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TRL Software
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Tel: +44 (0)1344 770758
Fax: +44 (0)1344 770356
E-mail: software@trl.co.uk
www.trlsoftware.co.uk
The information contained herein is the property of TRL Limited. Whilst every effort has
been made to ensure that the matter presented in this document is relevant, accurate and
up-to-date at the time of publication, TRL Limited cannot accept any liability for any error
or omission.
Windows, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Outlook are registered trademarks
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Aimsun is a trademark of TSS-Transport Simulation Systems, S.L.
Aimsun is a product of TSS-Transport Simulation Systems, S.L.
VISSIM is a product of PTV AG
TRANSYT-7F (an adaptation of TRLs original TRANSYT 7 software product) is developed and
maintained by McTrans (University of Florida).
Other products and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective
owners.
2008
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CONTENTS
1
Introduction.............................................................................. 15
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
Acknowledgements ...................................................................... 20
2.2
2.3
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
3.9
3.10
3.11
4.2
5.2
General ...................................................................................... 49
6.2
6.3
Accessibility ................................................................................ 50
6.4
6.5
6.6
6.7
6.8
6.9
6.10
6.11
6.12
6.13
Undo/Redo .................................................................................. 64
6.14
6.15
Printing ...................................................................................... 66
6.16
6.17
7.2
7.3
7.4
7.5
7.6
7.7
7.8
8.2
8.3
8.4
8.5
9.2
9.3
9.4
9.5
9.6
9.7
9.8
10
Working with Analysis Sets, Demand Sets and Time Segments .. 117
11
11.2
11.3
12
12.1
12.2
12.3
12.4
12.5
12.6
12.7
13
13.1
13.2
13.3
13.4
13.5
14
14.1
14.2
14.3
14.4
15
15.1
15.2
15.3
16
16.1
16.2
16.3
16.4
16.5
16.6
16.7
17
17.1
17.2
17.3
17.4
17.5
18
18.1
18.2
18.3
18.4
18.5
18.6
18.7
18.8
18.9
18.10
18.11
18.12
18.13
19
19.1
19.2
19.3
19.4
19.5
19.6
19.7
19.8
19.9
20
20.1
20.2
21
21.1
21.2
21.3
21.4
21.5
21.6
21.7
21.8
22
22.1
22.2
23
24
25
26
27
28
Page 15
Introduction
The timings of signals at road junctions have an important effect on the levels of traffic congestion.
Often, junctions in urban areas form part of a network of co-ordinated signalised junctions. By coordinating groups of signals within a network, substantial reductions can be made to queues and
delays. Each group of signals are operated on a common cycle time. Their relative green times
are set so that known average volumes of traffic can travel through the urban area with as little
delay and as few stops as possible.
1.1
About TRANSYT
TRANSYT is an internationally-recognised computer program for finding, and studying, the best
fixed time plans with which to co-ordinate the traffic signals in networks.
The TRANSYT method has, as shown in Figure 1-1, two main elements; the traffic model and the
signal optimiser.
The model represents traffic behaviour in a network of streets in which most junctions are
controlled by traffic light signals. The model predicts the value of a Performance Index for the
network, for any fixed-time plan and set of average flows that is of interest. The Performance
Index is a measure of the overall cost of traffic congestion and is usually a weighted combination
of the total amount of delay and the number of stops experienced by traffic.
The optimisation process adjusts the signal timings and checks, using the model, whether the
adjustments reduce the Performance Index or not. By adopting only those adjustments which
reduce the Performance Index, subject to minimum green and other constraints, signal timings
are successively improved. The model also provides for give-way priority control possibilities,
including the modelling of opposed offside-turn traffic within signalled junctions.
Signalised roundabouts can be modelled and their delay minimised by calculating timings which
reduce blocking-back by keeping the circulating carriageway free flowing.
TRANSYT, at the time of writing, can model up to 200 nodes and 1000 links within a network.
TRANSYT is suitable for both drive-on-the-left and drive-on-the-right operation.
Page 16
1.2
This section allows existing users of TRANSYT 12 to quickly familiarise themselves with what has
changed and what new facilities have been added to TRANSYT 13 by summarising the changes
and improvements. Full descriptions of the changes and how to use the new features are to be
found in other chapters.
CTM (cell transmission model) allowing the modelling of blocking back effects and
graphical animation of traffic cells throughout the network
Improved opposed offside-turn model
Works directly with link/phase timings and intergreen matrices
Time-varying traffic flow conditions catered for
Page 17
1.3
The coverage of this user guide is comprehensive and is intended for anyone who is likely to be
involved with the use of TRANSYT 13. It is hoped that new users will quickly understand the
program by reading, and by reference to this manual.
To achieve these aims, this user guide describes, in separate chapters, how to get started
quickly with TRANSYT 13 (particularly if you are already familiar with previous versions), dataentry including full details of all the features of the graphical interface, the theory and research
incorporated in TRANSYT and how a TRANSYT model should be specified (including guidance on
how to measure data). Also described is the output and how it should be interpreted. A number
of examples have been included to aid in the understanding of individual junctions and the
modelling problems they pose.
Whilst it is desirable to read as much of each chapter as possible, it is accepted that sufficient
time will not always be available. Hence the earlier chapters concentrate on all the essentials
Page 18
needed to get started with TRANSYT, with reference within these earlier chapters to other
sections of the guide where necessary.
The following icons are used throughout to highlight relevant points about the topics being
covered.
In many places it is inevitable that jargon will have been used, which include general traffic
engineering terms, specific TRANSYT terms and terms relating to features of the graphical
interface. To help avoid repeated explanation of such words and phrases a glossary of terms is
included (see Chapter 22).
The graphics within this document assume drive-on-the-left situations. However, the terms
nearside and offside have been used throughout, instead of left or right to allow
understanding for both drive-on-the-left and drive-on-the-right situations.
1.4
Related Software
Page 19
PICADY is for predicting capacities, queue lengths and delays (both queueing and geometric)
at unsignalised major/minor priority junctions. It is an aid in designing new junctions as well as
assessing the effects of modifying existing designs. PICADY includes accident prediction.
ARCADY is for predicting capacities, queue lengths and delays (both queueing and geometric)
at roundabouts. It is an aid in designing new junctions as well as assessing the effects of
modifying existing designs. ARCADY includes accident prediction.
All these programs are concerned only with the optimisation and operational performance of
individual junctions or networks. For the overall economic appraisal of wider based road
schemes, an economic appraisal will be required and this can be achieved by use of the UK
Department for Transports cost-benefit analysis program COBA.
For further details of all these programs, and for latest news, current pricelists and purchasing
information, please visit www.trlsoftware.co.uk.
1.5
Investigations carried out in the UK into possible improvements in traffic control of urban
networks in the 1960s resulted in the development of TRANSYT/1 in 1967 by the Transport
Research Laboratory (TRL). Two trials of TRANSYT were carried out one in Glasgow and
another smaller one in West London. The full-scale Glasgow trials were carried out with the
cooperation of the City Council in Glasgow. TRANSYT signal timings went live in May 1967.
TRANSYT was shown to reduce the average journey times through the network of signals in
Glasgow by about 16 per cent. A similar reduction was recorded in the other smaller trial in
London. Because of TRANSYTs international appropriateness TRANSYT is now one of the most
widely used signal timing programs in the world.
TRANSYT has continued to be developed by TRL ever since its first release. TRANSYT 13
represents the single biggest advancement of the product in years in terms of its traffic model,
its features, and its presentation.
1.5.1
TRANSYT 13.1
TRANSYT 13.0 (released in April 2008) was the first release of TRANSYT 13.
TRANSYT 13.1 was release in April 2009. For details of changes due to maintenance releases,
e.g. 13.1.x, please refer to release notes supplied with the software and/or
www.trlsoftware.co.uk.
Page 20
This User Guide is updated for each maintenance release where appropriate.
introduced for TRANSYT 13.1 are marked in the User Guide with the sign:
Changes
1.6
It is useful to the user of any product to know whether or not the particular release they are
using is the most up-to-date available. In order to provide this information automatically, on
launching TRANSYT, it will try to connect to the TRL Update Information Server. If this
connection is achieved and/or permitted by the user (permanently or as a once-off), the bottom
horizontal status bar will display news concerning TRANSYT such as NEW TRANSYT 13.1.0.63
Version Available (as shown below) or No Update Information Available
The displayed text is simply the title of the full information available on our server. Clicking on
the link will bring up the full message.
The update information system does NOT install any software or affect your
installation or operation of TRANSYT including cancelling the link and/or ignoring
the messages. We would however recommend that messages that indicate a new
release is available are read and acted upon if necessary, as new releases may
contain new features and repairs which users will benefit from.
If having read about a new release, you wish to download it, current maintenance holders can go
to the TRL download system at http://www.trlsoftware.co.uk/downloads and follow the
instructions on the web page.
1.7
Acknowledgements
The work described in this report was carried out in the Transportation Division of the Transport
Research Laboratory. The authors are grateful to Mark Crabtree who carried out the technical
review and auditing of this software product. The authors are also grateful for the
documentation associated with earlier versions of TRANSYT and to their authors.
Page 21
2.1
Hardware/software requirements
TRANSYT 13 will run on any modern PC under Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP and as
such there are no specific hardware or software requirements other than those of a modern PC
capable of running standard Windows desktop applications.
As may be expected, the program will run more smoothly on a PC with a fast processor and
plenty of RAM; this will be particularly noticeable if working with large networks and/or using the
CTM traffic model.
Recommended hardware and software requirements are as follows:
TRANSYT 13 may run on versions of Windows other than Windows 7/Vista/XP but this is not
guaranteed and is not formally supported.
Some non-essential features of earlier releases of TRANSYT 13 do not work fully on Windows 7.
It is therefore advisable to obtain the most recent release before installing onto Windows 7.
2.2
To install the software, browse the product CD for SETUP.EXE, and run this file. This will launch
the product installer. If you have been supplied with the product as a zip file, extract all the
zipped files to a temporary folder, and then run SETUP.EXE from this temporary folder.
During installation, all necessary files are copied to the specified folder and an entry added to
the Windows Start menu.
To uninstall the software, please use the Windows Add/Remove Programs system, which is
available from the Windows Control Panel.
2.3
TRANSYT is a copy-protected software product. Having installed TRANSYT it will initially run in a
DEMO mode and in order to use the full product you must register it with the TRL SOFTWARE.
Moving the system date of your PC backwards is likely to un-register any
registered versions of this product.
Page 22
There are currently two variations of TRANSYT with different copy protection schemes standalone PC copy-protection and network copy-protection (concurrent licence version).
2.3.1
Stand-alone version
2.3.2
The concurrent licence version works only on PCs with access to a LAN network and allows up to
a fixed number of PCs to run the product at the same time. In order to use the full product you
must setup the software as a Network Client.
Full setup instructions are available in the file SOFTWARE NETWORK REGISTRATION.PDF
provided with the software.
Modelling Basics
Page 23
Modelling Basics
This chapter gives an overview of the TRANSYT traffic model. Existing users of TRANSYT can
probably skip this chapter, other than those sections marked with the NEW symbol. Details
have been kept to a minimum in order to keep the emphasis on getting to know how to use
TRANSYT quickly, providing just enough background prior to using TRANSYT.
However,
TRANSYT is a complex program, so there are many references to the other chapters throughout
this one. These chapters will still need to be read in order to be able to correctly model specific
network features, such as flares.
Note: It is assumed that the reader is familiar with traffic engineering terms such as phase,
stage and stage sequence. For those new to the subject, or wishing to clarify, please see the
Definitions / Glossary.
3.1
3.2
1.
2.
All the signals in the network have a common cycle time or a cycle time a half,
third or quarter of this value; details of all signal stages and their minimum
periods are known.
3.
Network representation
The network being modelled is represented by nodes inter-connected by links. Each signalled
intersection is represented by a node. Each distinct one-way traffic stream leading to a node is
represented by a link.
3.3
The relationship between traffic lanes and links depends on how traffic uses the lanes on the road.
A single link may be used to represent one or more traffic lanes. Traffic on one approach may be
represented by one or more links.
In general, one link is required to represent each distinct queueing situation that occurs. Thus,
trivial queues may not warrant representation by a separate link. However, a separately-signalled
offside turn traffic stream, with a significant flow, should be represented by a link which is separate
from the link representing straight ahead traffic. One link may represent two or more lanes,
Page 24
provided that traffic is equally likely to join the queue in any of the lanes and that identical signal
indications are shown to these lanes.
This link representation suggests that a detailed knowledge of traffic routing through a network is
necessary to prepare the link diagram. In practice, it is usually sufficient for the traffic engineer to
use his judgement to decide whether traffic entering a section of road during a particular stage
green chooses preferentially a particular direction on passing through the next signal and, if so, the
proportions of various turning flows to assign to each link.
The relationship between lanes on the road and the way they are modelled as links is illustrated in
Figure 3-1 and Figure 3-2. Figure 3-1 shows a simple triangular road network. Figure 3-2
shows the corresponding diagram of nodes and links. Traffic on the southern approach to Node 1
is represented by two separate links because nearside turning traffic (link 13) receives a different
green time (because of a filter signal) to the other traffic (link 12) on the approach. On the
northern approach to Node 3 traffic is also represented by two links (31 and 32). This gives a
more realistic picture of traffic movements, since offside turning traffic from link 21 is unlikely to
turn right again at Node 3.
700
(J.T. = 12 sec)
250
100
400
600*
50
350
50
650
800
(J.T. = 30 sec)
300
700
200
N
J.T. = Average journey time
All flow units in pcu/hour
*
All saturation. flows = 1800 pcu/hour
3.4
The TRANSYT model requires each link to be defined in terms of certain parameters. Those key
data values relating to the modelling of traffic behaviour are given here, and those concerned with
signal control are described in section 3.5.
Modelling Basics
Page 25
Link length is the distance between the upstream and downstream stop lines. For links which do
not come from an upstream node, e.g. entry Links on the perimeter of the network, it is normal to
use a standard length such as 200m, but a zero value may be used.
700
22
600
11
350
21
400
50
(left filter)
350
2
50
300
31
450
13
12
32
350
50
400
250
100
300
33
700
Intersection
or node
22
Traffic flows
Link flows are specified in the Links Data screen (Outline: Links/Link n/Link Flows). Flows are
normally specified in vehicles or PCUs per hour. For each link the user must specify the average
total flow along the link.
Each link may have associated with it a uniform flow source. This is a flow source which enters
the link at a uniform rate throughout the cycle. Thus, there is no platooning. It can be used to
represent, for example, uncontrolled flow from a car park. Links feeding into the network from
outside also carry uniform flow but these flow levels are set using the Source Flow and
associated Total Flow for the link. The Uniform Flow Source is used only when there are other
upstream flow sources. The uniform flow source contributes along with the upstream sources to
give the total flow, but need not sum exactly (see compatibility of link flows, section 3.4.3).
Each link can have up to six upstream links supplying it with vehicles. For each of these
upstream links the flow and the cruise time or cruise speed of vehicles along the link from the
upstream source must be specified.
Page 26
3.4.2
Cruise times and cruise speeds are the undelayed times (or speeds) for traffic travelling from
each upstream stop line (for each source (upstream link)) to the stop line on the currently
selected link. The values used should be those which correspond to actual traffic behaviour and
not an ideal value intended to give good progression; they should represent the time taken to
travel from upstream to downstream stop line, under prevailing traffic conditions, when the
signal aspects at both ends of the link are green. It is possibly better to measure cruise time (as
opposed to cruise speed) because it ignores any error in link length measurement, and by
measuring over the whole link it automatically takes into account skin-friction, curves,
bottlenecks etc.
3.4.3
The sum of inflows to a link need not equal the total flow. This facility is provided because in
practice the flow values will often be obtained from on-street measurements made at different
times. TRANSYT automatically increases or decreases by the same proportion all upstream flow
values so that the total flow is maintained. If the proportional correction is large a message is
printed as a warning but the optimisation proceeds.
The calculation of the proportions of traffic leaving upstream links and entering downstream links
are made before the traffic modelling and signal optimisation calculations. If, in the traffic
modelling process, a link is oversaturated so that less traffic leaves than enters, then the
downstream volumes are reduced accordingly and the flows specified as the Total Flow will not
be maintained.
3.4.4
Saturation flow
Saturation flow at a stop line is the maximum rate of discharge from a queue. It can be obtained
by measurement or calculation based on stop line width and other site factors, for further details
see RR67 (Kimber et al, 1986). The saturation flow must be in units consistent with those used in
specifying link flows.
If the saturation flow is reduced due to blocking of turning traffic by opposing traffic, then this may
be approximated by increasing the relative start displacement for the start of green on that link in
the Links Data Screen (Outline: Links/Link n/Link Signal Data/Green Period n) (see section 3.5), or
may be modelled more accurately using the give-way facility (see section 18.5).
3.4.5
For entry links on the perimeter of the network, having no upstream links but merely a total
flow, the user is recommended, in order to maintain a reasonable estimate of time spent within
the network, to input a cruise time (or speed) for travel over the Length of link specified in the
Links Data screen (Outline: Links/Link n). No upstream link number or flow should be given.
Exit links are not required by TRANSYT but can be useful if the direction of traffic exiting the
network is to be shown graphically. As for entry links, in order to maintain a reasonable
estimate of time spent within the network, a cruise time (or speed) associated with the travel
time along the link is required. If you wish the exit link to have no influence on either the signal
optimisation or on the queue and delay calculations the Link Data screen option Exclude from
Results Calculation can be set. This effectively ensures that the PI for the link is always zero
and that output results, such as the Network Totals, are not affected by it.
Modelling Basics
3.4.6
Page 27
Bottleneck links
Bottleneck links are treated as links with 100 per cent green at which a fixed saturation flow is
defined.
A bottleneck link is treated in a similar way to other links it still requires to be
associated with a traffic node (either a bottleneck node or priority node), but no signals node is
specified as it is not controlled by traffic signals.
Shared links which are bottlenecks are specified in the Links Data/Shared StopLines screen
(Outline: Links/Link n), as for signalised links, but the main link still has only a traffic node and
no signals node.
Delays and stops are calculated for bottleneck links exactly as for other links, except that the flow
leaving the link is controlled only by the saturation flow. Thus, uniform delay and stops will occur
only if the flow during parts of the IN-profile exceed the saturation flow.
Random-plus-oversaturation delay and stops are calculated in the normal way (see section 18.2).
3.5
Signal settings
NB for details of the actual implementation in TRANSYT 13, please see the section
'Working with Traffic Signals' in this User Guide
3.5.1
TRANSYT models the operation of the signal control at each node by reference to stage change
times. A stage change time is a time at which the green signal on one stage is terminated and the
change to the next stage green period is initiated; the next stage green usually commences a few
seconds later, following an interstage period. The green time displayed to traffic on any one link
may be initiated by any stage change and terminated by any other stage change.
When considering co-ordination between signal-controlled intersections it is necessary to have a
convention which relates the green periods of any one junction to those at the other junctions in
the network. In TRANSYT this is achieved by relating all stage change times to a common,
although arbitrary, zero time as shown in Figure 3-3.
The offset of an intersection is defined here as the stage change time when the change to green
for stage number 1 is initiated. In this way the offset may be thought of as the start of the cycle
for the node concerned, where the cycle commences with the change to stage 1 and continues
through the other stages in sequence.
Page 28
Distance
Change to
stage 2
Change to
stage 1
Node 1
Stage 2 green
Stage 1 green
offset for
node 1
Change to
stage 1
Node 2
offset for node 2
Stage 1 green
Stage 2 green
Time
Arbitary zero for time
3.5.2
These values are specified in the Main (Common) Data Screen (Outline: Network Options).
The cycle time for the whole network is specified in seconds.
The effective green displacements, to be applied to the whole network, are specified in seconds.
Both the start and end of effective green used in the model may be made to occur a few seconds
after the actual signal stage change by specifying displacements of fixed duration. These
displacements apply to all links in the network. Figure 3-4 illustrates this concept.
The intention is that the displacements specified in the Main (Common) Data represent the inertia
of drivers and vehicles in responding to signal indications, compared with TRANSYTs
instantaneous stop/starts. The start displacement corrects for the time lost accelerating from rest
up to cruise speed. In the UK this value is typically 2 seconds, but a larger value would be
appropriate where the red/amber-before-green period is omitted.
TRANSYT 13 User Guide (Issue G)
Modelling Basics
Page 29
D1
D2
Green
Red
Red
Green
Red/Amber
Red
Red
Amber
the
the
the
are
However, all effective displacements are subtracted from the calculated green
times before these are output in the results (see section 1) so that the traffic
engineer can easily compare TRANSYT values with observations of actual green
times.
Furthermore, a negative relative start displacement (say -2 seconds) could be
used to justifiably remove or reduce the standard start displacement in
situations where good coordination has resulted in the front of a platoon of
traffic arriving during a green signal.
3.5.3
At each node, the user may specify data for up to 16 stages. These values are specified in the
Signalised Nodes Data Screen (Outline: Nodes/Node n/Stages).
Page 30
The stage change times are specified in seconds. They are the times at which a change of signal
aspect is initiated (for stage 1). Link green times are specified relative to these stage change
times. When EQUISAT is being used no stage change times need be specified.
The interstage is specified in seconds. The interstage is defined as starting from the termination
of the first phase (or in TRANSYT, link) to lose green when a stage change is made (it also
signals the end of the stage) to the commencement of the green for the last phase to receive
green in the next stage.
The minimum green period (User Stage minimum) is the time between the interstage and the
earliest time that this stage could end. This would normally be the minimum for the phase that
started last, unless this phase is an RTIA in which case it could be the minimum of one of the
other phases.
The interstage time plus the minimum green period is a constraint used in green time and/or cycle
time optimisation and by the EQUISAT routine, to prevent a stage having an unduly short green
time. A combined value in the range of 10 to 15 seconds is normal for vehicular traffic but
pedestrian crossing needs may dictate longer times.
For a pedestrian stage, the minimum green period is the time from the end of the interstage
period to the end of the green man indication (or the end of the black-out, if used) on the
pedestrian stage. Since no traffic flows during the pedestrian stage, the pedestrian stage length
used by TRANSYT, after optimisation, is the interstage time plus the minimum green period.
