Microsimulation for Mixed Traffic Flow at Intersection Area in Bangkok

Application of a microsimulation model that reproduces the vehicle behavior is effective in analyzing the phenomenon of traffic jams and examining countermeasures. However, the theories and parameters in such a simulation are based mainly on the assumption of homogeneous traffic in developed countries and cannot be applied to traffic with mixed vehicles and driving capacities in megacities in Southeast Asia, nor for analysis of measures. In this study, a microsimulation model under mixed traffic was created in the area around the Asok intersection located in the center of Bangkok, where traffic congestion is particularly severe among ASEAN countries. The model was developed, firstly, with traffic volume, geometric structure, and signal control. To improve the accuracy, road structure, and operation, the driving behavior parameters obtained by video observation and travel speed by direction compiled from the probe data were applied. With the developed model, a sensitivity analysis was carried out for various traffic jam measures as driving behavior, signal control, and road structure improvement. The analytical results explained that (1) future demand increases create further congestion and (2) combining measures produces a synergistic effect rather than implementing individual measures. Therefore, implementing various measures in combination rather than in one drastic measure could potentially improve traffic congestion in the Bangkok's city center.