Modeling and analyzing Helsinki's traffic network using a microscopic simulator

Abstract

In today’s urban transportation networks, traffic is regulated by traffic signals which control vehicle flows in road intersections and other road spaces. Generally, controllers follow a fixed-cycle schedule which is previously designed. Under heavy or changing conditions, these standard methods may prove insufficient, and it is where adaptive traffic signaling at intersections can be the solution. This thesis examines a part of Helsinki’s city center network to verify theories of traffic flow and tests the performance of the Max-Weight algorithm under different scenarios. Traffic simulations are accomplished using PTV Vissim, which is a microscopic traffic simulator, whereas MATLAB R2018b executes the algorithms, the filter, and plots the results. The analysis led to the following conclusions: the Max-Weight algorithm control outperforms the traditional fixed and cyclic control under rush hour situation in Helsinki. Nevertheless, under noisy measurements, the tested filtered Max-Weight algorithm control did not make such a difference, compared with the non-filtered noisy control. Further investigations are proposed referring to the particle filter.