3.5.4
These values are specified in the Links Data screen (Outline: Links/Link n/Link Signal Data).
During one cycle a link may have one or, optionally, two, three or four green periods during
which outflow occurs. These green periods need not be the same length, but will have the same
value of saturation flow.
Links may receive green for all or part of one or more stages. The time at which the actual
green begins is specified by a start stage number and a start lag of a fixed number of seconds.
Similarly, the time at which green ends is specified by an end stage number, and the effective
green can be extended by use of a relative end displacement.
The link start stage number defines which of the stage change times starts the change to the
green period on the link. The start lag then gives the time in seconds from the stage change
time to the start of green signal on the link. Usually the start lag corresponds to the interstage
time, as shown in Figure 3-5. TRANSYT adds the displacement of start of effective green (see
Figure 3-4) to this lag to give the time of start of traffic flow assumed in calculating delays etc
for the link.
The displacement of start of effective green is the sum of the global start
displacement and relative start displacements
Modelling Basics
Page 31
If it is thought that the effective start-green displacement for the link differs from the overall
value given by the global network Start Displacement, this can be represented by adding a
relative start displacement. For example, if the global network displacement (see section 12.7)
is 2 seconds, and it is known that, for the link considered, the effective green displacement is
one second longer than the overall value, then the required relative start displacement is
simply 1 second.
Stage 1 actual signals
Red
Green
Red
Red
Demand
change to
stage 2
Start
Lag
Demand
change to
stage 1
Start green on
stage 2
Start
Lag
Start green on
stage 1
Green
Red
Amber
Green
Red/Amber
Figure 3-5 Lag between change demand and start of green signal
The link end stage number defines which stage change time ends the green period on the link.
The green periods can run between any stage numbers, e.g. 2 to 3, 2 to 6, 7 to 3, or 4 to 4
(in the latter case, the green period will be of fixed length).
Following the end stage, is the end lag, defining the time in seconds from the stage change time to
the end of green signal on that link. The same considerations apply as for the start green lag
regarding any extra adjustments. Normally this value is zero.
Should the link have a second green, the corresponding values detailed above for the first green
must be specified for the second one.
3.6
TRANSYT makes use of one of two traffic models. These are the platoon dispersion model (PDM)
and the Cell Transmission Model (CTM). The two models each have their own advantages and
disadvantages. The CTM is particularly useful for small networks with short links. Its main
advantage is its ability to model the effects of traffic blocking back from one junction to another
reducing the upstream junctions capacity. The PDM model is suited to all network types and has
the advantage of being able to model the dispersion of platoons of traffic along links, but does not
Page 32
model the effects of blocking back. Full details on both models are given in chapter 1 and on cyclic
flow profiles in Section 13.4 including advice on choosing the right model to use.
To model traffic behaviour within the network using either model, the common cycle time is
divided into a number of intervals called steps. For convenience, a step is typically set to be one
second long. How these steps are used depends on the model used.
With the PDM model TRANSYTs calculations are made on the basis of the average values of traffic
demand and queues for each step of a typical cycle. The resultant histograms of traffic arrivals
per step are termed cyclic flow profiles.
The profile of traffic entering a link will be displaced in time and modified during the journey along
the link due to the different speeds of the individual vehicles. Thus, platoons of vehicles will be
partly dispersed. The amount of dispersion can be modified for individual links.
By selecting the PDM model, TRANSYT automatically takes into account the importance of having
good progression on short links.
The CTM model also uses steps but is it also discrete in space as well as in time. As a result the
CTM cyclic flow profiles are different and are differently presented. The representation of traffic is
therefore different to the PDM model.
Both models use a simplification of real traffic behaviour, and do not model individual vehicles.
Despite this, TRANSYT is able to predict good estimation of traffic delay.
Full details of the data required for both models are given in section 7.
3.7
Total delay to traffic on a link is the sum of the delays to all the individual vehicles using the link
during a period of time. Total delays are usually quoted in units of PCU-hours/hour. For
example, during a cycle of 100 seconds, 40 PCUs pass through a signal. On average they
experience 20 seconds of delay each. Thus, the total delay rate is 800 PCU-seconds per 100
second cycle (equivalent to 8 PCU-seconds/second or 8 PCU-hours/hour). This delay rate is
equal to 8 PCU and can be visualised as the average number of PCUs queueing throughout the
cycle considered. This is strictly true only for the idealised vehicle behaviour that is assumed in
TRANSYT. Nevertheless, this interpretation is a reasonable approximation to what happens in
reality. Similarly, the total delay rate in a network of signals can be considered as the sum of
the average queues at all the stop lines. In TRANSYT, the total delay rate for traffic on a link is
obtained partly from the cyclic flow profiles and partly using a simple formula.
When considering the growth and decay of queues, the fact that individual vehicles arrive at
random, and that average arrival rates may vary over the modelled period, means the accurate
modelling of queues is complicated. The problem was studied comprehensively by TRRL (Kimber
and Hollis, 1979) and a time dependent method of predicting queues and delays was developed.
The method considers the probability distribution of queue lengths as a function of time.
Queue lengths are derived from cyclic flow profiles during each step of the typical cycle. As well as
this uniform component of queue, additional elements associated with random and oversaturated
effects are added to these. Full details of queue length derivation are described in Section 18.2.1.
TRANSYT also calculates the total rate at which vehicles are forced to stop on a link. This too, is
made up of a uniform component and a random-plus-oversaturation component. As for delay,
Modelling Basics
the
uniform
component
is
obtained
from
the
cyclic
flow
profiles
random-plus-oversaturation component is calculated from simple equations.
3.8
Page 33
and
the
Maximum queues
As part of the calculation of traffic behaviour on a link, TRANSYT estimates the maximum queue
length to be expected with the given signal settings. In reality, on some links, particularly short
ones, the queue may reach back from one junction to another, thereby at least partially blocking
the upstream junction. This complex effect is, however, not modelled in TRANSYTs platoon
dispersion model (PDM) which assumes that all vehicles queue at the stop line. TRANSYT does
however include a facility whereby the user can specify a limit queue for selected links. The signal
optimiser then attempts to find settings which make it less likely that the maximum queues will
exceed the limit values (see section 19.4) Furthermore, the new Cell Transmission Model (CTM)
does model blocking back effects, which can be used instead of the PDM model in certain
circumstances.
3.8.1
TRANSYT computes a mean maximum queue (PCU); this value is estimated from two
components as follows. During the typical cycle (see chapter 1) modelled in TRANSYT, a check
is kept on the position of vehicles adding onto a queue (measured in numbers of PCU back from
the stop line rather than in distance units). During a green period, traffic discharges from the
front of the queue but further traffic may join the back of the queue. The maximum back of
queue is the position (in PCU) reached by the back of the queue just as the queue empties (see
Figure 3-6). This value is an average obtained assuming that arrivals each cycle are identical to
that modelled during the typical cycle and is known as UMMQ, uniform component of the MMQ.
The second component is the average random-plus-oversaturation queue (numerically equal to
the random-plus-oversaturation delay on the link), which is added to the maximum back of
queue to give the value printed out.
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Queueing vehicle
Vacated space
Queue 4
12
16
Stop line
0
time
Modelling Basics
3.9
Page 35
Give-way situations
If significant, these
In TRANSYT there are two types of priority situations that may need to be modelled. The first
situation is a give-way junction (priority intersection) located somewhere between the signal
controlled junctions. This includes unsignalised approaches to partially signalised roundabouts.
The other situation occurs within a signal-controlled junction i.e. traffic on a link which, although
signal-controlled, must also give way to an opposing flow. Such situations occur frequently at
signalled junctions where traffic turns right without a separate signal indication.
In both situations TRANSYT is able to take account of the varying opposing (controlling) traffic
conditions that the opposed (give-way) traffic has to yield to, and calculate the required queue,
delay and stop information.
Additionally, when using the CTM traffic model, congested give-way situations can also be taken
account of.
Full details on how to model both give-way situations are in section 18.5
Page 36
sat.
flow
green time
Optimisation Basics
Page 37
Optimisation Basics
This is only a brief overview of the TRANSYT optimiser. Existing users of TRANSYT can probably
skip this chapter. Details have been kept to a minimum in order to keep the emphasis on
getting to know how to use TRANSYT quickly, providing just enough background prior to using
TRANSYT. However, TRANSYT is a complex program, so there are references to other chapters.
These chapters will still need to be read in order to know how to use all the optimisation facilities
correctly.
4.1
The optimisation process searches for a set of timings for the network which minimise queues and
delays by altering both the signal offsets, which affect the co-ordination between signals, and the
durations of the individual stage green times at each junction (i.e. green splits).
It works by applying a cost to the amount of delays, stops and excess queues on each link which is
summed to provide an overall cost of the network for a particular set of timings. These timings
are then manipulated bit-by-bit in search of timings giving a lower overall cost. The process
employed is called hill-climbing because the set of solutions, if plotted, could be thought of as a
series of hills and valleys in a multiple-dimensional world. The solution found will be at the bottom
of one of the valleys. Full details of the calculation of Performance Index (P.I.) and the hillclimbing process are explained in chapter 1.
Before optimisation, TRANSYT must have a starting Performance Index calculated from an initial
set of signal timings. A feature called EQUISAT (Equalisation of saturation) removes the need for
the user to provide these initial timings.
The nodes which are to be optimised are listed in the Node Number List for Hill-climb Data
(Outline: Network Options/Node Optimisation Order). If a node is omitted from the list its initial
settings will not be altered. Thus, a network can be studied in which one or more nodes within the
network do not have their initial settings altered and act as a constraint on the optimisation of the
remaining nodes.
Furthermore, optimisation can be switched off so that TRANSYT can simply run an existing set of
timings in order to evaluate the performance of the network for these timings.
4.2
Cycle time is not automatically considered by the signal optimiser, but TRANSYTs Cycle Time
Optimiser tool (which incorporates CYOP), can be used to evaluate a range of cycle times, from
which the optimum can be selected. The operation of, and output from the Cycle Time Optimiser
and CYOP are described in section 19.7 which also discusses issues related to the choice of cycle
time.
Page 38
5
5.1
Page 39
To ensure a full understanding of how the graphical interface works it is useful to be familiar with
a few terms that are familiar to TRANSYT 13. Please spend a few moments reading the
introductory section of the Glossary. (TRANSYT 13 GUI Terms).
5.2
Note: the following is only a very brief overview. See General Graphical User Interface (GUI)
operation for a general description of the GUI and details of the menus and toolbar buttons. For
details of further program functionality please browse through the rest of this User Guide.
There is no fixed route through TRANSYT 13, and as such it offers a high degree of flexibility
when creating a new network. In general, data can be entered in any order and changed at any
time: the graphical user interface (GUI) is highly dynamic and any dependent data and screens
are automatically updated.
If you are a new user, the open-ended nature of the TRANSYT 13 GUI may leave you wondering
where to start so the below is one suggested way to build a new file. Please note that this is
only a suggestion, and with experience, you will find your own preferences and may well find
yourself building files in a completely different order.
If in doubt, the Task List (see Task List) always shows any current problems with the
file. For example, if you show the Task List immediately after starting a brand new file, it will
show a list of errors and warnings similar to the screenshot below, which should give you an idea
of what needs to be done. Double clicking on a row in the Task List will often take you to an
appropriate screen.
When the program first starts, or you click File>New, a skeleton file is created that contains a
very simple network consisting of a single node and two links. (You can if you wish run this file
and generate results.) To start building a network, you should use this skeleton network as a
starting point.
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Use the Data Outline (Data Outline) and the toolbar icons to access each data area and perform
operations. Although the Data Outline can be used to enter most data it will often be easiest to
use the Network Construction Editor (Netcon) to build your network of nodes and links and then
populate these with the required data. If you make a mistake at any point, use the Undo/Redo
buttons.
Therefore, assuming the use of NetCon, a suggested order of data entry is as follows:
1. In the File Description Area (via the Data Outline and Data Editor), Enter the project title,
location etc, and set the driving side.
Network: nodes and links
2. Add all nodes, renumbering them and locating them into their approximate position as
required. (Node 1 is always present and cannot be deleted, but you may need to rename
it. Similarly, you cannot delete Link 1.) You can add signalised, priority and bottleneck
nodes by using the appropriate toolbox tools.
3. Add all links, locating them in the appropriate location between the relevant nodes as you
create them. To set the link type (e.g. normal, give-way, pedestrian etc), you can either
use the appropriate toolbox tool, or, you can right-click on the link after adding it and then
set the type.
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4. Attach each link to its controlling node by using the connector tool in NetCon. This tells
TRANSYT which node controls the traffic and, for signalised links, which node controls the
signals. (These can be set up separately if required.) These associations are shown with
the blue cones; moving each node will now move all attached links as well.
5. Attach each link to its downstream link(s) by using the connector tool in NetCon.
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6. Set up any shared stop lines by using the shared stop line tool in NetCon.
7. Double click on links and use the Data Outline and Data Editor to set up any required
properties such as give-way properties, lengths, saturation flows and so on.
At this point the Task List will still show a large number of errors but these should all be to
do with signals rather than network connectivity.
8. ALTERNATIVE: As an alternative to using the Data Outline and Data Editor, you can use
the Links and Nodes screens, which show all common data in an easily accessible format.
9. ALTERNATIVE: Use one or more Data Grid screens to rapidly enter data for all nodes
and/or links in one go. This saves having to click on each link in turn, especially if you
have all data to hand in a tabular form.
Traffic Flows
10. You can enter traffic flows and set up cruise times etc by clicking on each link and source in
NetCon and then entering the appropriate numbers in the Data Editor. (Sources were
referred to as upstreams in TRANSYT 12). Click on a link to view and edit its main flow
and uniform flow; click on a connector between links to set up the flows between links.
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11. ALTERNATIVE: Use the Links Data screen to view and edit all flows and sources for each
link.
12. ALTERNATIVE: Use one or more Data Grids to view and edit for all flows for all links (and
similarly for all sources).
TIP: Use the Link Flows Consistency Diagram to check the consistency of flows entering and
leaving each link.
Page 44
Signals
TRANSYT 13 has two signals representation modes: TRANSYT 12 Mode and TRANSYT 13 Mode.
The default is TRANSYT 12 Mode, and the mode can be changed at any time by clicking
Tools>Signals and then choosing a mode. There are various ways of entering signals data:
some suggested methods are given below for both modes. In TRANSYT 13 mode, you can
manipulate stages in a more graphical way by manipulating a diagram screen; in TRANSYT 12
mode, you must add and manipulate items in a more numerical and tabular format.
TRANSYT 12 Signals Mode
13. Use the Nodes Data screen to add the necessary number of stages for each node. (Or use
the Data Outline.) Enter the stage start times and preceding interstages, etc, using
TRANSYT 12 notation.
14. For each signalised node, use the Stage Sequence screen to set which links run during each
stage, and use the Link Timings screen to confirm this visually. Use the Nodes Data screen
and the Link Data screen (or the Data Outline/Data Editor) to add/delete stages/green
periods and enter start/end lags, etc.
Page 45
16. ALTERNATIVE: Right-click on each item in the Link Timings screen (stages and green
periods) and use the pop-up menu to add/delete stages and green periods.
17. Set initial link green times by dragging stages and green periods with the mouse within the
Link Timings screen. (Select Behaviour>Allow redefinition).
18. If you prefer, use the Stage Sequence screen to set up stages.
19. If required, enter link intergreens, using the Link Intergreen screen. This adds constraints
to the signals optimiser.
20. Double click on each item in the Link Timings screen (stages and green periods) and set
any necessary properties such as minimum green times.
Network properties (NB you may prefer to set these at the beginning)
21. Use the Main Data screen (or the Data Outline) to select an initial network cycle time,
optimiser options (see chapter 1), whether to use EQUISAT and the traffic model to use
(PDM or CTM). If you would like to generate CTM cell data that can be used to show cell
Page 46
occupancy animations, select Generate CTM Cell Data. (There are certain restrictions
placed on the use of the CTM.)
23. On completing the calculations the Summary Results screen will appear. This provides a
summary of the network operation, given the network flows, current options and optimised
signal timings (unless the Optimisation Level = None - evaluation mode in effect). The
Network PI (Performance Index) provides an index, in monetary terms, of the entire
network.
24. Inspect network results by locating Network Results in the Data Outline and then
expanding the relevant section.
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25. Inspect individual link results by expanding the Results section of each link in the Data
Outline.
26. Inspect collections of link results with the Data Grid screen.
27. Generate CFP, Queue and CTM graphs using the Graphs button.
28. Generate a report that summarises all input and output data by clicking the Run Report
button.
29. View the optimised signal timings via the Link Timings screen.
30. View animations of signals, link effective greens, queues and cell occupancies in NetCon by
showing the Animation Controls screen and then selecting from various options within
NetCon.
Page 48
31. Generate Time Distance Diagrams using the Graphs button, in order to observe
coordination along links.
6.1
General Graphical
operation
User
Interface
Page 49
(GUI)
General
The TRANSYT 13 GUI contains many screens, many of which can be displayed at the same time.
It is dynamic, in that altering a value on one screen will if necessary update relevant values on
other screens. If the file contains no errors, it can automatically be run, and the results
automatically shown. The results will then automatically update as input values are changed (as
long as the auto-run mode is turned on.) Many if not most screens interact with each other. We
recommend that you run the program using a high resolution screen display or a dual monitor
display if possible.
There are a few exceptions to the above, where a screen must be explicitly 'exited from' before
changes are saved e.g. options/preferences screens. In addition some screens have an
optional mode where you can work with the data in the screen in isolation to the rest of the
program, for speed and convenience.
In general you can show a screen and then show another screen of the same type for example
you can show several Intergreen Matrix screens, each showing the data for a different node.
See Padlock System (section 6.8). Pressing the mouse wheel to select items on a particular
screen will prevent the selected screen from being brought to the front useful when screens
are overlapping and you wish the screen front-to-back order to remain the same.
At any time there is one active item, such as a link, node or location. The current item is
highlighted in the data outline and other screens. If the data editor is visible, then the
properties for the current item will be displayed and should be editable. The data outline is used
to add/delete items.
Double clicking or right-clicking on an item will often show the item's properties, or bring up an
appropriate screen.
Some items are shown in dedicated screens: icons to access these are shown in the vertical
toolbar.
The undo/redo buttons allow any change made to the file to be undone at any time.
Note that TRANSYT 13 does not save a separate output file; instead, basic results are saved
within the input file, and the date/time of the run also recorded. Optionally, you can also include
detailed animation and graphs data within the input file, although this will result in increased file
sizes. You can send such a file to a client or colleague who can view the file, including
animations and graphs, in the demo version of TRANSYT 13. When a HTML report is generated,
the report is saved to a default location and from there can be archived if needed.
6.2
Getting help
The whole of this User Guide is available from within TRANSYT 13 as an electronic document. To
access this help file, use the Help menu, or, press F1 at any time.
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If you cannot find an answer to your question, check the TRL software website for latest news or
contact us directly at TRL.
6.3
Accessibility
A program such as TRANSYT inevitably has to use colours such as red and green to represent
different signal states. In recognition of the fact that some users may prefer to use a different
colour scheme, and to make black and white printing more flexible, most of the colours used in
TRANSYT 13 can be customised via the Preferences screen. Select File>Preferences, and then
adjust the options in the Colours section.
6.4
TRANSYT 13 may be provided to you in a demonstration mode. In this mode, most of the
functionality of the program is present but there are a number of restrictions in place: for
example, you cannot save or run files. To remove these restrictions, you must upgrade to the
full version of the software by purchasing an unlock key from TRL, which can then be entered on
the screen displayed when the program first starts. See Installing the Software for more details.
If you have obtained an evaluation version of the software, this will run in unrestricted mode for
a certain number of days, and then revert to demo mode. You must then purchase an unlock
key as above to unlock the full version of the software.
The current security status of the program is shown in the splash screen, which is available from
within the program by selecting Help>About.
Because TRANSYT 13 files include results from running the program, the demo
version of TRANSYT 13 can be used by anyone to view both the input and output
from TRANSYT 13 files. This includes animations and graphs, as long as the file
was saved using the File>Save With Full Run Data option.
6.5
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Speed of operation
Normally you should not experience any problems with the general speed and responsiveness of
the GUI but sometimes with large files you may notice a general slowdown. In this case, note
the following:
If you have lots of windows open, they will often update themselves. Try closing down
any unnecessary windows, or display one window at a time.
Some windows (e.g. Data Grids) have an Edit In Window mode: in this mode, the rest of
the application is suspended until you click a Done or OK button. Use this mode if you
need to edit a large amount of data in one go.
If Auto-Run is turned on, the file will re-run every time you make a change. Turn it off to
make changes before manually re-running the file.
Close the Data Outline and Data Editor if you are not using them.
Run times increase with the size and complexity of the network, the number of timesteps and the number of time segments
The CTM traffic model is slower than the PDM traffic model.
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6.6
6.6.1
Main toolbars
Main Menu
The options within the main menu (File, Edit, View, Go To, Run, Tools, Options, Help) mostly
duplicate the buttons on the main horizontal and vertical toolbars, and are self-explanatory.
Some TRANSYT 13 features however are only available from the menus, such as
importing/exporting options. The View and Go To menus, in particular, are useful as a short-cut
to the various items within the Data Outline. Please explore the options in the menus and refer
to this User Guide for full details.
6.6.2
This menu gives easy access to common data items and takes you to the first item of the
appropriate kind in the Data Outline and Data Editor. It does NOT open any other specific
screens use the View menu or the toolbar icons for this.
Use the Go To Node and Go To Link options to go straight to a specific node/link if you know
the ID of the node/link.
6.6.3
Horizontal toolbar
Managing files
Clipboard
Undo/redo
Data
Data
Data
Task
outline
editor
grids
list
Running files
Reports
6.6.4
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Vertical toolbar
From top to bottom, the buttons on the vertical toolbar are:
Icon
6.7
The Active Data Item is the data item that is currently selected and highlighted in the Data
Outline (and other screens) and will have its data fields displayed in the Data Editor. The Active
Data Item may be, for example, Link 110 or Node 7. It may also be a specific type of data
such as Link 110: Modelling Parameters, or a general network wide item such as Network
Options. See TRANSYT 13 GUI Terms for more details.
