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Traffic Models Braunschweig and Wolfsburg

Initial Situation

The Greater Braunschweig Regional Association (RVB) represents a heterogeneous area with high demands on traffic planning. To meet these requirements, new traffic models are to be developed for the RVB as well as for the cities of Braunschweig and Wolfsburg.

 

Task

The task of developing the three traffic models is divided into several sub-tasks:

  • Develop an operational concept for the parallel creation of the three traffic models, which are fully functional independently but logically interact and interlink during development and later model maintenance.
  • Define the model area and develop the traffic zone system and spatial structure data.
  • Create a new integrated traffic supply model for motorized individual traffic (MIV), public transport (ÖV), and cycling.
  • Develop demand models for passenger and freight traffic for the year 2019.
  • Calibrate and validate the traffic demand model for the base year analysis.

Approach

The modeling of the traffic supply and the calculation of traffic demand was carried out using the software PTV VISUM.

The operating concept included the creation of an overarching model and a procedure for generating the models for the three clients from this master model. In this context, a method was developed to automatically adjust the parameterization of the supply and demand models based on the different district structures.

In the first step, the study area and traffic districts were defined. The study area covers 19 districts and independent cities across three federal states, comprising a total of 3,900,000 inhabitants and 2,000,000 workplaces. Each model was assigned its own district structure, interconnected via key bridges.

The traffic supply models were newly created for the year 2019. The network graph from the HERE geodata service formed the basis. Building on this, the road, public transport, and cycling supply models were newly developed and parameterized according to the clients’ requirements. This included, among other things, an innovative method for calculating load-dependent waiting times at intersections. For cycling, factors such as longitudinal slope and type of cycle infrastructure were also included.

For the modeling of traffic demand, behavioral data from the MiD (Mobility in Germany) and SrV surveys were analyzed. Based on this, the passenger demand model was developed. To account for the specific characteristics of the region, four spatial types and a separate demand layer for the VW plant in Wolfsburg were considered. Additionally, in order to comprehensively model traffic flows, separate demand models were implemented for airport traffic, external motorized traffic (MIV) and public transport (ÖV), passenger freight transport, and road freight traffic, including a special approach for the VW plant in Wolfsburg.

The demand model was calibrated against current mobility behavior data from MiD and SrV to ensure a realistic representation of traffic. The resulting traffic flow matrices for light vehicles, heavy goods traffic, public transport, and cycling were then assigned to the network model and calibrated against current traffic counts.

Results

As a result, three integrated traffic models for the year 2019 are now available. These models can be used, for example, to conduct traffic studies for road traffic, public transport, and cycling. They provide a state-of-the-art basis for analyzing and forecasting traffic flows.