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Traffic Signal Systems Operations and Design: Isolated Intersections
2. What could you learn from the four model types described in the
Traffic Signal Timing Manual
if
they are used to evaluate a signal timing plan?
by Michael Kyte
Computer modeling tools are commonly used by the transportation engineer to both evaluate alternative
designs as well as to visually demonstrate, through advanced animation techniques, how a transportation
facility will perform under a given set of conditions. Even though many computer models are easy to
set up, run, and produce “results”, often the engineer is under pressure to produce results quickly. This
means that such important steps as calibration of a model to the conditions of a local area are often
skipped or not given sufficient time. The results from a model are only as good as the input data used
and the time spent to fine-tune the model itself. Be skeptical of results. Ask questions before you believe
what “the model says.” It is a tool. You are the engineer.
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ctivity
29: T
raffic
A
nalysis
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ools