There in several ways to set the Active Data Item:
Page 54
Click or double-click on the item in any other appropriate screen, such as the Link
Timing Diagram (you will learn with practise how this works)
In some cases you need to double click the item; double clicking can also be used to show the
Data Editor or other properties for the item.
In addition, you can use the following toolbar buttons:
Use the Back/Forwards buttons on the main toolbar.
These remember a history of 'visited' data items in a similar way to a web browser. The Back
button will set the Active Data Item to its previous item, and similarly for the Forwards button.
These are very useful when the data item you were looking at changed because you clicked on a
different item elsewhere and you then wish to quickly go back to the original item.
Use the Next/Previous buttons on the main toolbar.
These move the Active Data Item to the next/previous data item that is of the same type as the
current data item. E.g., when on Link 1: Modelling, the Next button will move to Link 2:
Modelling, and so on. This allows you to quickly move between all items of the same type
without having to find them in the Data Outline.
6.8
Padlock system
Many screens automatically update themselves so that they always show data for the Active
Data Item, where appropriate. For example, the Link Timings Diagram always shows signal
timings for the currently selected signalised node and will thus change as you select different
signalised nodes via the Data Outline, or NetCon, or any other screen. It will also try to show
timings for the appropriate link if the Active Data Item is a link, and so on.
If you want to prevent such screens from automatically updating, you can lock them to the item
that they are currently displaying. Do this by clicking on the padlock icon shown in the top-left
corner to toggle between locked and unlocked modes, as shown in the screenshots below.
TRANSYT 13 User Guide (Issue G)
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In the lower screenshot, the screen is locked to Node 1. The data in the screen will continue to
update if the timings for Node 1 are changed, but the screen will only show data for Node 1 (not
Node 2 or 3 etc), until you unlock it. Once unlocked, the screen will show data for any node
clicked on in the Data Outline etc.
Continuing with the Link Timings screen example, you can show any number of Link Timings
screens at once (just press the button on the vertical toolbar several times), and lock each one
after selecting a different node via the Data Outline. In this way you can show data for several
items simultaneously, as in the screenshot below. This applies to most screens that have a
padlock icon.
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Some screens (in particular, the Data Editor and Data Grid) have a special padlock that cycle
through three modes as you click on it:
1. Normal mode: the screen updates as usual whenever you click on an item in the Data Outline
(or NetCon or any other appropriate screen). Sometimes this may be inconvenient, in which
case use one of the modes below.
2. Lock to type of item mode. The screen stays fixed to the current type of item (for example
Link Modelling), but will update to show e.g. Modelling for Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, etc, as you
select different links. You dont need to click on Modelling for each link in the Data Outline:
clicking on any part of a link, or the link itself in NetCon, is sufficient.
With Data Grids, this mode locks the rows in the grid to the currently selected type of row
and/or filter, but does not prevent the rows themselves from updating. For example, if you
show a data grid of links, choose the Filter to Bus Links Only filter and then use this locking
mode, then the data grid will only ever show bus links, whatever you click on in the Data Editor.
Changing a normal traffic link to be a bus link would then cause an extra row to appear in the
grid.
3. Lock to specific items mode. The screen stays fixed to the current item, no matter where
you click in the Data Outline. E.g. it shows Modelling data for Link 1, and will not show data for
Link 2 or Link 3 until you unlock it.
With Data Grids, this mode locks the specific rows in the grid. For example, if you show a data
grid of links, choose the Filter to Bus Links Only filter and then use this locking mode, then the
data grid will only ever that particular set of bus links. Changing a normal traffic link to be a bus
link would have no effect on the grid until you unlock it.
6.9
Some screens (in particular, Data Grids and the Stage Sequence screen) have an Edit In
Window button. When pressed, this switches the screen into a special mode where it becomes
the only window in the application that responds to input. All other windows become inactive
and cannot be clicked on.
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To exit from this mode and return to the rest of the application, you must press either the
Done/OK or Cancel buttons.
To prevent every mouse click or key press from updating other windows in the
application. Particularly with the data grid, you may have a list of numbers which you
wish to quickly enter into the program; using the Edit in Window mode makes the Data
Grid far more responsive and avoids other screens from updating until you have finished.
To prevent every mouse click or key press from causing other windows to check data and
potentially show warnings/errors about data inconsistency. In other words, you can work
exclusively with a screen and not worry about checking warnings in the Task List until
you have finished.
Particularly with the Stage Sequence window, to prevent each stage edit from triggering
re-calculation/updating of link timings data, which can sometimes lead to updating of the
very stages you are editing. In other words, you can work exclusively with the stage
sequence and not worry its validity or impact on other data until you have finished. This
is only an issue when working in T13MODE.
Note that when working in this mode, the Undo/Redo buttons apply to the entire set of changes
made between entering and exiting this mode.
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Some normally editable items may be disabled and are shown with a grey background.
There are several reasons why items may be disabled:
o
It may be directly inapplicable (e.g. give-way data for a non give-way link)
It may be inapplicable because of the current program mode (e.g. some signals
data is disabled depending on the signals representation mode being used)
It may be a data item that is shown for information only and is always calculated
by the program (i.e. never editable)
If a data item is a result, i.e., an output from TRANSYT, it is shown with a light green
background:
When looking at results, some items may appear as N/A. This is usually because you
are looking at results for the whole network or for the summary time segment and the
particular data item is inapplicable e.g. there is a mean max queue (MMQ) for each link,
but not for the entire network; there is a calculated saturation flow for each link for each
time segment, but not for the summary time segment. You can check this by showing
the Help>Glossary screen.
Not all data can be edited directly. For example stage and link green period data may be
greyed out depending on the application signals representation mode; you may be
required to use the Link Timings diagram instead.
6.10.1
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Units
TRANSYT 13 expresses some data items in monetary terms. The currency symbol used is
arbitrary as long as all economic input data (monetary value of stops/delays) are entered using
the same currency. The default unit is (sterling) (NOT pence, as in TRANSYT 12), but
you can change this to any other symbol via Network Options>Economics>Unit of Cost in the
Data Outline.
In the screenshot below, the user has used euros as the currency unit, and this is reflected in all
input and output screens and reports. (NB the monetary values in the screenshot are illustrative
only. The actual values used will depend on the country in question. No currency conversion is
carried out; the unit of cost is purely a symbol.)
TRANSYT 13 also provides several options for the units for speed and distance items. Change
these via the Options>Units section of the Data Outline. Wherever possible, data items in
TRANSYT 13 are always shown with their units, to avoid any potential confusion. Changing units
will automatically update all relevant data items.
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Note that all unit options are saved as part of the file (as opposed to user preferences).
6.10.2
Link/Node/Route/Location/Path IDs
TRANSYT 13 works with links, nodes routes, locations and paths, all of which have IDs. In
TRANSYT 12, these IDs were always numerical, and were referred to as link/node/route
numbers. In TRANSYT 13, IDs can contain any mixture of numbers and letters, although there
is a maximum length of 5 characters. You cannot have two links with the same ID, and similarly
for nodes and routes.
In TRANSYT 13 you can thus use more flexible naming conventions than was possible in
TRANSYT 12 for example using your own set of prefixes/suffixes when naming nodes or links.
E.g. you could name all priority nodes with an initial P, entry links with an initial E, and so on.
Optionally, you can also enter a longer name and description for most items.
When adding a new link/node/route/location/path via the Data Outline or NetCon, TRANSYT 13
will automatically assign the ID as the next available number, but you can subsequently change
it using the Data Editor.
When you change an items ID (via the Data Editor) any other data that references the original
ID will be automatically updated. For example, if you load an existing file and then decide
that Link 112 should be named Link X120, you can make the change using the Data Editor: any
part of the file that referred to Link 112 (e.g. link sources/upstreams, shared links, give-way
links, and so on), will automatically be changed to refer to the new ID, and so the file will remain
self-consistent.
6.10.3
As explained above, TRANSYT 13 works with sets of links, nodes and routes, each of which has
an ID. Many screens show lists of such items, as do generated reports and as does the Data
Outline itself. You can control the sorting of these lists via the Options>Sorting section of the
Data Outline.
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Note that the Data Grid screen also lets you sort by any column simply by clicking on the column
header.
To see the effect of these different sorting options, show a Data Grid of links, lock it, and then
try each sorting option using the Data Editor. You will also see the order of links, nodes and
routes in the Data Outline change.
The Ignore Prefixes When Sorting option can be useful if using a naming convention. For
example if you have named priority nodes with a P prefix, the default sorting may list nodes in
your file as follows:
Turning on the Ignore Prefixes When Sorting option would change the order to the below:
Returning to normal mode but then changing Sorting Type to Alphabetical instead of Numerical
would change the order to the below (Node 11 now comes before Node 2)
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Note that all sorting options are saved as part of the file (as opposed to user preferences). You
will therefore see the same sorting of nodes/links/routes every time you load the file.
6.10.4
Regional Settings
This is where TRANSYT 13 allows regional-specific options to be selected. At the
moment there is only one such option The option to tell TRANSYT to calculate
US Highway Capacity Manual (2000) Level of Service values.
Details of the Level of Service (LoS) calculations are in chapter 1.
The
Auto-Run
option
is
turned
on
and
you
make
any
change
to
any
data.
Turn this option on and off via the Toggle Auto-Run button on the main toolbar.
Select Run>Run All Analysis Sets and Generate Report from the main Run menu
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When Auto-Run is turned on, the TRANSYT analysis program will run and screens will
all automatically update to reflect the results from any change to any part of the data.
Run times in TRANSYT are heavily dependent on the size of the network and the options that
you have selected (e.g. PDM or CTM). We recommend leaving Auto-Run switched off unless
working with a network with short run times. You may also want to turn off Auto-Run when you
want the results screens to stay static.
6.11.1
Run Times
The time taken to run a file depends greatly on the size of the network, the optimisation level
and whether you are using the PDM or CTM traffic models. If using a PC with reasonable
specifications, most small networks using PDM should run almost instantly and Auto-Run can be
used without any problems. If there are a large number of links or nodes, run times can
increase to noticeable levels, and it may be advisable to turn Auto-Run off. We also recommend
leaving Auto-Run switched off when using the CTM traffic model, since this is slower than the
PDM traffic model.
The status bar at the bottom of the main screen shows what TRANSYT 13 is doing at any time.
To switch between files, click on the appropriate button in the file selector bar.
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The ability to open and view several files in this way is invaluable when comparing different
versions of the file, for example to study the effect of a small alteration to the junction.
To close a file, use the File>Close menu option, or right-click on file in the file selector bar. To
close all open files, use the File>Close All menu option.
6.12.1
Duplicating a file
When a file is open, you can create a duplicate copy of the file that you can then make
adjustments to and compare to the original. To do this, use the File>Copy Into New File option.
A new file will be created, containing a copy of all data. The new file is not saved to disk until
you use File>Save As.
This feature is very useful because it allows you to try out various 'what if?' scenarios that are
too complex for the undo/redo feature and without having to manually save the file under many
different names. It also makes comparing the effects of such changes very easily.
6.12.2
Click on the File>Open Containing Folder to open the folder where the file is located in Windows
Explorer.
6.12.3
When you save a file, you save all the input data. If the file has been run, then you also save
the results for each link and the whole network. I.e., the results are embedded in the data file.
If you subsequently load this file back into TRANSYT 13, you can jump straight to the results
without having to re-run TRANSYT. This is particularly useful if it is a large network or is
otherwise slow to run. Showing the Summary Results screen at any time will always give you a
summary of what data is available and when the file was last run.
When you run a file, TRANSYT 13 also produces a large quantity of data that is used to generate
graphs and animations. You can choose to embed these detailed results in the file by selecting
File>Save With Full Run Data. This gives you the convenience of being able to immediately
show these graphs and animations on any occasion without having to re-run the file, but can
lead to larger file sizes.
If you wish to send a file to a client or colleague so that they can run, e.g., CTM animations, use
the File>Save With Full Run Data option, and supply them with the saved file. They will require
either the demonstration version of TRANSYT 13, or a registered OR unregistered version of the
full product if a demo or unregistered version is used, the file can still be loaded, viewed and
animated. A demo version of TRANSYT 13 can be downloaded from www.trlsoftware.co.uk.
6.13 Undo/Redo
The Undo and Redo buttons on the main toolbar allow you to step back through recent changes,
and then re-do these changes if necessary. Each click of the Undo button will go back one step
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in the 'history' of the file, and will automatically update all open windows and re-run the file if
necessary. However, due to anticipated memory constraints, the UNDO record is cleared when
switching to another file.
Use the drop-down menus on the Undo/Redo buttons to show a list of recent changes and jump
straight to a particular change.
Note: hovering over the Undo/Redo buttons, or using the Edit menu to access the options, will
show the action that will be undone/redone, e.g. "Undo Change Saturation Flow".
The Undo facility is useful for reversing accidental mistakes, or for 'rewinding' the file after
deciding that a series of changes is unwanted. For more complex, intentional changes (when
you wish to compare one version of a network to another), consider using the File>Copy Into
New File option (see Duplicating a file).
The Undo/Redo buttons are also very useful for studying the effect of a change to a data item,
especially because they automatically re-run the file (assuming the Auto-run option is switched
on). For example you can run a file, display the Summary Results screen, then adjust a data
item field, then flick back and forth between the before and after results via the Undo/Redo
buttons.
6.13.1
An extra item in the main Edit menu is Edit>Save NetCon Layout. This will add an extra item to
the Undo history which represents the current NetCon diagram layout. Subsequently you can
revert back to the NetCon layout as it was at this point by clicking on the Undo drop-down menu
and then selecting the Saved Layout entry. This saves you having to click the Undo button
multiple times to revert back to this point, and acts as a kind of Netcon save option.
The Copy button on the main toolbar will, where appropriate, copy data from the currently active
screen (the screen last clicked on) to the Windows clipboard. The data can then be pasted into a
word processor, spreadsheet etc. (Some screens also have their own Copy buttons for specific
purposes, or you can right-click in individual windows/screens.) To copy the NetCon diagram,
for example, click in the NetCon window so that it is active and then click the Copy button on the
main TRANSYT 13 toolbar.
The format of the data depends on the screen but columns and rows are generally separated by
tabs and new lines. In some cases, the Paste Special option in the word processor/spreadsheet
can be used to select between options of pasting text or a picture.
In many cases you can also use the CTRL+C shortcut, or, right-click and choose Copy, but note
than in some situations this will copy only the current line of text rather than the entire table.
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6.15 Printing
The Print and Print Preview buttons on the main toolbar will, where appropriate, print or show a
print preview screen for the currently active screen (the screen last clicked on). This applies to
NetCon, the Report Viewer, and also various other screens such as graphs and the Link Timings
screen.
Use File>Page Setup to control the paper size and orientation.
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Show Display IDs for Stages: in T13MODE, stages can be assigned user IDs, which are
additional to the default automatic numbering of stages. This may or may not be useful,
depending on how you use the program.
Reports: All options shown here are also shown on the Report Viewer screen, apart from
Reports Folder and Report Location Mode. If the latter is set to use same location as input
file, then all reports will be saved to a folder with the same name and location as the main
TRANSYT data file. Otherwise, if use specified folder is selected, you can nominate a Reports
Folder, which will be used for all generated reports.
Flow Units for CFP graphs: choose either PCU/hr or PCU/step for the vertical axis for CFP
graphs
Link Connector Arrow Type: controls how arrow directions are automatically calculated in
NetCon and also in Stage Sequence diagrams
Use Effective Greens in Graphs: this option is also available via the main Graphs button on
the application vertical toolbar. If this is turned off, then actual greens are used.
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Colours: Use these options to adjust the default colour scheme for various items.
Netcon: Adjust the default colour scheme and various other options.
Netcon: Safe Mode: Turn this on if you experience any problems with text rendering in
NetCon.
7
7.1
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TRANSYT 13 saves data as files with a .T13 extension. These data files save everything that can
be viewed and edited in the Data Outline (see Data Outline).
Unlike TRANSYT 12, TRANSYT 13 does not save a separate output file. Instead, results can be
embedded in the data file and saved along with input data. See saving results (section 6.12) for
more details.
Output can be saved permanently in the form of Reports, which are generated by the Report
Generator. Reports are produced in the form of HTML documents, and so can be viewed in any
web browser (and most word processors), as well as the viewer built into TRANSYT 13.
See Managing files for more details about file-handling.
7.2
Data Outline
Data in TRANSYT 13 is organised in a hierarchy, which can be viewed via the 'tree-view' style list
in the Data Outline screen. See Data Outline for full details of this screen. Although use of the
Data Outline screen is not strictly necessary in order to view and edit files, it presents a
summary of the data in the file and provides a convenient way to access items within the file. At
the same time, there are many short-cuts within the program for rapidly accessing items; for
example, a Link can be accessed by simply clicking on it in NetCon rather than finding and
selecting it in the Data Outline. You can also use the main TRANSYT 13 View and Go To menus
to access certain items.
You can also use the Main Data, Links Data and Nodes Data screens to access commonly used
data items.
Data in any part of the Data Outline can be accessed and edited in any order - there is no need
to fill in data in a specific order.
The screenshot below shows the general form of the data structure. Each entry in the tree-view
is a data item, and if the entry is shown in bold, then it has associated data item fields that can
be edited using the Data Editor Screen.
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The first line in the tree-view shows the filename for the file being edited. (To change this, you
need to use the File>Save As menu option.)
File Description contains a number of data item fields for describing the file, such as a
textual description, job number, driving side, etc.
Analysis Sets and Demand Sets contain definitions of analysis and demand sets, which
allow you to set up data for e.g. different periods of day, or different signal plans.
TRANSYT Network contains the bulk of data and defines the network being modelled
Options contains a number of additional, advanced options, which are saved with the file.
The screenshot below shows the basic hierarchy expanded by one level, and shows that, for
example, TRANSYT Network contains Network Options, Routes, Node Optimisation Order,
Nodes, Links and ODMatrices.
The following screenshot shows the hierarchy expanded to a deeper level, and shows the
individual Links within the Links section, and so on.
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7.3
The Data Outline is used to access all data items within the TRANSYT 13 file. Items in bold
have associated data fields that you can view and edit in the Data Editor (see Data Editor
Screen). Items that are not in bold do not have any associated data item fields. Double click on
any item to show the Data Editor which will show any data fields for that item.
The Data Outline presents all data within the current TRANSYT 13 file in a 'tree-view' format,
where each item 'belongs' to a parent item.
To navigate around the Data Outline, simply use the + and icons to expand and collapse
items. When you click on a data item, it is shown as being selected (Give Way Data for Link 2
in the screenshot) and also becomes the TRANSYT 13 Active Data Item. The Active Data Item
determines what is shown in many other TRANSYT 13 screens, especially the Data Editor screen.
Similarly, the Active Data Item can be set from many other screens. For example, clicking on a
link in NetCon will cause that link to become the Active Data Item, and it will be highlighted in
the Data Outline. The Active Data Item can be set in this way whether or not the Data Outline
itself is visible.
Double-click an item to show the Data Editor if it is not already shown.
See Changing the Active Data Item for more details about the Active Data Item and how to use
to set it using the main toolbar's back/forwards/up/down buttons.
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Notes:
In general, you cannot delete an item if it is the last item in the group for example, you
cannot delete Node 1 if there are no other nodes.
When adding a new item, the new item's data fields are copied from the Active Data
Item. For example, if you select Link 2 and then click Add, then the new link will be
added to the end of the list and the values of its data fields (including its control type and
all signal timings) will be the same as those for Link 2. This means that you can easily
make copies of existing items. To reset data fields to their default values, simply use the
Default values button on the Data Editor. However, if you select Links and then click
Add, then a new Link with default properties will be added.
If using the Data Outline to add a new Analysis Set or Demand Set, the new set will
contain a copy of all data for the current analysis/demand set.
7.4
The Data Editor is used to edit data item fields for the Active Data Item.
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As the Active Data Item is changed (either via the Data Outline or from other screens such as
NetCon), the Data Editor changes to show all the data fields for that item. The top of the Data
Outline shows the item that is being edited in the screenshot, a link is being edited,
specifically, Link 2.
See Changing the Active Data Item for more details about the Active Data Item and how to use
to set it using the main toolbar's back/forwards/up/down buttons.
Each data field may be a tick-box (e.g. Is Pedestrian Link), a text-box (e.g. Name, Saturation
Flow) or a drop-down list (e.g. Link Control Type). Some fields are set automatically by
TRANSYT 13 and are greyed out, or are unavailable for other reasons. There is no save
button on the Data Editor; values are saved automatically whenever you make a
change, and any other open screens will automatically update. To save a change, press
Enter or Tab or click in any other data field, or on any other screen. If you make a mistake, use
the Undo/Redo buttons on the main TRANSYT 13 toolbar. The Data Editor screen can be left
open all the time there is no need to close it down after having made changes.
Clicking on any field will show a textual description of the field at the bottom of the screen, along
with its units, range and default value. Double clicking on any field (the label, not the text box)
will show a glossary screen, which can also be accessed via the main Help menu.
Click the Default values button to set all fields to their defaults.
If Auto-Run is turned on (see Running Files and using Auto-Run), then changing any field will
cause TRANSYT 13 to re-run the data file and refresh the results screens.
Note: The Data Editor can be resized horizontally in order to make the text-boxes longer.
The icons shown to the right of some data fields are reminders that the data field is entered
separately for each Analysis Set or Demand Set, or is available separately as a result for each
time segment. In some cases the icon is shown at the top of the Data Editor and in this case
indicates that the entire data item itself exists separately for each Analysis Set e.g., each
Analysis Set can contain an entirely different set of stages.
See also: Padlock System (Section 6.8)
7.5
Data Grids
Data Grids show and let you edit potentially large amounts of data in a concise, customisable,
manner. See Data Grids (Section 8.1) for full details.
7.6
NetCon shows a graphical representation of the network and lets you edit the network in a
graphical way, including the adding, deleting and connecting of nodes and links. It also shows
output results, including signal states and animation of queues and CTM data. See Netcon
(chapter 9) for full details.
7.7
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Task List
To show the Task List, click the Task List button on the main toolbar.
