Procedures to Facilitate Passing on Conventional Highways by Means of Simulation

Objectives: (1) To calibrate the TWOPAS model (Interactive Highway Safety Design Model-IHSDM) for Colombia; (2) To apply the TWOPAS in order to propose a procedure for justifying the inclusion of climbing lanes, estimating their operational benefits, and establishing design criteria. For the TWOPAS calibration, an experimental section on a two-lane road for assessing vehicular operation (particularly uphill passing maneuver) was considered. The vehicular movement was tape-recorded, which required close observation in order to manually convert the information to the required data for traffic simulation by using the TWOPAS microscopic model. Its calibration was based on a model results sensitivity analysis as a parameters, input data, and simulation logic change effect. For climbing lanes assessment, simulated vehicular operation criteria using the TWOPAS calibrated (as percentage of time spent following and average spatial speed) were used. Calibration (comparison between simulated and observed results) resulted in 15% approximation on a circulation direction and 18% on the other. A procedure to facilitate passing on conventional highways through the combination of additional lanes was proposed. Main Conclusions: 1) Calibration is amenable of improvement through further studies; however, the employed method may be applied under many conditions; 2) A procedure to ease passing by implementing ancillary lanes using the TWOPAS is recommended; and 3) Employed methods and obtained results may be replicated in other countries.

• Corporate Authors:

  Polytechnic University of Valencia

  Department of Transportation, Camino de Vera
  Valencia,   Spain  46022
• Authors:
  • Valencia Alaix, Victor Gabriel
  • Garcia, Alfredo Garcia
• Conference:
  • 4th International Symposium on Highway Geometric Design
  • Location: Valencia , Spain
  • Date: 2010-6-2 to 2010-6-5
• Publication Date: 2010

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Features: Bibliography; Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 11p
• Monograph Title: 4th International Symposium on Highway Geometric Design, June 2-5, 2010, Valencia, Spain

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Calibration; Climbing lanes; Design; Passing; Traffic simulation; Two lane highways
• Identifier Terms: TWOPAS (Computer model)
• Geographic Terms: Colombia
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; I20: Design and Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01338153
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 28 2011 1:01PM