Test solutions before building them
Remodeling an intersection, implementing a bus lane on a congested axis, or modifying the traffic light system of a main corridor are decisions that can significantly improve urban mobility; or worsen it if their consequences on the entire network have not been well analyzed. Traffic microsimulation is the tool that allows us to answer this question before making the decision, not after.
Unlike macroscopic models, which analyze traffic flows at a territorial scale in an aggregated way, microsimulation reproduces the individual behavior of each vehicle within the network: its speed, its lane change decisions, its interaction with traffic lights and with other vehicles, with a level of detail that allows precise analysis of the functioning of corridors, intersections, and complex nodes.
Do you need to analyze the operation of a corridor, an intersection, or a complex node in your road network?
We help you develop the appropriate microsimulation model to evaluate alternatives and make the best decision.
How we work with microsimulations
From VAIC Mobility, we develop and calibrate traffic microsimulation models using Aimsun Next, a world-leading platform for microscopic traffic simulation.
The process always includes a phase of calibration and validation of the model with real data: vehicle counts, travel times, queue lengths to ensure that the model accurately reproduces the current traffic behavior before using it to evaluate alternatives.
What can we analyze
Capacity and service levels
We analyze the real capacity of streets, intersections, and corridors, calculating service levels, delay times, and queue lengths under current conditions and proposed alternative scenarios. This information is essential for correctly sizing infrastructure and identifying critical points in the network that will operate under peak conditions.
Intersections and roundabouts
Intersections are the most complex points in any road network and the ones that concentrate most congestion and safety issues. We simulate the operation of signalized intersections, roundabouts, and priority junctions to evaluate geometric, regulatory, and signalization alternatives, identifying the solution that optimizes operation for all modes: vehicles, public transport, bicycles, and pedestrians.
Traffic signals and signal coordination
Traffic signal control is one of the traffic management tools with the greatest impact on the commercial speed of public transport and on overall traffic flow. We analyze and optimize existing signal plans, evaluate signal coordination on corridors, and design traffic signal priority systems for public transport that allow for improved bus commercial speed without excessively penalizing the rest of the traffic.
Reserved lanes and network management
We evaluate the impact of implementing exclusive or preferential bus lanes, segregated bike lanes, and other capacity reservations on the overall network performance. Microsimulation allows us to quantify the gains in public transport commercial speed and the effects on private traffic flows, facilitating the comparison of alternatives and decision-making.
Impact of new developments and major generators
When a new facility, a shopping center, or a large urban development is integrated into the existing urban fabric, it generates additional traffic flows that can significantly affect the surrounding network. Microsimulation allows us to quantify this impact and define the necessary management and infrastructure measures to absorb it, within the framework of the transport demand studies associated with the project.
Macroscopic and microscopic simulation: when to use each tool
Macroscopic models work at a territorial scale and analyze aggregated flows between zones. Microsimulation provides the necessary detail when traffic behavior needs to be analyzed at a corridor or intersection level. In complex projects, both scales complement each other: the territorial model defines the input flows for the microscopic model, and microsimulation provides detailed indicators that the macroscopic model cannot calculate.
Aimsun Next offers a specific advantage in this context: it allows combining the three scales: macro, meso, and micro within the same modeling environment, maintaining model consistency and avoiding the need to transfer data between different platforms.
