Abstract:

To analyze the applicability of four vehicle delay models for signalized intersections, the experimental environments were designed on the basis of certain traffic demands and signal control. First, the degree of difficulty for using the four vehicle delay models was compared in view of model structure and the number of variables. Then, for the microscopic traffic simulation software VISSIM, the impacts of the travel time section and analysis duration on the measured delay were discussed. Finally, several experimental scenarios were designed according to the cross-classification of the intersection degree of saturation and cycle length. The goodness of fit between each vehicle delay model and the simulation model was investigated. Results show that the Webster model is easy to use and apt to underestimate vehicle delay and its applicability is the worst; the ARRB model is more complex and its applicability is the best; the HCM1985 model is also easy to use and it applicability is moderate; the HCM2000 model has broad application range but it is too complex, and its applicability is moderate. On the whole, for isolated signalized intersections, the ARRB model displays the best performance in vehicle delay estimation. This research may provide a theoretical basis and reference to the selection of vehicle delay model.

Key words: engineering of communications and transportation system, vehicle delay model, degree of difficulty, applicability