This paper first describes in detail the conceptualization, assumptions and implementation of changes in the SIGSIM code to make it represent realistically the manoeuvres at bus stops. Four distinct elements and their interactions are considered: the stop layout, the buses themselves manoeuvring to pull in and out, the vehicles trying and overtaking them and the vehicles in the neighbouring lanes giving way to the overtaking vehicles. Special attention is drawn to the wide range of layouts covered and to the efforts of reproducing the actual decision making processes undertaken by drivers.
Then a practical experiment is presented, in which data collected at bus stops in East London — whose layouts are being redesigned under another UCL research project — are compared to the outputs produced by SIGSIM’s various forms. Microscopically, the experiment allows the comparison of vehicles’ behaviour under similar circumstances on the street and in the simulation. Macroscopically it enables the traffic impacts prediction of different stop types. The discussion that follows both highlights the features of the proposed model and sheds some light on the discussion about the methodological procedures for its validation.
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