This study investigated and evaluated the lane changing and merging abilities of three traffic simulators, AIMSUN, VISSIM and ARTEMiS, under congested flow conditions. Several hypothetical traffic scenarios were constructed that require a large proportion of vehicles to merge or change lanes. These scenarios were implemented in each model and simulated under increasing traffic flow rates with various model parameter combinations. All three simulators have produced a reasonably similar range of output results from the same input values. While the aggregate, macroscopic performance indicators seem to be reasonably close to each other and realistic, for each simulator a number of weaknesses and model limitations were identified that require further investigation and development. One common weakness in all three models is the occurrence of ‘lost vehicles’ indicating failures in the model procedures. Overall, this study has shown that there are inconsistencies between the simulation models and the results need to be treated with caution, especially when modelling highly congested traffic scenarios. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E211825.
Abstract