The Task List shows any warnings or errors in the current file. TRANSYT 13 checks the data file
every time a change is made, and automatically updates the Task List. As soon as you 'fix' a
problem, the Task List will update and the error/warning should disappear. The Task List acts as
a central checklist that at any time shows you what needs to be done in order to run the file.
Checks are made for logic and self-consistency within the file.
Note that the Task List shows problems associated with the data file before it is run in the
optimiser. Occasionally, errors may only come to light when you try to run the file, and these
will be shown as message boxes.
For each row in the grid, the Severity column will display either 'Warning', 'Error' or 'Info'.
Errors prevent the file from running, whereas warnings serve as reminders that you may want to
double check something, but will not prevent runs. Info items are simply for confirmation
purposes. The Area, Item and Problem columns indicate the exact nature of the problem. In
most cases, double clicking in the row will open the appropriate screen (or item in the Data
Outline) where you can fix the problem.
You can choose whether to display errors, warnings or info items by toggling the three buttons
at the top of the screen. By default, all three types of item are shown, but you may wish to hide
the Info items.
Clicking in any column in the header row will sort the grid by that column. This allows you to
choose to sort the problems by Severity (so that errors appear first; this is the default) or by
Area.
If the grid is too small to show the full text of a problem, then either resize the grid or else click
on the row and then hover over it to show the full text. (Alternatively, generate a report, since
the Task List items are shown at the top of the report.)
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7.8
Select the Data Field finder from the Help menu or by pressing F3 at any time.
The Data Field Finder acts as a simple index to all data items in the program. It is useful when
you are not sure where a particular data item is located in the Data Outline. Enter a word or
phrase to search for and then click Find; any data items that contain the word will be listed.
Select an item from the list and then double click the row or click Go to selected item to jump to
the first occurrence of that item in the Data Outline. Note that it is only the names of items that
are searched for, not the actual values of the data items.
So if, for example, you have forgotten how to set the driving side (left/right), you can enter
"Driving Side" here to reveal that the driving side is located in the File Description part of the
Data Outline.
Clicking Search help file will open the application User Guide and perform an automatic search.
You can thus search the User Guide for further information on any topic.
Note: to search the help file for a phrase (as opposed to a single word), use the search system
built into the help file. I.e., press F1 from anywhere in TRANSYT 13 to show the help file, then
use the help file's search system.
In common with the rest of TRANSYT 13, bold items have associated data fields, and light green
items are results as opposed to input data items.
8
8.1
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Data Grids provide a convenient way of viewing and editing several rows of data at one time.
You can display any number of data grid windows at one time, and the data you edit via Data
Grids will update and synchronise with all other appropriate screens. Data Grids can also be
used to add and delete items from the TRANSYT network.
The data shown in each Data Grid corresponds to the type of the current Active Item, and the
columns correspond to the items you would see in the Data Editor for that data item. For
example if you click in the Data Outline on any Link (or click on a Link in NetCon, or any other
screen), then any Data Grid screens will show all link properties (ID, Name, Description,
Saturation Flow, etc) for ALL links in the file. The Data Grid screen therefore gives you a
convenient way to view and edit all items of any particular type in the entire network.
If, on the Data Outline, you click on the Modelling subsection of a Link, then any Data Grid
screens will change to show all Modelling properties for all links.
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If you click on any Stage (via any appropriate screen), then any Data Grid screens will show all
stages in the file, for all signalised nodes.
The same applies to any other item of data that can be selected. Note however that you can
only show one type of data at any one time and you cannot, e.g. show nodes and links at the
same time. You can however customise the columns shown, as explained further below
8.1.1
Selecting items
If working with for example a Data Grid showing all Links, you can make any Link the current
Active Item by clicking on the row header (the grey section at the far left of the row). Any other
windows showing links data will update accordingly.
You can make multiple selections by using the CTRL and/or SHIFT keys. When a row is
highlighted, the item is selected, and any other screens such as NetCon will show the same
highlighting. E.g. in the screenshot below, some links in the Data Grid have been selected by
clicking in their row headers; NetCon shows the same links highlighted in orange. This also
works the other way round click on items in NetCon to see them highlighted in the Data Grid.
8.1.2
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8.1.3
Editing data
Type directly into enabled cells in the grid to edit data and use the arrow keys or TAB/ENTER to
move around the grid. For multiple-choice data fields, you can press the first letter of the
desired option (e.g. to set the Type of all nodes to be Bottleneck, simply press B and press
ENTER on each row). Use the spacebar to toggle checkboxes on/off.
Some fields will be greyed out and disabled (and/or may show N/A). In general these will
mirror the Data Editor, although the appearance may seem different in Data Grids. E.g. Queue
Limit is greyed out if Has Queue Limit is unticked; several columns including Saturation Flow will
be greyed out if a link is a minor shared link.
Not all data can be edited using Data Grids. For example stage and link green period data may
be greyed out depending on the application signals representation mode; you may be required
to use the Link Timings diagram instead.
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As you enter data, the data and whole file are continuously validated and updated, and this can
result in other rows/columns in each Data Grid from disabling/enabling or changing, as you enter
data. Sometimes this is useful but if you wish to enter a large amount of data without
continual validation, press the Edit in Window button. The Data Grid will then switch to an
exclusive data-entry mode and validation will be delayed until you press the Done button.
Note that with some items such as checkboxes you may need to move to a different row before
the change is updated.
8.1.4
You may find it more convenient to edit or obtain data using an external spreadsheet or any
other program. Copy data from any Data Grid to the clipboard using the main application Copy
button, which you can then paste into a spreadsheet. Once the data has been editing, make a
selection in the spreadsheet that covers the same area and then paste this into the Data Grid.
NB you cannot add in new items in this way; the items must exist in TRANSYT 13 before you can
paste data.
8.1.5
Each data grid show rows in the order specified by the Options>Sorting section of the Data
Outline, which allows you to specify whether items should be sorted alphabetically or numerically
and also a number of other grouping options, such as grouping all shared links together.
You can also sort by any column by clicking on the column header, which will toggle between
ascending and descending order.
8.1.6
Adding/deleting rows
To add/delete rows, right-click on any row header. This will show a sub-menu where you can
choose to delete the current row or add a copy of the current row. You can also a new row,
which will use default values for all fields as opposed to copying the current row. For example if
showing a Data Grid of links, you can use this menu to add new links to the network and to
delete existing ones.
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In some cases this menu contains an extra option: for example if you click on Flares on the Data
Outline, the Data Grid will only show a list of links and not any actual flare data. (You would
need to click on actual Flare in the Data Outline for this to happen, but, with a new file, there
may not be any flares). In this case, right-click on a row-header and select Add New Flare. This
will add a new flare to the chosen link and the Data Grid will then jump to show all flares for that
link.
8.1.7
Column layouts
You can swap columns by dragging column headers with the mouse.
Right-click on any column header to delete that column or to add any other column from the
drop-down menu of available items. Note that the available items include any data fields of the
current active data item plus any sub-items; e.g. if the Data Grid is showing Links, then you can
add any field from Links, Link Modelling, Link Give Way Data and so on. (You cannot however
go the other way round; if the data grid is showing Link Give Way Data then you cannot add
fields from Link Modelling).
You can also add fields by clicking Column Layouts>Add Columns From Data Editor; as you click
on fields in the Data Editor, they will be added as columns to the Data Grid, until you turn off
this mode.
For example to set up a Data Grid to show the ID, Saturation Flow and Total Flow for all links,
follow these steps:
- Press the Data Grid button on the main toolbar to show a new Data Grid
- Click on any Link in the Data Outline or in NetCon. The Data Grid should show all main fields
for all Links
- In the Data Grid, select Column Layouts/Remove All Columns
- In the Data Grid, right-click on a column header and use the drop-down menu to select the
fields to add:
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You can save column layouts by selecting Column Layouts>Store Current Columns Layout.
This will prompt you to enter a name, and this layout will then be available in the Column
Layouts menu every time you run the program. Note that the layout will only be applicable to
the appropriate data type (e.g. Links, not Nodes), and will only be visible in the menu when the
data grid is showing this data type. The saved column layout does not store the fact that it
applies to Links and not Nodes; you must select a Links data grid before selecting a Links
column layout. Column layouts are saved to your personal user preferences; not in the file.
Select Column Layouts>Manage Stored Column Layouts to access a screen where you can see
all saved column layouts and rename/delete them. You can store multiple layouts for the same
data item (e.g. Links). If you tick the IsDefault column then this layout becomes the default
layout for that data item and will be chosen automatically every time you show an appropriate
TRANSYT 13 User Guide (Issue G)
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Data Grid in this way you will not have to select it manually each time. Tick the UseInReports
checkbox if you would like the layout to be used to generate tables when you generate reports.
In this way you can set up your own selection of data which will then be populated every time
you run a report.
8.1.8
New to TRANSYT 13.1 is the ability to mix both input and output data in a Data Grid. This allows
you to create exactly what output tables you want.
When adding columns to Data Grids, you can only add items that are at the same level or at a
higher level of hierarchy in the tree as displayed in the Data Outline. You cannot add items that
are nested further into the hierarchy. The easiest way to understand this is to experiment with
columns, but, it means that if you want to mix inputs and outputs, you must start with a Data
Grid of results, and then add the inputs (not the other way round).
As an example, the steps below show how to set up a Data Grid to show a simple selection of
inputs and outputs:
Show a Data Grid and click on Results>Summary for any link in the Data Outline. The
Data Grid will show summary results for all links.
In the Data Grid, click the padlock icon once so that the grid will not change when you
click elsewhere in the Data Outline or other screens
In the Data Grid, turn on Column Layouts>Add Columns from Data Editor
Show the Data Editor if its not already shown, and click on Degree of Saturation (click
the label, not the text box). The Data Grid should add this column. In the Data Outline
click Results>Queues and Blocking and click on Mean Max Queue.
In the Data Outline select any link and then in the Data Editor select Length. Then select
Link Flows>Total Flow
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You can rearrange columns by dragging the headers with the mouse.
The custom grid can be included in reports by using the options to store and manage layouts in
the Column Layouts menu. (See Section 14.4)
In the example shown below, the grid shows both input and output versions of saturation flow
and total flow. This clearly shows differences between the inputs and outputs, due to e.g. a flare
on link 12 and a flow discrepancy or scaling on link 14.
8.1.9
You can view Data Grids of results just as with any other data item.
special considerations:
To show results for all links, show a Data Grid and then click on the Results section of any link
the Data Outline. (The screenshot below shows the Results>Summary section. You can build
any combination of columns as explained above.) For these Data Grids, TRANSYT 13 adds a
special extra row at the bottom of the grid that shows the total of all results for the links in the
data grid. By default, these will therefore be network totals, but, if you have filtered the grid to
show e.g. only bus links, then the totals will be for bus links only. In this way the totals row
serves as a useful mechanism for totalling any set of results.
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You cannot show results for all time segments for all links, but, this information is available in
generated reports.
8.1.10
Filtering rows
The Filters menu provides a way to restrict the Data Grid to show only certain rows. A set of
built-in filters is provided, and you can also build your own using the Query Builder tool.
The built-in filters available depend on the type of Data Grid. For example if showing a Data
Grid of Links, only the Links filters will be available.
We recommend using the padlock system to prevent Data Grids from switching to showing other
data as you change screen see section 6.8.
Some filters are self-explanatory, such as Filters>Links>Bus Links Only. This will restrict the
Data Grid so that only bus links are shown in the grid. If you edit a link and make it a bus link,
the Data Grid will update to include this new bus link.
Other filters are more advanced and may depend on selections that you make in other Data
Grids or in NetCon. The general idea is that screens interact with each other, so that each Data
Grid dynamically updates according to what you have clicked on in the Data Outline, or NetCon,
or other Data Grids, or what selection you have made in these screens.
To remove any filters, click Filters>No Filter or simply close down the Data Grid and open a
new one.
A few examples are shown below.
In the screenshot below, a Links data grid has its filter set to Filters>Links>Links Controlled By
Selected Nodes. Node 2 has been selected in NetCon, and so the Data Grid only shows links 2125, all of which are controlled by Node 2. Clicking on a different node in NetCon would update
the Data Grid to show links controlled by that node or nothing, if no node is selected. If you
dont want the Data Grid to keep changing, use the padlock to lock the rows to the exact rows
shown.
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In the screenshot below, a Links Data Grid has the Show Only Items in Current Selection mode
enabled (this is a special filter that applies to any type of item). A rectangular selection has
been made in NetCon to select everything on the west side of the network, so the Data Grid
shows only these links. If there is no selection, then the Data Grid will be empty.
8.2
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Query Builder
Launch the Query Builder screen from any Data Grid or via the main application Tools menu.
The Query Builder is intended mainly for use with Data Grids, but, it can also be used to
calculate how many items (if any) match a query - for example, to find out if the network
contains any signalised links of length <200m where the DOS threshold is exceeded. (Of course
you could just scan down the results or a generated report, but, with large networks or more
complex queries this may be difficult and/or tedious.)
The Query Builder is a powerful and flexible tool and the example given here is relatively simple.
In common with many other screens in TRANSYT 13, the data fields of interest are set in the
Query Builder by clicking on them in the Data Editor or in any Data Grid screen. In way you
build one or more clauses (sections) of the query. In the example above there are three clauses
(link must be signalised, length is less than 200m, and DOS threshold exceeded).
The Query Builder after setting up the above example is shown in the screenshot below.
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Start off by selecting a data field in the Data Editor (or in a Data Grid click in any cell); it will
be shown at the top left of the Query Builder. Select an operator from the menu (=, <, > etc,
depending on the data type), and then enter a value or choose from a drop-down list in the
Compare to box. The press Add Query Clause, and it will be added to the Query Clauses list.
Use the OR/AND options to control how the clauses should be combined. In this example, the
AND option (default) is used, since we want all three conditions to be met.
If there are no errors, then the status bar at the bottom gives a quick indication of how many
items in the TRANSYT network meet these conditions. To see the actual links, drag from the
Query Clauses box into any Data Grid. I.e., click anywhere inside the Query Clauses box,
and then drag the mouse pointer on top of any Data Grid. Releasing the mouse button will then
set the Data Grid into Filters>Query Builder mode and will show the results of the query, as
shown in this screenshot:
In this example, link 24 is the only link that is less than 200m in length AND is signalised AND
has its DOS threshold exceeded. Note that what you see in the Data Grid depends on what data
item the Data Grid contains: the grid shown above shows Links, and the one below shows Link
Results. As explained elsewhere you can usually build your own column layouts in the grids.
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Continuing with the same example, using this filter in a Data Grid that shows Green Periods
would show ALL green periods for all links that meet the conditions in this case, the two green
periods for Link 24.
Imagine now that you wish to filter further and are only interested in green periods where the
above conditions are true and furthermore the green period is one that starts in the first half of
the signals cycle (for whatever reason). Adding this further clause to the Query Builder would
look like the below:
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In this case, there are two possible types of results: you may either want to view all links
containing at least one green period whose start time is less than 50s, or, you may only want to
view the green periods themselves. TRANSYT 13 wont know which of these possibilities you
want, so use the Data Item To Find box and then drag the query into an appropriate Data Grid.
If the Data Grid shows Green Periods, then it will either show 2 rows or 1 row depending on
which option you select here.
It is not currently possible to save queries, but, you can press the Edit manually button and then
save the code that is shown in a text file. Subsequently you could paste this text back in and rerun the query.
8.3
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Although all data is available via the Data Outline and Data Editor, commonly needed data is
also available via a Main Data Screen, which you can access via the button on the main vertical
toolbar or the main View menu.
The data on this screen works in exactly the same way as the Data Editor.
You can leave this screen visible and it will update and synchronise with other screens, as with
any other window in TRANSYT 13.
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8.4
Although all Nodes data is available via the Data Outline and Data Editor, commonly needed data
is also available via a Nodes Data Screen, which you can access via the button on the main
vertical toolbar or the main View menu.
The data on this screen works in exactly the same way as the Data Editor.
You can leave this screen visible and it will update and synchronise with other screens, as with
any other window in TRANSYT 13.
Select the node to view using the list on the left hand side, or via the Data Outline, or via
NetCon. You can also use this screen to add/delete nodes.
The data grid showing stages works in exactly the same as any other Data Grid, including the
ability to add/delete columns and rows.
To add a new stage for the current node, right-click in a row-header (the grey area on the left of
any row) and click on Add New Stage in the drop-down menu that appears. NB this only applies
when working in T12MODE; if in T13MODE, add/delete stages via the Link Timings screen.
8.5
Although all Links data is available via the Data Outline and Data Editor, commonly needed data
is also available via a Links Data Screen, which you can access via the button on the main
vertical toolbar or the main View menu.
The data on this screen works in exactly the same way as the Data Editor.
You can leave this screen visible and it will update and synchronise with other screens, as with
any other window in TRANSYT 13.
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Select the link to view using the list on the left hand side, or via the Data Outline, or via NetCon.
You can also use this screen to add/delete links.
Each of the data grids in this screen (for flows and flares etc) works in exactly the same as any
other Data Grid, including the ability to add/delete columns and rows.
See notes below for each tab.
The Flows tab shows a grid of each Source for the current link. If the link is an entry link, then
the grid will have only one row and will apply to the entry sources. Add new sources by rightclicking on the row header and selecting Add New Source. If the link is not an entry link (i.e.
has at least one internal source being fed from another link), then the grid will show only the
internal sources. In other words the grid will automatically show either entry sources OR
internal sources, but not both together.
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To add a new green period for the current link, right-click in a row-header (the grey area on the
left of any row) and click on Add New Green Period in the drop-down menu that appears. NB
this only applies when working in T12MODE; if in T13MODE, add/delete stages via the Link
Timings screen.
To add a new flare for the current link, right-click in a row-header (the grey area on the left of
any row) and click on Add New Flare in the drop-down menu that appears.
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In TRANSYT 13 you can show one or more NetCon windows, each of which shows a graphical
representation of the current TRANSYT Network. It shows a depiction of all nodes and links,
indicates their types and various other parameters, and can be overlaid with a wide variety of
extra data, such as queue animations and CTM cell occupancy animations. Launch a new NetCon
window by clicking the NetCon button on the main vertical toolbar.
NetCon can be used to build a network from scratch because it lets you add and delete
nodes and links and to connect links to nodes and to other links.
The NetCon layout is saved automatically as part of the main data file; there is no need to
manage separate files as was the case in TRANSYT 12.
Much of NetCon is self-explanatory and we recommend that you experiment with the various
features in the toolbars and in the various menus available by right-clicking on any item in the
diagram.
In general, clicking on a node, link, source, OD Matrix or Location will make that item become
the current Active Item, and any other windows will update to show data for that link or node
e.g. the Link Timings screen, Data Editor, Stage Sequence screen, Data Grids, and so on.
Double clicking on an item will often bring up an appropriate data entry screen.
The icons along the horizontal toolbar control the view of the network and turn on and off
various overlay tools and other features. The icons in the vertical toolbar represent a set of
tools which you can use to add and connect nodes links and locations. The colours used for links
correspond to the colours used in the toolbox on the left hand side.
You can check what each icon does by hovering the mouse over the item and checking
the status bar at the bottom of the NetCon screen.
Shared minor links are shown with dashed lines; bus and tram links are shown with dotted lines.
Pedestrian links are shown with a large open arrow at one end. The blue cones around nodes
indicate the controlling node for each link. By default, each link also shows its total flow, and its
degree of saturation (shown as a percentage, and assuming that the file has been run at least
once).
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9.1
Speed of operation
NetCon should be highly responsive even with reasonably large networks. If you find that it is
jerky, or takes a long time to update, you may need to update your graphics driver and/or
graphics card.
In some cases, changing (including reducing) the amount of hardware
acceleration for your graphics driver may help. Contact your IT department for assistance if
required.
There is also a safe mode that turns off certain features; select this via the main program User
Preferences.
In terms of general usage, you may find that NetCon is more responsive if you close down any
other screens that you are not using, including the Data Editor.
9.2
The diagram will automatically re-size to fit the window when you resize the window, or, you can
click on the Fit To Window button.
Use the Zoom and Zoom to Rectangle modes to zoom in and out. (With the latter, drag a
rectangle on the diagram to zoom to.) You can also zoom in/out by using the mouse wheel.
Use the Pan mode to move around the network, or use the scroll bars and/or arrow keys on your
keyboard. Alternatively, you can hold-down the mouse wheel and pan without having to switch
to Pan mode at all.
To focus on a particular node or link, right-click in a blank area and select View>Go To
Node/Link.
9.3
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The network can be printed using the main application Print and Print Preview buttons in the
usual way. In addition, you can use the Toggle Print Zone mode to show an outline overlay that
represents the current printer paper size. You can then manoeuvre and zoom the network so
that the desired portion fits inside this outline. Pressing the Print button will then print out the
same area.
You can also copy the diagram to the clipboard by using the usual Copy button the main
application toolbar or by using the right-click menu in a blank part of the network.
The right-click menu also gives access to an Export menu, where you can choose to export the
diagram in various formats, including AutoCad (DXF) format.
9.4
9.4.1
Manipulating items
Selecting items
Simply click on any item in the diagram (nodes, links, sources, etc) to select it. It will be
shown with orange highlighting and any other relevant data screens (e.g. Data Editor, Data
Grids) will update to show data for this item, if appropriate.
To select multiple items, hold down the CTRL key.
To select a rectangular selection of items, use the Rectangular Selection Mode button and drag a
rectangle on the diagram.
9.4.2
Moving items
To move an item in the diagram, simply click on it and drag with the mouse.
The green circles at the ends on each link are default bend handles, which serve as points
which you can grab with the mouse to move either end. To add extra bend points to a link,
right-click on the link and select Add new Link section. There is no limit to the number of bend
points you can add, so links can be made to curve along as detailed a path as you required. Use
the same right-click menu to remove link sections or to straighten the link.
As you move a node, you will notice that all connecting links also move with the node. To avoid
this happening, hold down the SHIFT key as you drag the node; the node will then move in
isolation.
Similarly, as you move entry links via their outermost bend handle, you will notice that they
pivot around their controlling node. To avoid this happening, hold down the SHIFT key as you
drag the bend handle; the link will then move in isolation.
