Use of TRAF-NETSIM to Estimate the Traffic Impacts of an Urban-Resort Area Development

by C. S. Papacostas, Univ of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, United States,
Mark Willey, Univ of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Microcomputers in Transportation

Abstract:

Urban-resort areas are concentrated visitor destination districts that are located within or in close proximity to urban areas. The combination of visitor-related and urban activities results in special traffic situations that must be addressed when estimating the impacts of proposed developments in such areas. With the spread of microcomputer hardware and software technology, the use of simulation models to analyze the related capacity and level of service characteristics is becoming increasingly feasible. This paper describes the application of TRAF-NETSIM to the estimation of the expected traffic impacts associated with a proposed hotel expansion in the urban-resort district of Waikiki in Honolulu, Hawaii. The simulation model was applied in addition to a traditional analysis based on the Highway Capacity Manual in order to explicitly address persisting concerns raised by the surrounding residential community. Among these was the impact of city buses, tour buses unrelated to the proposed project, and tour bus operations serving the hotel complex. Another concern was the propagation of the effects of short-term interruptions throughout the network. This paper illustrates the advantages of using an area-wide simulation model to address such concerns when preparing environmental impact statements. In addition, the paper describes how certain conditions not directly supportable by TRAF-NETSIM were treated. These include an intersection approach providing a left/through shared lane, a through lane, and an exclusive-right lane; and on-line bus stop operations on single-lane roadways.

Subject Headings: Computer models | Urban and regional development | Computer analysis | Traffic management | Simulation models | Computer software | Traffic capacity | Hawaii | United States | Honolulu

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