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UCBRURAL: A TWO-LANE TWO-WAY HIGHWAY SIMULATION MODEL

Availability: UCBRURAL is distributed by the ITS Systems Unit.

Background: Rural highways account for the majority of the highway mileage present in the United States and many other countries. Because rural highways are such an important element of the transportation infrastructure, there is an ongoing demand for tools with which to assess their operating and safety characteristics, improvement possibilities, and general effectiveness. Computerized simulation models developed specifically for two-lane two-way rural highways have been used as powerful tools in making such assessments. One such model, TWOPAS, was developed by the FHWA for this purpose. Researchers at the Institute of Transportation Studies have developed a user-friendly interface for TWOPAS which facilitates the use if this simulation model and have made major enhancements to the TWOPAS model.

Description of the model: The UCBRURAL software package includes a menu-driven interactive graphical interface with comprehensive input checking, carefully selected default values, and user-selected output options including graphic depictions of traffic performance. The model contained within UCBRURAL is TWOPAS, a microscopic stochastically based model that simulates traffic operations on a two-lane highway by reviewing the position, speed, and acceleration of each individual vehicle along the roadway in a realistic manner. TWOPAS has the capability to simulate both conventional two-lane highways and two-lane highways with added passing lanes.

Training and technical support: There is no training or technical support provided for UCBRURAL at this time.