Note that you can move stop lines, which has the effect of moving all links that share the stop
line.
If several items are selected, then moving any of the selected items will move the entire group.
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You can rotate an item, or a group of items, by firstly selecting them and then using the Rotate
Selection mode. The rotation is carried out around the first point that you click on in this mode;
drag the mouse to control the amount of rotation.
To revert to a previous layout, use the Undo/Redo buttons together with the Save NetCon state
in the main application Edit menu or toolbar.
9.4.3
Aligning to a grid
Turn on the Show Grid mode to show a grid that items will snap to as you move them. You can
also align everything to the grid by right-clicking in an empty part of the diagram and selecting
View>Align Now.
9.4.4
Adjusting spacing
The spacing between all nodes and links can be adjusted by right-clicking in a blank area and
selecting Tools>Adjust Network/Link Spacing. Enter a number representing a percentage by
which you wish to increase/decrease the spacing e.g. 120% to slightly increase the spacing
between everything.
9.4.5
Right-clicking on any item will show a menu appropriate to that item, from where you can access
all its properties (this will show the Data Editor screen), and also certain commonly used items,
such as a links control type.
Note that in some cases you will need to use the Data Outline to access exactly the item or subitem that you need.
If the Links Data screen or Nodes Data screen are visible, then they will update to show data for
the currently selected node/link, as does the Data Editor.
9.4.6
If the diagram already contains items, you can delete, make copies and add new items by rightclicking on any existing item and choosing the appropriate Add or Delete options. Multiple item
deletions are also possible by selecting all the items you wish to remove and then pressing the
Delete key.
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You can also add items by using the toolbox on the left of the NetCon window. There are
various alternative ways to do this; some are described below. In general, to exit a mode, rightclick in a blank part of the diagram, or click on the arrow button in the main toolbar.
Click on one of the node icons (signalised node, bottleneck node, priority node) and then
click anywhere in the diagram to add a node of that type
Drag one of the node icons onto the diagram to add a node of that type
Click on one of the link icons (normal link, bottleneck link, etc) and then click anywhere in
the diagram to add a link of that type. Each mouse click will add one link section (i.e. a
new bend for the link), until you right-click. To add a straight link, click once to set the
start point, again to set the end point, and then right-click. You can also finish the link
using the middle mouse button, which has the effect of staying in link-adding mode, so
that you can easily add further links of the same type.
Drag any of the link icons onto the diagram to add a link of that type (you will then need
to reposition it)
NB you do not need to necessarily use the different link icons: you can use any link icon
and then right-click on the newly added link and use the menus to change the link control
type and give-way properties etc.
An OD matrix can be created using the same two methods (drag or clicking) as described
for creating nodes. When an OD Matrix is created a single Location will also be created
automatically
When creating additional Locations, select which OD matrix it will apply to first, then click
or drag the Location icon
You can also add nodes, links, etc. via the Data Outline, as with any other data item, in which
the new item will appear in an arbitrary position in the diagram.
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Depending on options you select in the User Preferences screen, NetCon may prompt
you to enter a link /node ID each time you add a new item.
9.4.7
Connecting items
Use the Connect Items mode to connect items in the following ways:
Click on a link and then click on a node to set that node as the controlling node for the
link. If the link was already connected to a node, the new node will replace the old node.
Click on a link and then click on a second link to connect the first link to the second link.
(I.e., the first link will then be an upstream link (or source) of the second link.)
Click on a connector and then click on a new link to disconnect the existing downstream
link and connect the source to a new (downstream) link
Click on a link and then click on a connector to disconnect the existing source link (if one
is currently connected to it) and connect the new link as the new source.
Click on a Location and then click on a link to set that link as an Entry Link for that
particular Location. Click on a link and then click on a Location to set that link as an Exit
Link for that particular Location. Note how the order in which you attach the link or
location determines whether or not the link is defined as an entry or exit for the selected
Location.
Use the Share Links mode to set up shared stop lines. When in this mode, click on a link and
then click on a second link to assign the second link as a minor link of the first link. The first link
must already be a major shared link (which is true by implication if it is the only link at a stop
line). To unshare a link, you can view its Properties and untick the Is Minor Shared Link
property.
9.4.8
Adding labels
You can add textual annotations to the diagram via the Add Label mode. In this mode, click
anywhere on the diagram and type the annotation. You can then move and resize the
annotation by dragging it as with any other item. To resize it, click on the label and then drag
the red handles as either end.
9.5
The toolbar at the top of the NetCon window provides access to a number of extra modes and
menus where you can turn on various features and visualisations. In general, the key at the
bottom of the diagram indicates which options are switched on.
9.5.1
Signal states
Use this icon to display actual signal states for each link, on the link and/or just the stop line.
Use the Animation Controls screen to set the point in the cycle to display signals for, or start the
animation to animate the signals.
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The current stage running at each node is shown underneath the node number.
You may wish to use this in conjunction with the Link Timings screen and/or Stage Sequence
screen so that you can see the signal plan for one or more nodes at the same time, as in the
screenshot below.
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9.5.2
Animated Arrows
This mode is useful to check the directions of links and also to give an overview of which links
feed into which other links.
Select the Show Upstreams or Show Downstreams modes and then hover the mouse pointer
over any link to show yellow arrows on the upstreams or downstreams of that link.
Use the Show Effective Greens mode to show yellow arrows on any link whose controlling node
is showing a green signal, taking into account start/end displacements, for the current point in
the cycle. (Adjust the point in the cycle using the Animation Controls screen.) If a link is not
signalised then it is considered to be permanently green. This mode can also be useful for
displaying the differences between actual greens and effective greens, if you combine it with the
Show Signal States mode.
In the screenshot below, link 112 at the bottom of the diagram is showing actual red, but the
yellow arrows indicate that traffic on the link would still be crossing the stop line.
9.5.3
Node cones
These show coloured cones indicating the controlling traffic and/or signals node for each link.
Each links traffic feeds into the links traffic node, but it signals are controlled (if relevant) by
the links signals node. (Usually, the traffic node and signals node for a link are the same, and
so turning on both sets of cones would have little effect.)
For clarity, you may wish to turn the cones off.
You can also show cones highlighting the connections between links.
9.5.4
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Overlay tools
Use the Value Comparison Tool to show blue highlighting on each link, where the depth of
shading indicates the relative value of a chosen data field. By default, the data field is set to
Total Flow, so the deepest blues show the heaviest flows. You can control the difference
between the smallest and largest values via the NetCon options screen.
You can show visualisations of any other data item by switching on this mode and then clicking
on any data field in the Data Editor or a Data Grid screen. As long as the data field is numerical,
NetCon will attempt to colour the blue overlay boxes according to the relative value of this data
field for each link. In the example below, the value comparison tool is showing the relative
values of Stop Weighting for each link, and it is immediately obvious that the user has entered a
high (or non-zero) stop weighting for 4 links.
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Use the Flow Consistency Tool to highlight any problems with flow consistency. Red or amber
links/sources indicate that there may be an inconsistency with the flows at these locations. See
section 11.2 for more details.
Use the Error Overlay Tool to highlight in red/amber/green/grey any warnings, errors or
information tasks for each link, source and node. These correspond to the messages shown in
the Task List screen. In the screenshot below, the user has accidentally deleted Node 7; the
links which were controlled by this node are then in an error state, as indicated by the red
colouring. The Task List will then show full details of the problems.
NB you can change the colours used from the default reds and greens via the User Preferences
screen.
9.5.5
Use this tool to fade out all links in the network other than the selected link type. In this way
you can easily see where the bus/tram/pedestrian links are, as in the screenshot below, where
Highlight Bus Links has been chosen.
To restore normal appearance, select Turn off
Highlighting.
9.5.6
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A variety of tools are available via this menu for the visualisation of link lengths, queues and
CTM data. To show queues, you must have run the file at least once, and PDM and/or CTM data
must be available. Use the Summary Results screen to check the status of this run data. If no
data is available, you can still select the options, but no queues/animation will be visible.
Note that you can scale the relative width of all queue and animation bars via the NetCon
Options screen.
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9.5.6.1
In this mode yellow bars are displayed on each link, the lengths corresponding to the actual link
lengths. (The scaling is arbitrary but self-consistent.) Use this mode if you wish to position the
network to reflect real relative lengths of links. In the screenshot below, links 21-23 have been
positioned to be longer than their real lengths, and so the yellow bars stop short of the ends of
the links. Link 3 on the other hand has been positioned to be shorter than its real length and
this is indicated by the yellow bar showing a thicker section at one end. When the links are
positioned correctly, the lengths of the yellow bars will exactly fit the links.
9.5.6.2
In this mode orange bars are overlaid on each link to indicate the mean max queue on each link.
The queue is shown as a proportion of the link length based on the maximum queue storage,
e.g. half the link will be orange if the queue is 5 and the maximum queue storage is 10. If the
user specifies their own maximum queue storage this will be reflected in the proportion of the
link that is orange.
Queues are never drawn longer than the maximum queue storage
instead, a black bar is drawn at the end of the queue to indicate that the queue is longer than
drawn.
The mean maximum queue is only an approximate average of the maximum
queues likely to be encountered, and it will therefore be exceeded 50 per cent of
the time.
9.5.6.3
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In this mode red and green bars are used to show the uniform component of the queue on each
link, from the PDM traffic model. The queues are shown at the moment in the cycle time as set
in the Animation Controls screen, so you can animate the queues by starting animation via this
screen. It may also be useful to show signal states at the same, as in the screenshot below.
The red bars on each link represent stationary queues, which will tend to build up when the
signal at the stop line is showing red. When the signal changes to green, the position of the
stationary queue moves upstream as traffic at the stop line begins to leave the queue. The
green part of the bar can therefore be thought of as representing moving traffic. In other words,
the red bars show where the front and back of queue are located.
The PDM uniform queue animation exactly matches the data shown in PDM Queue Graphs.
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9.5.6.4
If CTM output is available, this mode can be used to show CTM average queues using yellow
blocks which can be animated via the Animation Controls screen. These represent a summation
of any queues that occur throughout the link when using this model. You can display these
queues at the same time as the PDM uniform queues, as shown in the screenshot below. Note
that the PDM queue bars show both the length and the front and back of queues, while the CTM
queue bars represent only the length of queues (always shown at the stop line of each link), not
the location of the front and back of queues. You can see the information on position of queues
by using the CTM Cell Queues option.
9.5.6.5
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If CTM output is available, this mode shows CTM cell occupancy at each cell in each link for the
current point in the cycle time as set via the Animation Controls screen. The width of each blue
block is proportional to the occupancy of that cell. (Control the width scaling of the blocks via the
NetCon Options screen.)
As you change the timeline via the Animation Controls screen, the cell occupancy
blocks will move through the network, and in this way you can easily visualise the
movement of traffic through the network. Blocking back effects are also easy seen.
Use the Interpolate Values option to give a smoother animation.
In the screenshot below, the link entering Node 7 from the south is a pedestrian link. Because
of the way cell occupancy is calculated, this link appears to have a very large occupancy in its
cell closest to the stop line. This is because the maximum occupancy of each cell is proportional
to the links saturation flow, and the pedestrian link has an arbitrarily high saturation flow. Of
course it is questionable to considerable what cell occupancy represents in the case of
pedestrians, but, you can interpret it as showing a large pool of pedestrians waiting at the
crossing point which is intuitively true, since pedestrians do not generally wait in line back
from the crossing point. The same would be true of any stream of traffic with a large saturation
flow; and conversely for a stream with a very low saturation flow.
The resolution of CTM cells is determined by the number of time steps in the model and the
cruise speed of each link.
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9.5.6.6
If CTM output is available, this mode shows CTM cell flows at each cell in each link for the
current point in the cycle time as set via the Animation Controls screen. The width of each blue
block is proportional to the occupancy of that cell. (Control the width scaling of the blocks via the
NetCon Options screen.)
Larger blocks show where the highest flows occur at the current point in the cycle. They will be
largest on links with the highest flows, and at times where these links are discharging the
maximum amount of traffic, e.g. when a queue begins to dissipate.
It may often be easier to visualise the flow by showing them at the same time as the cell
occupancies. An alternative appearance is available by selecting CTM Cell Flow Arrows, which
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will use arrows for flows instead of blocks. In the screenshot below signal states are also shown
and the diagram clearly shows the location of traffic, the signal states shown to traffic at the
stop line and the areas of heaviest flow. Note that flows are shown at the upstream ends of links
on red up until the point where queuing traffic begins, at which point the flows diminish to zero.
9.5.6.7
If CTM output is available, this mode will show red and green circles at the entry point of each
link. Red circles on entry links indicate that the CTM occupancy and queue on the link is greater
than the link can accommodate and that therefore traffic will be queueing before it enters the
network.
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9.6
Use Fast Mode to turn off certain textual items to increase the drawing speed.
Other buttons on the main toolbar at the top of the NetCon window let you choose whether to
display bend handles, connectors, show stop lines (see section 9.6.1) and to turn on and off a
layout grid.
The screenshot below shows the effect of turning these items off and choosing a larger arrow
size via the NetCon Options screen.
9.6.1
Stop lines
The stop lines of signalled links are represented by black square brackets, located at the
downstream end of each link. The saturation flow associated with each stop line is shown
resting along the node side of the bracket - In the example shown above the saturation flow for
link 2 is 1800.
Different link colours, bracket colours and bracket types are used to represent the other link
types as follows:
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Give-way
Bottleneck
Give-way bottleneck
Signalled give-way
Note how the give-way maximum flow (indicated by the lower case g) and saturation flow are
shown when appropriate, and both where both will apply.
9.7
There are a large number of options controlling the appearance of NetCon, and you can access
these via the NetCon Options screen. (Use the icon on the right-hand side of the main toolbar or
right-click in NetCon and select Tools>Options).
Most items are self-explanatory and are not listed here other than the ones of particular interest
below. Most tabs have a Defaults button, which will restore the options on that tab to their
default values.
Most NetCon options are saved in the data file, so the same options will be used when you next
load the file.
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Please also see the main TRANSYT User Preferences screen for other options that may
affect NetCon.
9.7.1
Add one or more background images via the Backgrounds tab. Press the Add button and then
browse to a bitmap (bmp/gif/jpg format), which will then be placed in the middle of the NetCon
diagram. To adjust the opacity, position and size of the image, you must select it in the
listbox. The image will then be shown with a red outline and red handles in NetCon, which you
can use to move and resize it. Use the opacity slider to control how faint the image is relative to
the rest of the diagram.
You can add more than one image. For example, you may have several drawings of
junctions which you can superimpose on the diagram at the same time as an overview map.
Adjust the opacity, position and rotation of each image so that they overlay the relevant links
and nodes in the TRANSYT network.
The images are embedded in the main TRANSYT data file; there is no need to save the image
files separately.
9.7.2
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Any data field can be shown on each link by setting up options in the Link Text tab of the NetCon
options screen. A data field can be shown at each corner of each link. Select the data fields to
use by clicking on them in the Data Editor (or a Data Grid) and then clicking the Select Field
button. Tick the Enabled box to actually show the values on the diagram.
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9.7.3
The foreground and background colours can be changed via the Other tab of the NetCon Options
screen. A dark background and a light foreground can be useful for high visibility visualisations.
9.8
Use user arrows on each link to show link turning proportions without necessarily having
to set up actual connectors or exit links. Right-click on the link and select from a left,
straight or right user movement. The movement will be depicted using a blue arrow at
the stop line.
You can show two or more NetCon windows at the same time, using one for an overview
of the network, and one as for close-ups of individual nodes.
There are options in the main User Preferences screen to control the way that directions
for arrows are calculated.
If you have dual monitor display, right-click in a blank area of the network and un-select
Tools>Keep NetCon Inside Application Window. The NetCon window will then become
detached from the main TRANSYT 13 window and you can position it on the secondary
monitor.
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To change the current set, select it via the appropriate drop-down list. Any screens that show
data for each set will then automatically update.
Make sure you understand the distinction between editing the definitions of
Analysis/Demand Sets versus editing the actual data for each set. E.g. you may
have an AM Peak and PM Peak Analysis Set, each of which contains a separate set
of flows and signals data. Edit the flows and signals data via the normal data
entry screens, making sure that you have selected the correct Analysis/Demand
set via the drop-down menus on the main program toolbar.
When you add a new Analysis Set or a new Demand Set, the new set contains a
copy of all the data for the previously selected set. E.g., all traffic flows for the
new Demand Set will be a copy of the flows for the last selected Demand Set.
10.1.1
Analysis Sets
When you start a new file, the file contains a single Analysis Set. You can rename it by locating
it in the Analysis Sets section of the Data Outline and then using the Data Editor to set its
properties.
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Although you can store multiple Analysis Sets within one file, only one set of
results is stored at any one time, representing the results from one Analysis Set.
To run different Analysis Sets, you must select each in turn via the Analysis Set
drop-down menu and run it separately. You can however use the Run>Run All
Analysis Sets and Generate Report option to run all Analysis Sets that have their
Include In Report option set.
As an example, add a new Analysis Set (via the Data Outline), and note that the drop-down
menu at the top of the main TRANSYT 13 window now lets you choose between two Analysis
Sets. Now use the Data Editor or Main Data screen to view the network cycle time; note that the
network cycle time has an icon next to it to indicate that it can be set for each Analysis Set. Set
the network cycle time to 100s. Switch to the other Analysis Set via the drop-down and notice
that the network cycle time is now the value for the other Analysis Set.
For each Analysis Set, you must enter a Demand Set (e.g. enter D2 to use Demand Set 2).
This determines the flows that will be used for this Analysis Set. E.g. you may set up two
Analysis Sets with the same signal plan but different Demand Sets (representing two different
traffic forecasts, say), a third Analysis Set that uses a Demand Set which includes extra
development flows, and then a further two Analysis Sets using the same Demand Sets but
alternative signal plans or network cycle times.
(In more complex scenarios it may of course be easier simply to save the different setups as
different files.)
The data items that can be entered for each Analysis Set are easily identified within the data
editor by the card stack symbol
10.1.2
on the screen.
Demand Sets
When you start a new file, the file contains a single Demand Set. You can rename it by locating
it in the Demand Sets section of the Data Outline and then using the Data Editor to set its
properties.
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Each Demand Set defines a separate set of flows, but the flows themselves are entered using
the normal data entry screens. This applies to OD Matrices as well, i.e. an OD-Matrix provides
access to define the OD flows for several demand sets.
If you need to add together multiple sets of flows, add a new Demand Set and tick the
Composite option; you can then enter the Demand Sets that you wish to add together to form
this new Demand Sets e.g. enter D1,D2,D3 to add together the flows for Demand Sets 1-3.
A Demand Set cannot refer to itself in this way, so you must always add a new Demand Set for
this purpose. If the currently selected Demand Set is composite in this way, then link flows for
individual links will be greyed out and will show the calculated total flow, as in the screenshot
below.
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Use the Start Time option to enter a time of day that the flows are for. (This is only used for
labelling purposes when showing time segments.)
The Total Flow and Uniform Flow for each link can then be entered separately for each Demand
Set, using the Data Editor and/or Data Grids.
10.1.3
Time Segments
By default, a TRANSYT 13 uses a single time segment which is the same length as the entire
modelled period. You can view and edit this via the Data Editor (Network Options>Network
Timings section) or via the Main Common Data screen. By default, there is a single time
segment of 60 minutes, giving a total modelled time period of 60 mins.
To split the 60 minute period into 4 time segments of 15 minutes each, simply edit the Time
Segment Length and Number of Time Segments values.
After running such a file, the Time Segment drop-down menu at the top of the main window will
show an entry for each time segment, plus a special Summary item. Displaying any set of
results (network results, or results for individual links), will then show the results for the chosen
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time segments. You cannot see all time segments within the Data Outline or on one screen
together, but generated reports can optionally show results for all time segments.
The Summary time segment represents an overall set of results for the overall modelled period.
Results are aggregated in various ways (some are summed, others are averaged, a few are
weighted by flow, etc); you can check these by using the Help>Glossary Screen option and
clicking on any result in the Data Editor.
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In the same network, Link 3 enters the network from outside, and so is an entry link. It has no
sources. However, clicking on the Sources section of Link 3 will show the properties for this
links Default Source, such as the entry traffic type, the entry cruise speed etc. (NB Entry
cruise speed means the cruise speed along the whole link for traffic using this link as an entry
link into the network, NOT the speed at the entrance.)
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The most convenient way of entering flows and sources is probably to use the Links Data screen,
which shows a datagrid for both normal sources and entry sources as well as textboxes for the
total flow on the link.
11.1.1
Entry profiles
Entry links can have a time-varying traffic profile attached, which will propagate through the
network when the TRANSYT model is run. To use time-varying profiles, you must set up the
Network Timings options so that there is more than one time segment.
Each entry link has a set of extra properties in its Default Source section (click on Link>Sources
in the Data Outline) where you can set up the time-varying profile, as shown below.
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By default, the Entry Profile Type is set to FLAT, and a single number appears in Entry DIRECT
Flows. This number is greyed out and is the same as the Total Flow entered in the Flows section
for the Link.
Changing Entry Profile Type to GAUSSIAN will take the Total Flow as the flow for the central
time segment and will then apply a normal curve to the traffic profile so that it fits a predetermined distribution as used in the ODTAB option in ARCADY, PICADY and OSCADY PRO.
(This only works if you are using a 90 minute modelling period.) This is a convenient way to
model a typical peak curve without having to enter separate flows.
If you require more flexibility, choose DIRECT as the profile type. The Entry DIRECT Flows box
will then be editable and you can enter a flow for each time segment using commas to separate
the values.
When you run the file, you should see the varying flows reflected in the Calculated Flow Into Link
result for each time segment, as well as varying queues, delays and performance indices.
The screen is designed to show the flows in and out of each link, and any inconsistencies with
those flows; and also acts as a map of which links are connected to the current link.
In the screenshot, the current link (i.e. the link last clicked on in NetCon or any other screen) is
Link 71, and this is shown in the centre of the diagram. Link 71 flows into Link 112, which is
shown on the right. On the left are shown the upstream links (23,24,25).
