOP REPORT

The purpose of this workshop was to identify the major trends affecting the present and future development and use of traffic simulation models, and to advance recommendations regarding where the emphasis ought to be placed by the community of developers and sponsors. The workshop benefitted from a mix of professional backgrounds, that included universities, consulting firms, and government agencies, collectively involved in the development, sponsorship, dissemination and use of traffic simulation models. Four main themes emerged from the discussion: (1) The diversity of users of traffic simulation models and the differing needs of users; (2) The quality of the repentations of the underlying traffic processes; (3) The sophistication in control technologies, which calls for more sophisticiation in the theories, paradigms and models used to support development and implementation of these capabilities; and (4) The advances in computer hardware and software, and the implications that these advances have for traffic simulation models.