Using Traffic Simulation for Level of Service Traveller Perception Studies

Abstract

Level of service (LOS) classifications of traffic oper-ational conditions play a significant role in roadway-im-provement funding decisions. Traveller perception of LOS should be consistent with traffic analysis values to avoid undermining the public confidence in the transpor-tation agency decisions. Research methods to study trav-eller perceptions range from in-vehicle videos to focus groups and surveys. These methods have different advan-tages, but all suffer from time and/or cost inefficiencies for collecting data sets across a wide range of operating conditions. This paper describes a novel method to study this topic with increased time and cost efficiency. This new method combines traffic microsimulation and 3-D visualisation capabilities. The focus of this paper is to provide guidance on how to apply traffic microsimula-tion and computer 3-D visualisation to evaluate highway trip quality from a traveller’s perspective. It discusses the creation of the simulation environment to produce a real-istic view from the vehicle’s cabin interior, including the network creation, landscaped area, dashboard speedom-eter, and rear-view mirror. The authors also propose an automated method for choosing an appropriate vehicle within the simulated traffic stream, such that the desired overall traffic stream conditions are conveyed to the trav-eller vehicle within the field of view.

Freeway level of service criteria based on travelers perception

“…This rst chapter presents the introduction, the main research objective, the research questions, and the proposed method. Chapter 2, which is a paper published in Promet -Trac&Transportation [48], explains the method used to create video clips with the desired trac and highway characteristics and partially answers the rst research question. Chapter 3 details the proposed method for estimating LOS thresholds based on the travelers' perception of the quality of service and addresses research questions 1, 2 and 3.…”

“…The contents of the chapter were presented as a poster in the 99 th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), in 2020. Subsequently, a revised and expanded version of that paper was published by Promet -Trac & Transportation [48].…”

“…Once all scenarios are simulated, the next step is the creation of the video clips that will be used in the data collection. More detail about this process can be found in Piva, Setti and Washburn [48].…”

“…The creation of video clips from the driver's viewpoint followed the guidelines proposed by Piva, Setti and Washburn [48], using a version of VISSIM that had been recalibrated to better represent the behavior of local drivers [61] and the performance of Brazilian trucks [13]. A typical rural freeway segment, comprising a straight section bounded upstream and downstream by two curves was used to create the video clips.…”

“…Having dened the experiment plan, three replicates were made for each scenario, totaling 384 video clips, which depict, with a high level of delity, the corresponding combination of trac and road conditions in the freeway segment, as detailed in Piva, Setti and Washburn [48].…”