All other numbers represent flows on the link and on its upstream and downstream links. Some
numbers are the actual entered values; other numbers (generally in brackets) are calculated
values and show the computed contributions from each link. For details, hover the mouse
pointer over any block to show a fuller description.
In the screenshot, the user has entered a total flow of 1950 PCU/hr on link 71, which includes
240 PCU/hr as uniform flow. The total flow entering the link at its upstream end is 1950240=1710. The user has specified that link 71 is fed by 110, 390 and 1190 PCU/hr from links
23, 24 and 25 respectively, which totals 1690. Therefore an additional 20 PCU/hr must be
entering link 71 from somewhere, and this is shown at the foot of the diagram. (A similar
calculation is performed for traffic leaving the link.)
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TRANSYT scales the upstream flows so that the total matches the total entered flow on link 71.
These scaled numbers are shown in brackets (111+395+1204=1710).
In the screenshot, link 71 is fed by link 23, which has a total flow of 1200, 110 of which feeds
link 71. This block in the diagram is shown in amber, which indicates that there may be a
problem with link 23. Click on the amber block and the diagram will update to show data for
Link 23, as shown below.
You can now see that Link 23 has a specified flow of 1200 PCU/hr, and that it has no
downstream links other than Link 71. The user has specified that 110 PCU/hr flows from Link 23
to Link 71, which internally will be scaled to 111 PCU/hr by TRANSYT. Therefore the rest of the
traffic (1200-111=1089) must be leaving the network. This may be genuine, but the screen
highlights this in amber in case you have made a mistake with flow entries.
Such warnings are shown as information items in the Task List. If TRANSYT 13 considers the
flow difference to be too great, then these will be shown as warnings/errors, and red colouring
will be used in the diagrams.
You can also visualise all flow warnings and errors in NetCon, by selecting Flow Consistency Tool
from the overlay bars button.
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An OD Matrix contains traffic flows between Origins and Destinations which are defined
as Locations in TRANSYT
a Location is a user-defined traffic entry and exit point into and out of a section of the
network. There can be any number of locations, and normally at least two (when the
Flow Allocation Tool is being used.)
A Path defines the continuous route within a section of the network related to a
OD Matrix. Each path starts at a location and ends at a location. Therefore, a TRANSYT
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path is a defined sequence of links between an OD pair (i.e. between one origin and one
destination Location).
It contains only links that are consistent, i.e. each link is
downstream of the previous link
11.3.1
OD matrices and locations are created in a similar way to creating links and nodes. This is
described in section 9.4.6. The OD matrix must be created first so that the locations can then
be associated with the OD Matrix. Note: Deleting an OD matrix will also delete all of its
associated locations and paths.
Locations and paths can also be created manually from within the Flow Allocation Tool by
selecting the relevant tab, and right clicking on the first column of the grid. The links of a path
are specified by creating a list of link IDs, separated by commas. The link order must make
sense i.e. the link order must match how the links are connected in TRANSYT. The first link of
any path must be an entry link and the last link must be an exit (from the network) link.
In the case of Paths, however, it will often be far easier to let TRANSYT create the collection of
all possible paths for you. The Auto Calculate option will continually re-calculate all possible
paths based on the Network connectivity. All paths between OD pairs are created. If a path
already exists its existing data will be used. The program will report how many paths have been
calculated.
With the Auto Calculate option switched off you can alternatively use the Calculate Paths
button which calculates all possible paths on a one-off basis and the Clear Paths button to
delete them all. Paths names automatically include the origin and destination e.g. Path A to
B.
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Grid can also be used to examine and filter data associated with OD Matrices, Locations and
Paths.
Validation of the specified Flow Allocation Tool data is carried out by TRANSYT, and any errors or
warnings will show up in the Task List. E.g. all specified entry links must exit; all specified exit
links must exist; paths must be valid; all specified links must exist; start and end Locations must
exist. Invalid paths are ignored by the Flow Allocation Tool.
11.3.2
The Flow Allocation Tool is simple to use, but may appear complex the first time you use it. To
help you familiarise yourself with it, below is a typical order of actions required to make use of
the flow Allocation Tool:
Creating the model:
1) Create link and Node link diagram (e.g. using NetCon) in the usual way, if it does not
already exist
2) Add an ODMatrix by dragging it from NetCons vertical toolbar
3) Add locations (also by dragging from the toolbar) one for each flow entry/exit pair.
Typically this would be one for each approach to a roundabout. Each location acts as
both an origin AND a destination, e.g. traffic entering on Arm A of a roundabout and
exiting on Arm A use the same Location. (see screen shot)
4) Add exit links if the network does not already have them. Exit links can be simply
bottlenecks link types as they are not being used to model any restriction to traffic.
Note, there is also no need to create bottleneck nodes at the ends of these links.
5) Connect each Location to the links it is feeding. In that order
6) Connect each exit link to its destination Location. In that order
Assigning the flows:
7) Double-click on the ODMatrix and add your origin-destination flows i.e. specify the
entry flows
8) Disable any unwanted paths. N.B. With the Auto-calculate button on, all possible paths
from each location to each other location, including u-turns (if possible with the given link
connections) and also possibly inappropriate wrap-around paths (if the network is
complex) will be automatically created. Hence the possible need to disable some paths.
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9) Set the required Allocation Types of each path (see section 11.3.3). Leaving a path as
Normal will leave the Flow Allocation Tool to split the available entry flow evenly
between the available paths for that particular origin and destination
10) Check the resultant flows (these are the flows are will be applied to the Source and Total
Flow data of the relevant links)
At the end of this process you should now have a structure that will allow you to change the
entry flows in the ODMatrix and see these automatically assigned to the relevant links. An
example of the use of the Flow Allocation Tool on a signalised roundabout can be seen in section
21.4.
11.3.3
Specifying OD Flows
Flows are specified by filling in the Entry Flows matrix. Totals from and to each Location are
automatically calculated for you. Once the flows have been entered, there are options that allow
flows to be allocated to links. A slider is provided to shrink and enlarge the matrix in order to
allow the matrix to cater for the smallest and largest numbers of origins and destinations.
When multiple paths (from one Location to another) exist, the user must specify how the
Flow Allocation Tool is to split the flow.
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The splitting of flows between multiple paths is based on the user-selected Allocation
Type. The Allocation Types are as follows:
o
Disabled: This path is disabled, which prevents any flows being allocated to it, i.e.
its flows will be set to zero. N.B. this does not necessarily mean no flows are
assigned to the links on that path, as other paths might assign flows (i.e. resultant
flows) to these links.
With the Auto Calculate option switched off the Reset Flows button can be used to sets all flows
to zero. The Allocate Flows applies the flows to links. The allocation of flows to links involves
adding the path flow to each link the path passes through. Connector flows (i.e. source flows)
are updated in the same way.
N.B. Entry links which have other paths passing through them have their Uniform flow value set
to the entry flow and the Uniform flow Source Name set to the OD Name to make it clear what
has been done.
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The top number is the sum of flows on paths between the ODs. The numbers in brackets
represent any discrepancy (resultant entry) between the entry flows and the resultant flows
(i.e. those actually applied to links). Discrepancies between assigned flows and Entry Flows can
arise for a number of reasons, e.g. if the only path between an OD pair is disabled, resulting in
the OD flows having nowhere to be assigned to.
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An example of the use of the Flow Allocation Tool on a signalised roundabout can be seen in
section 21.4.
11.3.4
The OD Matrix and Path information can be re-used by TRANSYT to calculate point-to-point
journey times. Selecting the Use For Point to Point Table OD Matrix option will result in an
additional Journey Time table appearing in the Report.
When the auto-calculate option is used, the OD Journey Times calculated will be the flowweighted average of all path journey times between each pair of origins and destinations. A
path journey time is the sum of the link journey time for links on the path.
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If auto-calculate is NOT enabled, the OD Journey Time calculated is simply an average of each of
the possible journey times between each pair of origin and destination, i.e. not flow weighted. A
warning is printed with the table in this case. This limitation is simply because, with autocalculate switched off, TRANSYT does not have enough information to determine the specific
path of traffic along each possible route. Of course, if there is, however, only one route possible
between each origin and destination the result will be the same as the weighted average
described above.
11.3.5
Additional features
The only output associated with Paths is the optional point-to-point journey time tables. If you
wish to examine particular paths in more details the option Tools>Routes>Convert Path to Route
can be used to convert the currently selected Path into a TRANSYT Route. This then gives
access to the route-based results in the Report.
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12.1.1
Historically, TRANSYT users have entered signals data by entering stage minima and stage
preceding interstages, and then setting each links starting/ending stage, together with start and
end lags on each link. The TRANSYT optimiser considers one stage to start as soon as the
previous stage ends, with the preceding interstage being entered as a property of the stage
itself.
The above approach matches well with the internal data required by the TRANSYT signals
optimiser, and does provide a flexible means of data entry (making it easy to set up, for
example, special cases), but it is often difficult for users (particularly novice ones) to get right.
The data required is not in a form that a traffic engineer or planner will generally have to hand.
In TRANSYT 13, for the first time, signals data can be set up using a more standard
system of direct stage and link timings, and this can be viewed and edited graphically.
In order to provide full compatibility with TRANSYT 12 files, and in recognition of the fact that
some users will prefer to continue using the old system, signals data can also be viewed and
input using the terminology used in TRANSYT 12 and previous versions.
Therefore there are two signals representation modes: TRANSYT 12 Mode and TRANSYT 13
Mode. You can switch between these modes at any time via the main Tools>Signals menu.
Switching mode will automatically convert any existing data, but please be aware that doing so
can sometimes result in data loss of a different representation of data.
The signals
representation mode applies to the entire file.
The signals representation modes are often referred to simply as TRANSYT 12 Mode and
TRANSYT 13 Mode.
Data parameters that use TRANSYT 12 definitions are prefixed with TRANSYT e.g. TRANSYT
Stage Start. Data parameters that use new definitions have no prefix e.g. Stage Start.
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The screenshot below shows the Link Timings Diagram for a file in TRANSYT 12 mode. Stages
are shown in grey, the diagram is read-only (values are input numerically, as in TRANSYT 12)
and each link can have a start-lag and end-lag applied.
The screenshot below shows a file in TRANSYT 13 mode. Stages are shown in blue and
interstage periods are shown as blank areas. There are no start-lags or end-lags but link greens
can extend beyond stage starts/ends via link-losing or gaining delays. Optionally, you may enter
link intergreens, which are shown with the green diagonal lines. The diagram in TRANSYT 13
mode must be edited using the mouse, and data can NOT be entered numerically. Note that in
this example, one of the stages has been lost and, instead, links 13 and 14 have link-losing
delays, as is consistent with standard stage definitions. (You should use a dummy link if you
wish to explicitly separate stages even if no new link green begins.)
12.1.2
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In TRANSYT 13, actual greens and effective greens are explicitly shown as separate values,
wherever possible. (In TRANSYT 12, lags could be used to represent both actual timing lags,
and positive/negative bonus greens, and could therefore be ambiguous.) In TRANSYT 13 stages
and link timings are always viewed and manipulated using actual timings. Optionally, you may
overlay the effective timings, which are shown in the Link Timings diagram as lighter coloured
bars above each actual green block. In the screenshot below, each links effective green starts
and ends a few seconds after its actual green.
12.1.3
In TRANSYT 13, global values for start and end displacements are set up using the Data Outline
in Network Options>Signal Options. These affect every signalised link in the network. In
addition, each links green period can have its own Relative Start/End Displacement entered,
which will be added to the global values.
12.1.4
In TRANSYT 12 mode, each stage has a number (or index), which is shown in brackets. These
must always be consecutive, but it is arbitrary which stage comes closest to the start of the
cycle.
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In TRANSYT 13 mode, the stage indices are still shown, but be aware that these are arbitrary,
and are likely to be recalculated every time the file runs. They are also reset automatically
every time you edit a stage sequence and at various other points.
You can also assign an optional stage display ID to each stage, which are shown
in red. In the example below the user has named the first three stages A, B and
C, and these names will be preserved as far as possible whenever the file runs.
The fourth stage has automatically been named B by the program, since it is
Stage B (i.e. the same links run as in the second stage). Edit stage properties by
double clicking on each stage.
In some cases the program will automatically name stages using the same numbers as the stage
indices (the number shown in brackets), but when you change stage definitions, you will often
see question marks for the display IDs, as in the screenshot below. You can either set the
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display ID for each stage to a meaningful number/letter, or alternatively you may find it easier
not to show display IDs at all; you can do this by using the User Preferences screen and turning
off Show Display IDs for Stages.
12.1.5
If a node is double-cycled then each stage is repeated twice during each cycle. (In TRANSYT 13,
nodes can also be triple or quadruple cycled.) When viewing diagrams and data in TRANSYT 13,
a distinction is made between the original stages, and the repeat stages. The original stages
are referred to as base stages, and can be edited and deleted etc. When the file is run,
TRANSYT will add non-base stages, which cannot be edited. Non-base stages are drawn in
fainter colours, as shown below.
The screenshot below also shows that, at this double cycled node, there are four stages: 2 base
stages plus 2 non-base stages. The stage indices are 1,2,3,4 but there are only two real stages,
Stage 1 and Stage 2.
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12.1.6
In both TRANSYT 12 and TRANSYT 13 signal representation modes, you may either run the
signal timings exactly as you enter them, or you can enter an initial set of timings and then
optimise them.
To run timings exactly as you enter them (evaluation mode), use the Main Common Data screen
(or use the Data Outline and browse to Network Options>Signal Options) and set Optimisation
Level = None and turn off Use EQUISAT.
To optimise timings, set Optimisation Level to an option other than None. If you turn on
EQUISAT then TRANSYT will also calculate an initial set of timings which it will then subsequently
optimise, as opposed to only optimising the current set of timings. By using EQUISAT, you can
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leave all stage starts and durations at arbitrary (or zero) value, and only need to specify which
links run in which stages and the stage order.
TRANSYT does not attempt to calculate the actual stage order or which links should run in each
stage. OSCADY PRO, available from TRL, is designed to provide this information for any
signalised junction.
12.1.7
Dummy links
You should use a dummy link if you need to explicitly define a stage even if no new link green
periods start at that point.
In the example below, link 12 has a large link-losing delay. TRANSYT will not optimise the
delay: if you need to, you should add a dummy link and define a new stage as in the second
screenshot.
If you prefix the link ID with a D, the Link Timings screen will show the link in a special colour,
but there are no other specific modelling differences. Therefore, you should prevent the dummy
link from affecting the signals optimiser by setting the Link Data option Exclude from Results
Calculation (Outline: Links/Link n/Modelling).
12.1.8
Common errors
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For such links, check that the relevant stage has a minimum green defined, and that this
minimum green is not so short that the stage could run for less time than the links start lag.
(This would mean that the link could start after the stage finishes.)
12.2.1
TRANSYT 12 Mode
Using TRANSYT 12 definitions, Stage 1 starts at 0s, and Stage 2 starts at 50s
Stage 1 has a preceding interstage of 20s; stage 2 has a preceding interstage of 10s
(shown by the diagonal shading at the start of each stage).
The standard definition of a stage is that it starts when the last phase/link to receive
green starts, and ends when the first phase/link to lose green ends. Hence in the
example, using these definitions, stage 1 would run from 20-50s, as indicated by the
solid grey area.
12.2.2
If the signals timings above are converted to TRANSYT 13 mode then the diagram will appear as
below:
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Stages in TRANSYT 13 mode are shown using blue blocks. Stage 1 runs from 20-50s;
Stage 2 runs from 60-0s.
Link 25 starts 10s before Stage 1 starts. To allow this to work without relying on link
intergreens, this is expressed in TRANSYT 12 as a gaining advance, but is saved in the
same part of the file as link-losing and link-gaining delays.
When the stages are optimised by running the file, then in this example, TRANSYT 13 would
close up the gaps between the stages, as in the below:
12.2.3
Optionally, when working in TRANSYT 13 Mode, you can specify link intergreens using the
Intergreen Matrix screen.
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When the file is run now, the link intergreens will act as constraints on the optimiser, so the final
timings look like the below (same as before but rotated).
If link 25 is now adjusted to start at 30s, it is shown with a link-gaining delay (the dotted line).
12.2.4
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If the node in this example is specified as being double cycled (via the Data Outline;
Node>Signals Setup), and the file run using full optimisation, then the timings below result. The
link intergreens are highlighted in red to show that something has gone wrong; in this case,
EQUISAT has not been turned on, and so the optimiser attempted to double cycle the original
timings, which was not possible. You must either start with timings that can be doubled-up, or,
turn on EQUISAT, which will re-calculate all initial stage timings. Turn on EQUISAT via Network
Options>Signals Options, or the Main Data screen.
The diagram below shows the same node after turning on EQUISAT and re-running the file. In
order to keep the same intergreens and other constraints, the stages are now much shorter.
There are four stages: stage 1 and 2 repeated twice.
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12.2.5
In TRANSYT 12 mode, only a small number of parameters can be entered for each stage. The
Data Editor greys others out and shows [TRANSYT12Mode] to indicate that they are
inapplicable in this mode.
Stage 2, as shown in the Data Editor, has a TRANSYT Stage Start of 50s. I.e., using
TRANSYT 12 definitions, stage 2 starts at 50s, even if no links actually receive green until
later.
Stage 2 has a User Stage Minimum of 7s. This is entered by the user and represents
the minimum length of the stage when links are running, i.e., uses standard stage
definitions. E.g. if link 24 has a minimum green of 7s then Stage 2 would generally have
a stage minimum of at least 7s. It is a user stage minimum as opposed to an autocalculated value, which is only applicable to TRANSYT 13 mode. It is directly equivalent
to the Stage Minimum entered in TRANSYT 12. You must calculate this value yourself.
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Stage 2 has a TRANSYT Stage Minimum of 17s. This is calculated automatically and is
always equal to User Stage Minimum + TRANSYT Minimum Preceding Interstage i.e.
10+7 = 17s. This number represents the minimum length of the stage + interstage and
is the main constraint used by the signals optimiser.
You can use the Nodes Data screen to conveniently view, edit, add and delete stages at a node:
12.2.6
Parameters are entered for each green period of each link but some are disabled and calculated
automatically.
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Link 23 has only one green period which runs from 20-55s, but these numbers are greyed
out and cannot be entered directly.
Link 23 is specified as starting in Stage 1 and running until the start of Stage 2.
TRANSYT 12 mode, you must change these numbers to change the stage sequence.
Link 23 has a start lag of 20s, so it does not start until 20s after the start of its starting
stage.
Link 23 has an end lag of 5s, so it does not end until 5s after the start of its ending stage.
Link 23 also has a TRANSYT Minimum Start Lag of 20s: in TRANSYT 12 mode, this is
always the same as the actual start lag and can be ignored.
12.2.7
In
In TRANSYT 13 mode, most stage parameters are calculated automatically, but you can adjust
the timings of the stage by dragging the edges or the centre of the blue blocks in the Link
Timings screen. (Turn on the options in the Behaviour menu to allow the most flexible
dragging.)
To change the offset, without changing the existing green timings, you can drag
any blank area that is between any of the stages.
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Links In This Stage is filled in automatically and shows that only Link 24 runs in Stage
2.
TRANSYT 13 has calculated that the Stage Minimum for Stage 2 is 7s, in this case
because Link 24 has a minimum green of 7s (entered via Link>Link Signal Data). In
some cases this calculation is more complex e.g. Stage 1 could be shorter, because link
23 and 25 could satisfy their minimum green outside Stage 1. You can enter your own
stage minimum via the User Stage Minimum box. If this is smaller than the calculated
value, it will be ignored; if it is larger than the calculated value, then it will be used in
preference. The Stage Minimum box always shows the value that TRANSYT will actually
use.
If a link runs in consecutive stages, then TRANSYT 13 may be unable to calculate a stage
minimum, and will use a zero for this value, in which case you should enter a user value.
TRANSYT 13 has also calculated that the current actual preceding interstage for Stage 2
is 20s, because the user has dragged the start of stage 2 (and/or link 24) to start later
than it could do.
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When the example above is run (assuming the signals optimiser is switched on), stage 2 will be
adjusted to start as soon as it can after stage 1.
The TRANSYT Minimum Preceding Interstage values in the example below are automatically
calculated to take into account the start/end times of links 23 and 25. Stage 2 is constrained so
that it cannot start before link 23 ends (otherwise, the stage definitions would change). Stage 1
is similarly constrained by the gaining advance on link 25. (It is easier to understand these by
dragging stages in the Link Timings diagram and seeing the numbers change.)
TRANSYT will not optimise the link-losing delay on link 23, or the gaining advance on link 25. If
you want to optimise these, you must express them as separate stages, if necessary by using
dummy links.
12.2.8
In TRANSYT 13 mode, most link green period parameters are calculated automatically, but you
can adjust the timings of the green periods by dragging the edges or the centre of the green
blocks in the Link Timings screen. (Turn on the options in the Behaviour menu to allow the most
flexible dragging.)
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Link 24 has only one green period in this example. It runs from 80-12s, but could start
earlier (the only constraint being the intergreen from link 23)
The TRANSYT Starting/Ending Stage are calculated automatically and filled in for
reference. You may choose to ignore these values.
Link 24s TRANSYT Start Lag is computed as 17s. You may choose to ignore this value;
it is only used if running in evaluation mode.
Link 24s TRANSYT Minimum Start Lag is computed as 10s. This means that Link 24
could start as soon as 10s after the previous stage ends (given link-losing delays and
intergreens etc). Normally, after optimising timings, the minimum start lag and the
actual start lag will be the same.
12.2.9
In TRANSYT 13 mode, you can edit stage definitions using the mouse and the Link Timings
screen. When the file runs, or when you use certain options in the Link Timings screen, stages
may automatically be simplified or re-defined. Generally this will occur if you specify, e.g., a
link as running in two consecutive stages but, according to standard stage definitions, this would
not be possible unless the link runs in the interstage period as well. This in turn can lead to a
different set of stage.
For example consider the starting set of timings shown below:
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The user then adds another green period for link 12:
You can run these timings, and you can continue to drag the two green periods of link 12 with
the mouse, but, if you drag the new stage with the mouse then when you release the mouse
button, TRANSYT will re-calculate the corresponding link timings and will simplify the timings to
something like the below.
