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Using Sub-Zone Assignment In An Otherwise Traditional Four-Step Model. Aichong Sun Thomas Cooney Pima Association of Governments. Most Relevant Studies. Williams Mann, VDOT B-Node Model: New Subarea Traffic Assignment Model & Application
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Using Sub-Zone Assignment In An Otherwise Traditional Four-Step Model Aichong Sun Thomas Cooney Pima Association of Governments
Most Relevant Studies • Williams Mann, VDOT B-Node Model: New Subarea Traffic Assignment Model & Application Presented at 8th TRB conference on the Application of Transportation Planning Methods, 2002 • Alan Horowitz, U of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Computational Issues in Increasing the Spatial Precision of Traffic Assignments Transportation Research Record No. 1777, 2001
Issues With Typical Four-Step Model Unloaded Centroid Connector Loaded Centroid Connector Minor Arterial Minor Arterial Issue 1: unloaded centroid connectors
Issues With Typical Four-Step Model • Average Travel Distance • Model may report 10 miles • Actually 11.2 miles, 12% higher In a large urban area, even 5% increase in total VMT could mean serious traffic problem and many air quality issues. Issue 2: underestimate VMT
Issues With Typical Four-Step Model Why issues? • Local traffic is represented by intra-zonal trips • Traffic assignment algorithm (UE) Common practice is to, • Reduce traffic counts by 10 percent for model calibration • Add 10 percent more VMT for air quality analysis
Possible Other Solutions • Re-Calibrate Model ???? Raise trip generation rates Distribution Mode Choice • Smaller TAZ’s !!!! Input data development costs Computational burden
Example: PAG’s Model Currently, System Scale: 870 TAZ’s; 12,700 links; 4,700 nodes Model-Run Time: 6 hrs on one fast PC 2.5 hrs by distributing process (DP) to 2 duo-core computers But, if expand to include 2000 TAZ’s, 20 hrs without DP and over 8 hrs with Chance to make mistakes and need to rerun model - 20%-30%
Easy Solution –Sub-Zone Assignment • Purpose? Ensure centroid connectors all get used because they are actually used by traffic • When to apply?
Easy Solution –Sub-Zone Assignment Trip Generation Matrix skimming Trip Distribution Mode Choice Feedback Loop Traffic & Transit Assignment Final Traffic Assignment
Easy Solution –Sub-Zone Assignment • What it does? Create sub-zone centroids for each TAZ Connect sub-zone centroid to where TAZ centroid connects to network to form sub-zone centroid connector • How many? – as many as TAZ centroid connectors • Location - wherever you like • For best looking, middle point of TAZ centroid connector
Easy Solution –Sub-zone Assignment • What it does? (Cont’) Assign factors to each sub-zone centroid connector to represent level of usage • Sending Factor • Receiving Factor • How to do? – Give each TAZ’s centroid connectors identical sending and receiving factors unless you know they are different
Easy Solution –Sub-zone Assignment • What it does? (Cont’) Split trip table based on the sending and receiving factors assigned to sub-zone centroid connectors Traffic assignment with expanded trip table and modified network
Innovative Solution ? Then, you will have …… Plus a much bigger trip table
Innovative Solution ? Also, you will have ……
Application in PAG Model • Sub-Zone assignment approach has been officially adopted in PAG model • Add 5-10 more minutes to total model-run time • Better - captured local traffic • 5% - 10% increase on VMT • Possibly better conformity of assigned traffic volume and traffic counts
What should be done next? • Apply sub-zone approach at different stages of four-step model and compare the results • Model Validation Give better idea how to achieve trade-off between computational cost and precision Confirm Sub-Zone approach brings better model validation results based on traffic counts