Daphne Espejel-Garcia¹, Jose Alejandro Saniger-Alba², Gilberto Wenglas-Lara¹, Vanessa Veronica Espejel-Garcia¹, Alejandro Villalobos-Aragon¹

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¹ Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico.
² PTV Group Mexico, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico.
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Abstract: Traffic microsimulation is an essential tool in urban transportation and road planning. Its calibration is essential to attain representative results validated with real-world conditions. VISSIM (Verkehr in Städten—SIMulationsmodell) operates with the Wiedemann’s psycho-physical car-following model for freeway travel that considers safety distances (standstill and movement) during simulation. Calibration in this paper was achieved by using two different approaches: a) manual and b) genetic algorithm (with the GEH statistic formula) calibration techniques. Calibration and validation of this model were performed at the Periferico de la Juventud expressway in Chihuahua City, in northern Mexico. The Periferico de la Juventud (PDJ) has a N-S orientation and a length of ca. 20 km, with its northern section being its most congested portion. Its highest vehicle volume occurs at noon, with 3700 vehicles per hour, with 95% being passenger cars and the other 5% heavy goods vehicles. PDJ’s speed limit is 70 km·h^-1, but the driver’s behavior has a tendency towards the aggressive performance. A total of 82 standstill and 82 look-ahead distances were obtained from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) images, with values ranging from 0.8 to 4.7 m and from 0.2 to 28 m, respectively. VISSIM calibrated parameter values were calculated for this expressway, being slightly above than the VISSIM default ones; and was validated with travel times and look-ahead distances. Results contribute information for the city’s future installment of public transportation systems, and should help decision makers deal with future urban planning.

Keywords: VISSIM, Genetic Algorithm Calibration, Expressway, Chihuahua

Cite this paper: Espejel-Garcia, D. , Saniger-Alba, J. , Wenglas-Lara, G. , Espejel-Garcia, V. and Villalobos-Aragon, A. (2017) A Comparison among Manual and Automatic Calibration Methods in VISSIM in an Expressway (Chihuahua, Mexico). Open Journal of Civil Engineering, 7, 539-552. doi: 10.4236/ojce.2017.74036.

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