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12.3.1
Appearance>show effective greens: this shows the effective greens as a lighter green above the
actual green. It is on by default.
Appearance>show losing/gaining delays: this shows the phase losing and phase gaining delays:
the losing delays are indicated by the darker green band that will appear after the end of a
stage; the phase gaining delay shows up as a dashed line before the beginning of a stage. This
option is on by default.
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Appearance>show all link intergreens: the intergreens that are relevant to a particular stage
change are always shown. This option shows all the other intergreens that have been specified in
the intergreen matrix. Default is off
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Appearance>show zero link intergreens: intergreens that are of zero length (i.e. define a conflict
only) are shown optionally when this option is selected. Default is off.
Behaviour>check link intergreens: when moving stage or link start and ends, this option
prevents the intergreens specified in the matrix from being less than that when moving stages
or link greens around. Default is on.
Behaviour>check link/stage minima: when moving stage or link start and ends, this option
prevents the stage and/or link minimums from being less than specified when moving stages or
link greens around. Default is on.
Behaviour>Allow re-definition of stages and green periods: When dragging the stages
and link greens, this option allows them to be moved such that links can be moved to different
stages, the stage order can be changed etc. Generally only has the desired effect if the above
two options are de-selected. Default is off
Behaviour>allow dragging and editing of stages: allows stages and link greens to be
moved but not beyond the next or previous stage. Useful for adjusting the interstage design.
Default is off.
Behaviour>allow offset dragging (drag in blank area): allows the node offset to be changed
(without changing the existing green times) by dragging the blank area between stages. Default
is off.
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After:
Tools>calculate link intergreens from link timings>conflicts and timings: Once the interstage
design has been completed on the Signals form, selecting this option will update the intergreen
matrix both with phases that conflict (or at least appear to conflict from what has been entered
in the Signals form) and the times as deduced from the form. It is a one-shot option and would
need to be selected again if the intergreen matrix needed re-calculating after a change. Below is
the same matrix as immediately above, but including values:
Tools>calculate start displacements: this option is not relevant or available in TRANSYT 13 mode
Tools>remove all non-base stages: when TRANSYT 13 runs, stages may be added if a node is to
be double-cycled or double-greened. These stages are copies of the original stages (known as
base stages). This option will remove these copies.
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Tools>convert all stages to base stages: when TRANSYT 13 runs, stages may be added if a node
is to be double-cycled or double-greened. These stages are copies of the original stages (known
as base stages). This option converts these copies into base stages.
Tools>redistribute all stages: This option reduces the stages to arbitrary stage lengths with
arbitrary intergreens.
Tools>reset and create new stages: firstly this option will request that the user enters the
number of stages required. Then it will remove all the current staging and allocate link greens to
the specified number of stages arbitrarily.
Tools>reset green periods: this option will set up each link in its own stage, with zero
intergreens and all stages being the same length.
12.3.2
In TRANSYT 13.0.3 onwards, a 'Free Mode' button is provided: when this is turned on, no
checking is performed and any stage or green period can be dragged with the mouse (even if
this breaks intergreens or other constraints). When turned off, you cannot drag an item if the
change would lead to a constraint being broken.
If Behaviour>Allow re-definition is turned on (or Free Mode is turned on), you can drag
green periods and stages through other stages and can make new stages or change
stage order.
You must turn on Behaviour>Allow Dragging/Editing Of Stages (or turn on Free Mode) to
move stages with the mouse. Dragging stages may result in simplification/re-definition
of stages as you move them.
Use the options in the Tools menu to reset stages/green periods, or to create a specific
number of stages.
Right-click on a stage to show a context menu to add a new stage, remove the stage,
change the links on green during the stage, or to trim the stage. (Trimming a stage
removes any link delays so that all links run exactly from the stage start to the stage
end.)
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Right-click on a green period to show a context menu that allows you to add a new green
period, remove the current one, merge the current green period with the next one, or to
redistribute green periods for that particular link.
Remember that if you make a mistake, just use the Undo/Redo buttons.
12.3.3
The various options listed above are available so that the user can manipulate the link green,
intergreen and stage data as s/he feels fit. However, to make life easier when setting up
standard junctions in a standard way, the following guide is suggested. There are two
recommended ways to set up a junction from scratch using the TRANSYT 13 mode.
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12.3.4
When there are two nodes closely spaced that have internal stop lines, it may be that they would
be controlled by a single controller stream. Below is an example showing just such a case the
green cones illustrate the fact that links 12, 14 and 16 are controlled by node 1, despite being
attached to node 2.
To set the links attached to node 2 to be controlled by the signals at node 1, select each link that
is to have a separate signals node (e.g. link 14) in turn, tick the relevant box and set the node
number that is to control the link. See diagram below.
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Once this has been done, setting the link greens, intergreens, stages etc can be achieved most
easily using the first of the two methods described above.
12.3.5
The intergreen matrix screen is not available in TRANSYT 12 mode. The Link Timings screen and
Stage Sequence screens are mostly illustrative in TRANSYT 12 mode. However, it is possible to
allocate link greens to stages using the following method:
Add a node and add the links for that node, connecting them as necessary. Then open the Link
Timings screen. At this point there will be two stages with links arbitrarily assigned to those
stages as shown below.
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Use the option Tools>Reset and create new stages and specify the number of stages required at
the node. The number of stages specified will appear, and the links arbitrarily assigned to those
stages.
To assign the links to the stages required, open the Stage Sequence screen. Double-click on the
links to assign them to the correct stage. Since it is not possible to have a link without any green
periods, it will be necessary to assign the link to the correct stage before removing it from the
incorrect one.
12.3.6
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There are various options in the Clipboard menu to copy the current set of timings to the
clipboard, from where you can paste it into a spreadsheet etc, and to paste in timings.
In particular, if you have a specific set of link timings and wish to enter them directly into
TRANSYT 13, then an easy way is to enter them in e.g. Microsoft Excel, and then use the
Clipboard>Paste Link Timings option. TRANSYT 13 will calculate the corresponding stage
timings.
For example, the timings above give the below when the clipboard option is used:
Phase
11
12
13
14
Start1
56
12
12
56
End1
77
51
30
77
Start2 End2
Start3 End3
Start4 End4
If the timings are adjusted using Excel to the below, and the Clipboard>Paste option used, the
Link Timings screen will appear as shown below. NB do not mix up the link orders.
Phase
11
12
13
14
Start1
0
10
20
30
End1
10
30
50
40
Start2 End2
Start3 End3
Start4 End4
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Use Clipboard>Paste Link Timings (OSCADY PRO Format) if you have used OSCADY PRO to
optimise signal timings and wish to use those timings in TRANSYT 13. This will work even if you
have not set up the stages yet; paste in the link timings and TRANSYT 13 will calculate the
corresponding stages.
Edit the matrix by double clicking in a cell to toggle a conflict on or off, by typing a number in
each cell, or by pressing the Delete key to remove a conflict.
Link intergreens can be visualised in the Link Timings screen:
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You can also use the Link Timings screen to generate a set of link intergreens, based on the
current link timings. For example if you set up the Link Timings screen to show stage/link
timings as in the screenshot below and then select Tools>Calculate Link Intergreens>Conflicts
and values, the intergreens shown further below will be obtained. Use the Conflicts only suboption to populate the matrix with 0s conflicts. These options may be useful if importing an old
file and wishing to quickly populate a set of link intergreens assuming, of course, that the
stages represent groups of mutually exclusive links/phases.
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The Intergreen Matrix can be copied to, or pasted from, the clipboard This is useful when you
wish to create a new matrix somewhere within your network similar to an existing one or for
copying into OSCADY PRO for detailed individual junction analysis.
The diagram shows each stage for the signalised node and the links on green for each stage.
Links that are unsignalised and links leaving the node are shown in grey. Minor shared link (by
default) are also shown in grey, but can be set to Same as Major using Options/Minor Links
menu.
Double click on a link to toggle it on/off for each stage. We recommend using the Edit In
Window mode, as otherwise, each time you change a link, the stage definitions may change,
which can be confusing if the number of stages change. When using the Edit In Window mode,
changes are not committed until you press the Done/OK button.
Use the Options menu to control the appearance of the diagram.
TRANSYT 13 User Guide (Issue G)
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Using the Tools menu, you can set all links to be either red or green. These options are only
available if working in the Edit In Window mode.
We recommend using this screen in conjunction with the Link Timings screen.
Note that only base stages are shown; non-base stages are considered to be copies of base
stages and so are not shown.
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Intergreen A to B = 6 seconds
Phase A
Relative phase
gaining delay = 2 s
Phase B
Phase losing
delay = 3 s
End of Stage 1
Start of Stage 2
Stage 1 to 2 = 10 seconds
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Basic results for each link, such as each links Performance Index
Basic results for the whole network, such as the whole network Performance Index, which
are calculated by summing and/or averaging individual link results
Basic results for parts of the network, such as routes, or bus links. You can see such
results by generating reports or by setting up Data Grids to show such subsets.
All of the above for each time segment, and additionally for a summary time segment.
(This is only applicable if there is more than one time segment defined.) All of the above
are visible in the Data Editor and in Data Grids.
Detailed results from the PDM traffic model, used to show CFP/Queue graphs and queue
animation in NetCon.
Detailed results from the CTM traffic model, used to show CTM graphs and CTM cell
occupancy animation in NetCon.
Basic results are saved in the file when you save it. Detailed results can also be saved if you
choose the File>Save With Full Run Data option.
Whether PDM or CTM detailed results are available depends on which options you choose in
Network Options>Traffic Options.
If you are displaying results, including graphs and animations, remember that these represent
results from the last successful run of TRANSYT. If you subsequently change, say, the cycle
time, but dont re-run TRANSYT, then the results may be inconsistent with the current data file.
Remember also that results are available for only one Analysis Set at a time.
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Note that only one set of results is stored at any one time, for one Analysis Set.
The Summary Result screen shows the name of the Analysis Set that was used for
the last run (Analysis Set Used); if you select a different Analysis Set, the name
will be highlighted in yellow to indicate that the results are from a different
Analysis Set. To see results for the new Analysis Set, you must press the
Run button.
The Last run item shows the date and time of the last time the file was run. If you have
changed any data item since the last run, then this will be highlighted in yellow to indicate that
the results are potentially out of date, as in the example below. This will also be the case if you
load in a file that you have run previously. If in doubt, run the file again.
The Run Data Present items indicate whether PDM and/or CTM detailed results data (for
graphs and animations) are available. When you run a file, PDM data will always be present, but
CTM data will only be present if you have turned on CTM data. PDM data is used for the
animation of uniform queues and for CFP graphs etc; CTM data is used for CTM cell occupancy
graphs and animations. If loading in a file that was run previously, PDM and CTM data will only
be present if the file was saved using the File>Save With Full Run Data option. Otherwise, you
will need to re-run the file to re-generate the data.
NB the Run Data Present status is only for the extra, detailed results data for graphs and
animations; general results such as Performance Index is always available (assuming you have
run the file at least once).
The other items shown in the screen are mostly a repeat of data that can be viewed in the Data
Editor in the Network Results section.
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When looking at results, some items may appear as N/A. This is usually because you
are looking at results for the whole network or for the summary time segment and the
particular data item is inapplicable e.g. there is a mean max queue (MMQ) for each link,
but not for the entire network; there is a calculated saturation flow for each link for each
time segment, but not for the summary time segment. You can check this by showing
the Help>Glossary screen.
3. Data Grids (see below) can also be used to display results, either as they are, or in a
customised format (see section 18.1.9 for how to use data grids to show results.)
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See NetCon (Chapter 9) for details of the items that can be animated.
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13.4 Graphs
After running a file, you can view various graphs for each node. These are all accessible via the
Graphs button on the main vertical toolbar, or via View>Graphs.
You can display any number of graphs; each graph will update to show data for the current link
unless you use its padlock (see section 6.8). Each graph can be stretched to whatever size is
required.
Signal states shown in the graphs can either show actual or effective greens; change your
preference via the Graphs button menu or via the User Preferences screen.
PDM and/or CTM graphs may or may not be available, depending on run options used and
whether you have yet run the file; use the Summary Results screen to confirm which data is
available.
All graphs can be copied to the clipboard (via right-clicking) and you can also include PDM CFP
graphs in reports by adding entries to the Options>Reporting>CFP Graphs section of the Data
Outline. As with TRANSYT 12, these are arranged in 2x2 blocks when you generate a report.
Please see elsewhere in this manual for background discussions of the various graph types.
They are listed below, with an example shown for each.
Note that you do not have to 'run' each graph separately. After running the file once, all
graphs for all links are available; simply select the graph type via the Graph button on the main
vertical toolbar, and then select the link of interest, via the Data Outline or NetCon. You can
show several graphs at once, and each graph will update to show data for the current link,
unless you lock it.
In order to display CTM graphs, you must have run the CTM traffic model either by using it
as the main optimiser model, or, by turning on the Generate CTM Cell Data option in the Main
Data screen (or via the Data Outline and Network Options>Traffic Options).
With PDM graphs, the green times are displaced forward by the cruise time between the
upstream node and the node being viewed. Therefore, the arrivals from the upstream links
should more or less correspond with a vertical line dropped to the link on view. These
displacement times are shown in brackets. With CTM graphs, there is no displacement, since the
'green waves' can be seen directly.
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13.4.1
The Cyclic Flow graph plots the variation over a complete cycle of the rate at which traffic arrives
at the stop line (the IN-profile) and leaves the stop line (the OUT-profile). An example of a CFP
graph is shown. Further explanation of the IN, OUT and GO profiles can be found in section
17.1.2
Each graph represents, for one link, the variation during one signal cycle (horizontal axis) of:
a) The flow up to the stop line (red and green bars)- the IN-profile
b) The flow leaving the stop line (green and blue)- the OUT-profile
The two flow profiles are overlaid so that the flow distortion caused by the red/green periods of
the signal can be observed easily. Vehicular flows, shown in red, are stopped by the red light and
leave at a later time at saturation rate as shown in blue.
The Cyclic Flow Profile graphs primary role is to help with validation and calibration of the
TRANSYT model. It is unlikely that all data specified is correct first time and even if no coding
errors are made, the model may be based on inaccurate assumptions about traffic behaviour.
Comparisons can be made between on-street arriving and leaving traffic patterns and those
presented by the CFP graphs.
CFP graphs are also useful in understanding the interaction
between different traffic streams.
Furthermore, CFP graphs give a quick visual indication of how well co-ordinated the signals are for
each link. This too can be compared to the on-street situation to ensure that the model is as
accurate a representation of the real-life situation as possible. The greater the delay imposed by
the signals, the greater will be the difference between the IN-profile (red and green) and the
OUT-profile (green and blue). The more green and the less red, the less delay is being caused to
traffic on the link.
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The vertical axis of each graph shows the traffic flow per hour.
The horizontal axis of each graph is adjusted to the number of steps in one cycle. This axis
comprises red and green boxes for the red and green times at the link exit respectively.
The CFP graphs have a number of other features as follows:
1. The time-axis can be rotated in order to align different graphs to the same time at the
origin (such as the networks arbitrary zero) to allows graphs of related links to be more
easily compared.
2. The link length in metres is also given on the left-hand side of the queue graph - Useful
as it influences the total dispersion effect along the link.
3. There are two Performance Indices shown on the left-hand side of the queue graph - one
for the chosen link; the other for the whole network.
4. The Mean Modulus of Error (MME) is shown on each graph. This refers only to the arrival
flow at the stop line and is a measure of how far the profile of the arrival flow deviates from
the mean value.
The MME is expressed as a number in the range 0.0 to 2.0. A uniform flow for example has
a MME of 0.0, while a high MME would indicate a link on which the flow was strongly
bunched or platooned and which would therefore benefit particularly from efficient coordination of signals. The MME is similarly useful for selecting links on which co-ordination
of signals is not very significant (low MME) and which would therefore be suitable for the
location of sub-area boundaries if it should be necessary to break a region into smaller
sub-areas.
A general rule-of-thumb is that for a MME of less than 0.3 the link may not be worth
considering for coordination.
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13.4.2
The plot of the queue usually takes the form of a forward-skewed triangle (two if there are two
green periods). This is as a result of traffic behaviour on the commencement of green. At the
start of green the vehicles at the front of the queue move off from the stop line. Those at the
end remain stationary until the vehicles in front have moved.
The queue graph plots represent only the uniform component of any queue. The MMQ (mean
maximum queue) values shown in the final prediction table of the PRT file includes additional
queueing due to random effects (i.e. cycle to cycle variations) plus oversaturated conditions.
Green Capacity is the maximum number of PCUs that can be dissipated during the next green.
It is the product of saturation flow and effective green time. When queues exceed this value,
oversaturation is indicated.
UMMQ is the uniform component of mean maximum queue, taken over the whole TRANSYT run
for that link.
At some junctions, queueing may occur during the green period.
along the link is greater than the saturation flow.
Queueing in the green may also appear on either major or minor shared links. This happens
when a platoon on one shared link joins the back of a discharging queue on the other shared link.
The queue graph for a shared link does not include the queues for the other shared links in the
same group, i.e. for the purposes of the graphs displayed, the main and shared links are, in
effect, treated as separate links, even though they in fact share the same road space.
13.4.3
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The main purpose of the P.I. graphs is to indicate the likely change in P.I. following a change in
the offset between this node and the upstream node. The optimum offset value indicated by the
graph can be checked via a full TRANSYT run.
The Performance Index (PI) graph plots the P.I. for a link against the offset-difference. The link
P.I. value, which TRANSYT uses to calculate the network P.I., is shown to the left of the vertical
axis. The graph shows how the link P.I. would vary if the offset-difference was altered by an
amount varying between zero and the cycle time.
Since links on the edge of the network have no upstream nodes they cannot be offset from them.
For these links the P.I. remains constant. In all the other links the P.I. for a particular link will
vary depending on the offset-difference. The lower the P.I. the better the co-ordination.
13.4.4
With CTM graphs, the signal states of the upstream links, shown at the top, are shown at their
real times and NOT displaced by their cruise time as they are with the PDM graphs.
With CTM graphs, the vertical axis represents distance back from the stop line. (The stop line is
at the bottom of the graph.)
The CTM cell occupancy graph is essentially a type of time distance diagram, and clearly shows
green waves travelling from the upstreams (at the top of the diagram) to the stop line of the link
in question (at the bottom of the diagram). In the screenshot below, traffic from Link 112s first
green period reaches Link 14s stop line during green, and is undelayed. Traffic from Link 112s
second green period, however, reaches the stop line during red and the subsequent build-up of
queueing traffic can clearly be seen by the density of shading.
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13.4.5
The CTM Flow graph shows the relative flows at each point on the link at each point in the cycle.
Heavy shading shows traffic that is flowing freely; lighter or absent shading shows either an
absence of traffic, or, slowed or queued traffic.
13.4.6
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The CTM Queue graph is almost an inverse of the CTM flow graph: heavy shading shows where
traffic is stopped and queueing.
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Each time distance diagram consists of the diagram itself plus a number of additional items. The
diagram is made up of progression bands, stoplines which the chosen series of links pass
through, and the time and distance axis.
The progression bands are shown in a variety of ways depending on the chosen band type, (See
section 13.5.5)
Stoplines are shown as a thin horizontal bar showing either the actual or effective green time.
Up to two bars are shown at each stopline. The upper one (of a possible two) is always shown
and represents the green times affecting the traffic being shown. The other bar shows the
combined green times of all other links that are feeding into the displayed downstream link.
Unsignalled nodes are displayed with 100% green time. Multiple green periods are automatically
catered for.
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The vertical-axis shows the distance away from (downstream of) the stopline of the first link for
each subsequent stopline. The distance between the stoplines reflects the true distance between
them. A distance scale and vertical scrollbar allows a limited part of the total distance to be
selected. The vertical-axis is also labelled with the signal node number (in brackets) associated
with each stopline, and the downstream link, shown between the stoplines.
The horizontal axis shows by default, one complete cycle. Multiple cycles on this axis may be
selected if needed (see Figure 13-7).
13.5.2
After running a file, you can view a time distance diagram (TDD), which is accessible via the TDD
button on the main vertical toolbar, or via View>Time Distance Diagram.
Time distance diagrams can be displayed by simply selecting an existing TRANSYT path, route or
by multiple-link selection in NetCon. When making a multi-link selection, the links must be
selected in the order that you wish them to be displayed, and only after the second link
downstream of the first is selected will the diagram be displayed.
Upon loading, the TDD displays (by default) the flow from stopline to stopline for the currently
selected Route, Path or link selection. A blank TDD will result if none of these are selected.
Multiple link selections (via NetCon or the Data Outline) must contain at least two connected
links before a TDD will be drawn.
You can display any number of TDDs; each one will update to show data for the current selection
unless you use its padlock (see section 6.8). Each TDD can be stretched to whatever size is
required.
Note that you do not have to 'run' each TDD separately. After running the file once, any
valid set of link-to-link progressions are available to display; simply select click the TDD button
on the main vertical toolbar, and then select the links of interest, via the Data Outline or NetCon.
You can show several TDDs at once, and each one will update to show data for the current valid
selection, unless you lock it.
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13.5.3
A simple Measure of Effectiveness (MoE) value is calculated and displayed between each
stopline and is also averaged for the selected collection of links and shown below the diagram.
The MoE gives a rough indication of how well signals are co-ordinated by calculating what
proportion of the flow lines or the number of green-wave time steps that arrive on green. A
value of 100% indicates very good coordination and a value of 0% very poor. N.B. Dispersion is
not taken account of. The Mean Modulus of Error (MME) calculated by the CFP Graphs, although
not directly related, will affect the likelihood of obtaining a good MoE value. For example, a low
MME (such as for a near uniform cyclic flow profile) will reduce the likelihood of obtaining a good
MoE value, while high MME values, which indicate a highly platooned profile, are likely to provide
better opportunities to obtain good coordination.
13.5.4
Showing Dispersion
The effect of dispersion along many links is an important factor when considering progression.
Each set of signals produces a block of traffic that travels from one stopline to the next junction.
This green wave of traffic has a front and a back which is determined by the effective green
time, the cruise speed along the link and the level of dispersion.
