Quantifying capacities and interactions of complex multimodal signalized intersections: On the example of Bellevue intersection

Abstract

This thesis provides the traffic engineer a methodology which allows him/her to evaluate the benefits of design measures by using simple input data. It has been developed by analysing the Bellevue intersection in Zurich, Switzerland. Step 1 of the methodology is the calculation of saturation flows. It is largely inspired by the procedure provided by the Highway Capacity Manual. Step 2 identifies whether the saturation flow can be reached and which limitations there are. These include presorting (i.e. uneven usage of lanes upstream of a diverge with unequal demands), shared lanes or short storage areas. In step 3, all data is plugged into a MATLAB algorithm developed as part of this thesis. It returns the capacities and the signal plans. A case study to identify possible improvements for Bellevue is conducted. Bellevue intersection can be divided up into 4 sub-intersections. For each of them, a set of different scenarios is analyzed. Those scenarios are consolidated into 5 test cases which are run in VISSIM to check the interaction between subintersections.