The TDDs Show Dispersion option provides both the actual front of the green wave from stopline
to stopline and also an approximation of the back of the green wave. Therefore this feature is
particularly useful as it ensures that the full extend/breadth of the green wave is shown on the
diagram. As a result, any adjustments to, say, offsets, to improve coordination of a particular
route, can be made with good knowledge of when the majority of the traffic will be arriving at
the downstream signals.
13.5.5
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A TDD can show progression in five different ways (see figures) as follows:
Non-cumulative: Shows progression bands with a width stretching across
each of the effective green periods for the first link only (see Figure 13-1).
The progression band is drawn across all selected links AND is shown as being
unaffected by them. The dispersion option is available.
Non-cumulative reset: Separate progression bands for each stopline are
shown, i.e. the progression band is reset after each stopline. The dispersion
option is available.
Cumulative progression:
Same as Non-cumulative, except that the
progression band width is shown as being affected by the effective green
times of subsequent downstream green times.
Flow: Displays a series of parallel lines which represent where traffic exists
(greater than or equal to user-defined threshold), i.e. similar to the
Cumulative progression display but does not assume saturated conditions.
Each line that is drawn represents the level of traffic associated with a single
TRANSYT time step. The presence of traffic (i.e. presence of the lines is
based on the profile of traffic entering the link at its upstream end.
Flow reset: Same as for the Flow mode, but the progression band is reset
after each stopline. This mode, in some ways, gives the most traditional
looking time distance diagram and also is probably the most useful.
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13.5.6
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Other features
The time-axis can be rotated in order to align different TDDs or graphs to the same time
at the origin (such as the networks arbitrary zero) to allow them to be more easily
compared
The diagram reflects the timings associated with the currently selected Analysis Set and
Time Segment. In addition to the standard locking mechanism, the diagram can be
locked to the current time segment
Signal states can either show actual or effective greens; change your preference via the
Graphs button menu or via the User Preferences screen. A TDD can be copied to the
clipboard (via right-clicking)
Because Routes, by definition and multi-link selection via NetCon, do not necessarily
consist of contiguous links, progression of TRANSYT routes is limited to those links that
are linked to the first link
The Flow Threshold value allows the Flow Mode flow threshold to be set. Only flow
lines for time-segments with a flow greater than or equal to this threshold are drawn
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Generating Reports
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14 Generating Reports
Click this button on the main toolbar to generate a report.
After running a file in TRANSYT 13, you can choose to generate a report that summarises all
input data and results. The report is in the form of a HTML file that is automatically saved to
disk. (You can also generate reports before running the file, in which case the report will contain
only input data.)
To generate a report, click the Generate Report button on the main toolbar.
generated report will be displayed in the Report Viewer.
The newly
Generated reports are useful both a) as final reports summarising a TRANSYT file and b) a
convenient way to quickly view all data in a tabular format. Since they summarise link and
stage timings, you may prefer to use reports to view such data.
To generate a quick report, show the Report Viewer and then turn off all options other than the
TRANSYT 12 Style Tables option.
See chapter 14 for a detailed description of each of the
individual results.
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In TRANSYT 13, only one report can be viewed at a time. You can however use any web
browser to view any number of reports, whilst using TRANSYT 13, refreshing them as necessary.
If the report contains images and diagrams, these are saved as separate files, and if e-mailing or
moving the report you must include these extra files. To make this easier, an option to zip all
the files together is provided see below.
Reports are saved in the location specified on the main TRANSYT 13 Preferences Screen. This
can either be set to always be the same location as the data input file, or alternatively can be set
to a fixed location, such as My Reports for example. In either case, the filenames of the report
documents are always based on the filename of the input data file. The filename of the HTML
document shown in the Report Viewer is always shown at the top of the screen.
Use the orange contents at the top of the report to quickly jump to sections.
Generating Reports
14.2.1
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Whenever you change data in the TRANSYT file, or select a different current analysis or select a
different demand set, a red message will appear above the Refresh button (see below). As the
wording implies, this indicates that the report is out-of-date, i.e. it does not reflect the contents
of the current TRANSYT file.
Click this button to refresh the report. This does NOT re-run TRANSYT for
you.
Pressing the Refresh button does two things - it allows the report to reflect the current state of
the TRANSYT data AND allows the report to take account of any changes to the Report Options
(see Reporting Options).
The Refresh button does NOT re-run TRANSYT for you. Therefore, if the TRANSYT
data has changed and TRANSYT has not been re-run, the results in the file will be
out-of-date. These same out-of-date results will be reflected in the report, even
after a refresh of the report. To ensure that the report shows up-to-date results
you need to re-run TRANSYT before pressing the Refresh button.
In order to ensure you dont forget, a yellow warning message is printed at the
top of the report if the report is refreshed and the results in the data file are still
out-of-date.
14.2.2
Note: Use the Copy, Print and Print Preview buttons on the main TRANSYT 13 toolbar.
Use the Copy button to copy any selected to the clipboard, from where you can paste it into a
word processor or spreadsheet. (Experiment with the applications Paste Special command and
the Spreadsheet Export Mode option.) To copy the entire report, firstly select everything by
pressing CTRL+A (or use the right-click menu). Pasting the entire report may be quite slow if
the report is large, depending on the application you are pasting it into, and the formatting may
not exactly match the original formatting.
To print the report, use the Print Preview and Print buttons on the main TRANSYT 13 toolbar.
As long as you printing to standard A4 size paper in portrait orientation, no tables should be
broken across pages. If you wish to print on other size paper, or remove the page breaks, we
recommend pasting the report into a word processor and formatting from there.
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Open this reports containing folder: opens the Windows folder where the report is saved.
Open this report in your default web browser: launches your default web browser and loads
the report. You can then close the Report Viewer and continue working in TRANSYT 13,
switching to the last run report in your default web browser as necessary.
Keep Inside Application Window: turn this OFF to have the Report Viewer disconnect from
the main TRANSYT 13 application window, so that you can position it freely, e.g. on a second
desktop monitor.
Compact this report into a zip file: if you have a registered copy of WinZip installed on your
PC (if not, see www.winzip.com to order or download), this option will create a zip file containing
the report HTML file and all associated image files. The zip file can then be saved or e-mailed,
etc, allowing you to transfer reports without having to worry about the image files. Many zip file
viewers allow the report to be viewed by simply opening the HTML file from within the zip file,
without having to extract the individual files.
Zip and e-mail this report: creates a zip file (as above), and, if you have Microsoft Outlook
installed, creates a new e-mail with the zip file included as an attachment. You will be asked if
you would also like to attach the input data file. This is a very convenient way to forward
reports to colleagues, together with the data file that was used to generate the report.
Note that the order of links and nodes in reports uses the sorting and grouping selected via the
Options>Sorting section of the Data Outline and you therefore control the ordering as an option
associated with the data file, NOT as a user preference.
Turn on TRANSYT 12 Tables to include a set of summary tables that resemble the main tables
shown in TRANSYT 12 .PRT files.
Generating Reports
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Turn on Signals and Output to include a set of tables that covers all output values in the file.
The Level of Service results are part of Output, but only appear if enabled via Regional Settings.
Other Advanced options are described below.
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TRANSYT 13 Outputs
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15 TRANSYT 13 Outputs
This chapter provides a description of the TRANSYT table-based output and a description of the
main output values provided within the TRANSYT results. Many of the items (particularly the
input data items) are self-explanatory and described elsewhere, so these items are not
mentioned in any detail here.
The results are split into the following basic sections (depending upon the report options
chosen):
Banner: Describing what version of TRANSYT produced the results
File Info: Data filename used; date and time the file was run
For each Analysis Set:
Contents: A hierarchical set of links to each section of the report
Summary: This section lists data errors, data warnings and data Information
statements. It also provides File Information such as the Run Title, file status
and units used. N.B. a Run Summary (similar to the on-screen Summary
Results) is also part of this section.
Network Diagram: A NetCon image of the complete network
When requesting Input (This is a collection of sub-sections which includes all of the
input data:
Analysis and Demand Sets: Lists analysis and demand sets specified within
the file.
Network Options: A collection of tables detailing the various input data
items which are common to the complete network, such as network cycle
time.
Routes: A list of the user-defined routes within the network
Node optimisation Order: Details the order in which nodes are optimised,
whether they are grouped, and whether or not the enhanced optimisation
option has been used.
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Nodes: Details node input data (N.B. does not include signal timings.)
Links: Details all input link input data
Flow Allocation Tool Tables: A list of any Flow OD matrices
When requesting Signals (This is a collection of tables under the sub-heading Signal
timings, which includes all of the signal timings data AND signal timing results):
Signal Setup
Stages
Link Signal Data
Link Green Periods
Optionally, Intergreen matrices
Optionally, Link Timings Diagrams and Stage Sequence Diagrams
When requesting TRANSYT 12 Tables: (This is a collection of tables resembling the
well-known traditional results tables provide by earlier versions of TRANSYT):
Stage Timings (TRANSYT 12 timings)
Link green times
Link Results
Network Totals
Network Totals (ROUTES)
Fuel consumption
When requesting Custom Grids (This is a collection of user-defined tables which have
been created using a Data Grid, and then selected by the user to appear in the report):
User-defined tables
When requesting Output (This is a collection of sub-sections which includes all of the
TRANSYT output data):
Link Results: link results summary, stops and delays, queues and blocking,
journey times etc.
Network Results: Same as the above, but results for all links combined,
within the network.
Cyclic Flow Profile Graphs (Optional): Full collection of user-specified CFP
graphs.
Point to Point Journey Time Tables (Optional): A point-to-point journey
time tables for each user-defined OD Matrix.
TRANSYT 13 Outputs
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Link number
Bus links are indicated by BL, tram links by TL and pedestrian links by PL
Major Link
Links having shared stop lines (see Shared Stop lines description) are identified by a reference to
the major link in this column. The major links are identified by their own bracketed link number
in this column.
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TRANSYT 13 Outputs
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Signalled LoS
This is the US Highway Capacity Manual (2000) signalled junction Level of Service (LoS) for a
signalled link. This result is only available if the LoS option under Options/Regional Settings has
been enabled.
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TRANSYT 13 Outputs
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For links other than those specified on the Maximum Queue Length and Penalty Data, TRANSYT
computes:
Maximum link storage (PCU) = link length (m) x saturation flow (PCU/h)
5.75
x 1850
This assumes that each PCU in a queue occupies 5.75m along a lane having a standard saturation
flow of 1850 PCU/hour of green. If the printed value of maximum queue exceeds the above link
capacity, the printout is marked with a + symbol in the mean maximum queue column to indicate
a possible problem which the user is advised to check if the timings are to be implemented in
practice.
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Traffic Node
This is the number of the signal-controlled intersection (node) at the link exit as specified in Link
Data/Traffic Node. This is the node which traffic from this link feeds through. No number is given
for links at unsignalled priority junctions.
TRANSYT 13 Outputs
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Signals Node
This is the number of the signal-controlled intersection (node), as specified in Link Data/Signals
Node. This is the node which controls the signals and contains the signal data. No number is
given for links at unsignalled priority junctions.
15.3.1
The following network-wide results are part of the Report Summary AND part of the Report
Output:
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15.3.2
15.3.3
TRANSYT 13 Outputs
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15.3.4
This result is only available if the LoS option under Options/Regional Settings has been enabled.
Signalled LoS
This is the US Highway Capacity Manual (2000) signalled junction Level of Service (LoS)
calculated for each node. The Node LoS is based on the flow-weighted average of the total
delay of all signalled links feeding into that particular Traffic Node.
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Page 209
Please note that this is a viewer screen and as such is read-only; you cant edit the file in
TRANSYT 12 format using this screen. If you wish to do so, we suggest copying the data from
this screen into a text editor (or just use the File>Export>To TRANSYT 12 main menu option),
making changes, and then importing it via File>Import>From TRANSYT 12.
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The bottom of the screen shows any warnings associated with the conversion process from
TRANSYT 13 to TRANSYT 12. Clearly any data that is new to TRANSYT 13 cannot be converted
into TRANSYT 12 and will usually be lost.
The order of links within CT31 (etc) is controlled by the current sorting options (set via
Options>Sorting in the Data Outline).
Usually, both the current network and the network being merged, will share link and node IDs
e.g., both will probably contain a Node 1. Since IDs must be unique, a prefix/suffix mechanism
is used to distinguish the items in the network being merged from the existing items. In the
screenshot, the letter N is entered as the prefix for both nodes and links. When the Merge
button is pressed, all links/nodes/routes from the new network will be prefixed with an N, as
long as this does not cause any other errors. You can of course rename items once the merge is
complete.
Use the 3x3 location grid to tell TRANSYT 13 where the merged network should be positioned
relative to the existing network. In the screenshot the top-right button has been selected, so
the new network will be positioned to the north-east of the existing network.
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You should check carefully the Task List after merging a network and will generally want to link
up at least one link from the original network to the new network.
As an illustrative example, the screenshot below shows the TRL1.T13 example file after being
merged with itself. In this example, the network runs successfully without requiring any
changes and gives a total Performance Index of exactly twice the value from the original
network, as would be expected.
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widths etc.) whereas 12 percent could not be attributed to a specific cause. The error in the
results predicted by TRANSYT 13 can be reduced by using measured values which are more
likely to represent the junction being modelled, wherever possible.
16.4.1
TRANSYT 13 includes an RR67 saturation flow calculator utility. Access this either from
Tools>Saturation Flow Calculator, or by clicking the RR67 Calculator link shown in the Data
Editor when viewing a Link.
The unopposed saturation flow for each lane, and the total for all lanes, is shown as you input
data. If you accessed the screen from a Link, then pressing the Use calculated sat flow button
will take the calculated value and use it to populate the links Saturation Flow data field.
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lane or the flare lane fills up first and cuts off access to the other lane, causing a less-thanmaximum usage of one of the lane queueing areas.
Access this either from Tools>QUEPROB, or by clicking the QUEPROB link shown in the Data
Editor when viewing a Links Flare.
60
5.43
7.65
The extra capacity (line 5) is the difference between the sum of the mean queues for the main
lane plus the flare lane (line 3 + line 4) minus the entered number (line 1). Thus, for the above
example values:
5.08 = (5.43 + 7.65) - 8
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If the Use Result option is clicked, the Extra capacity due to the flare is entered as the
Effective Storage value for the currently selected flare. Alternatively, this value can be entered
manually as the Effective Storage value.
16.6 Drive-on-the-left/Drive-on-the-right
TRANSYT 13 can model both drive-on-the-left (for UK etc) and drive-on-the-right (for
continental Europe, North America etc) situations. The driving side can be set simply by setting
the Driving Side data field in the File Description data section of the Data Outline. The driving
side can be changed at any time.
Throughout TRANSYT 13, the terms nearside and offside are used in place of left and right
wherever possible, so no actual data changes occur when the driving side is changed, other than
the automatic arrangement of nodes and links in NetCon.
REFER TO YOUR PRODUCT LICENCE AGREEMENT FOR DETAILS OF THE TERMS AND
CONDITIONS OF USE OF THIS PRODUCT. ANY UK/INTERNATIONAL RESTRICTIONS OF
USE WILL STILL APPLY. YOU MUST STILL BE LICENSED TO USE THIS PRODUCT IN THE
COUNTRY IN WHICH IT IS BEING USED.
The Graph Generator is a powerful analysis tool that allows you to investigate how the
performance of the network is affected by any numerical data item.
It is common for
engineering packages to include 'sensitivity analysis' or 'marginal analysis' features, where the
output shows the effects of certain predefined changes for example, the change in delay due
to changing the cycle time by 1s. TRANSYT 13 does not include sensitivity analysis in its output
but the Graph Generator allows any such effects to be studied. The results can be exported to a
word processor or spreadsheet, enabling several graphs to be compared or combined.
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A simple example of using the Graph Generator might be to draw a graph showing how the
network performance index changes as the network cycle time varies. As the cycle time is
varied between its minimum and maximum values, TRANSYT 13 re-runs the network and plots
the resulting performance index
It is also possible to plot graphs using evaluation timings. In this case, TRANSYT 13 does not reoptimise the signal timings for each data point. Graphs plotted with evaluation timings,
therefore, show how the results are affected by the varying data item in isolation.
16.7.1
The Graph Generator screen does not show lists of all possible data and results items; instead,
the graph items are set up via the Data Editor (or any other screen that shows data items, e.g.
Data Grids). To set up a graph, firstly perform a TRANSYT 13 run to make sure that there are
no errors in the data. Next display the Graph Generator screen via the button on the main
vertical toolbar, and then follow the steps in the following sections.
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Note that if you close the Graph Generator, the graph will be lost. If you wish to keep the
graph, we suggest that you use the step below to copy the graph into a word processor or
spreadsheet.
16.7.2
About Graphs
It is important to remember that each data point in the graph represents a complete re-run of
TRANSYT 13. Unless using the evaluation sequence, this means that the actual link timings may
be different for each data point. In some cases, consecutive data points may represent quite
different sets of link timings, leading to correspondingly different performance indicators. This in
turn can sometimes lead to local spikes or other discontinuities in the graph. Usually these are
small in magnitude and are to be expected given the nature of the signal optimiser. Sometimes,
however, larger effects are noticeable, which may be worth investigating further for example,
by saving two or more versions of the TRANSYT 13 file with the x-axis item set to values either
side of the spike, and studying the full set of results and link timings for each file.
The speed of running graphs will depend heavily upon the network size and the model
parameters.
Many graphs give intuitive results, for example confirming that delay decreases as saturation
flow increases. Some graphs, however, are more complex, and the shape of such graphs may
arise from the interactions between the many variables in TRANSYT 13.
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17.1.1
An example cyclic flow profile is Figure 17-1. Such profiles are useful in validating the model;
after running any file, you can see the cyclic flow profile for any link via the Graphs button on the
main vertical toolbar.
In the TRANSYT traffic model, all of the calculations are carried out by manipulation of these
profiles. No representation of individual vehicles is made. In most calculations it is assumed that
the profiles are repeated during each cycle of the signal. In practice, the flow profile during any
one cycle will vary from the average, due to the random behaviour of individual vehicles. Direct
calculations are made to correct for this effect.
The operation of the traffic signals is represented by time points within the cycle when each
stage green period ends and the change to the next stage begins. These, combined with
interstage periods, start and end time lags, and appropriate start and end displacements allow
effective greens to be determined when traffic on a link can actually flow through the junction.
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40 units = 1 cycle
10
20
Time (seconds)
30
40
To model traffic behaviour on individual links, TRANSYT uses cyclic flow profiles. There are
three types of profile which make use of different combinations of arriving and departing traffic.
These are illustrated in Figure 17-2.
(i)
the IN-profile is the pattern of traffic that would arrive at the stop line at the downstream
end of the link if the traffic were not impeded by the signals at that stop line;
(ii)
(iii)
the GO-profile is the pattern of traffic that would leave the stop line if there was enough
traffic to saturate the green.
(a) IN PROFILE
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(c) GO PROFILE
si
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The number of vehicles leaving the stop line in time interval i is:
mi-1 + qi - mi
These values are used to derive the OUT-profile.
The calculations using the IN, GO and OUT profiles are repeated on each link for two cycles.
Starting with an assumed queue of zero at the stop line, behaviour is modelled for the first cycle to
obtain the initial queue condition for the second, typical cycle. During this typical cycle, the
pattern of queue growth and decay, and hence delays, represents average traffic behaviour
throughout the period being studied.
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17.1.3
By using the profiles as described, TRANSYT in effect simplifies traffic behaviour. Although
individual vehicles are not modelled, the technique used is equivalent to, and may be thought of in
terms of, the following description. Each vehicle is assumed to proceed undelayed along a link until
it reaches the stop line at the end of the link. If the vehicle then meets a red signal or a queue
which has not yet discharged it is modelled as stopping instantaneously. Traffic queueing is
assumed to take place entirely at the stop line from where vehicles discharge during the effective
green with instantaneous acceleration up to cruise speed on the downstream link. This simplified
behaviour is illustrated in Figure 17-4 by the trajectory in time and distance of vehicle 1.
Realistic trajectory
TRANSYT trajectory
Undelayed vehicle trajectory
D1
D2
Effective signals
as in TRANSYT
Stopline
Red
Green
Red
Red/Amber
(Actual signals)
Amber
17.1.4
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The platoon dispersal coefficient is a number, K, which modifies the platoon dispersion factor F
as follows:
F=
1
Kt
1+
100
For details of how TRANSYT deals with dispersion associated with different source types, e.g.
buses and trams see section 18.9.
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17.2.1
Cell 1
Figure 17-5
5 ... ...
17.2.2
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Shared links are modelled in CTM in very much the same way as in the PDM. The flows, queues
and delays are calculated for each of the shared links separately. Vehicles from each link are
discharged over the stop line according to their arrival time at the stop line, but at rates and
times common to all links sharing the stop line.
However, there are some restrictions in the CTM for modelling shared links. In the CTM, each
set of shared links is treated as a single link representing one physical traffic stream / queue.
This has the following implications.
1) In the PDM, it is possible for traffic on shared links to have different cruise speeds. The
CTM, on the other hand, assumes that traffic on all links in the group of shared links have
the same cruise speed. An average cruise speed is used for all shared links for in a group
of shared links. As a result, it is not advisable to model very slow or fast traffic on shared
links with CTM. This includes mainly minor shared bus link with a bus stop, and minor
shared links carrying emergency vehicles
2) Each minor / major shared link can have its own separate upstream links. However, in
considering blocking back situations, shared links at one stop line are considered as a
whole. Suppose a downstream link has an upstream link which is a minor link. If the
downstream link is blocked, then no traffic from any of the set of shared links at
upstream can move.
3) Each group of shared links is physically one link, and so must share the same upstreamend node as well as the same downstream-end node or stop line. They must also be of
the same length. More generally, each link (or group of shared links) must head for a
node where it meets all the downstream link(s); a link must not have a downstream link
sharing the same downstream-end node. Similarly, each non-entry link (or group of
shared links) must come from a node where the upstream link(s) end; a link must not
have an upstream link sharing the same downstream-end node.
The restrictions in item (3) in the above list to the network mean that some of the network
modelling techniques in TRANSYT cannot be used for the CTM. In the existing TRANSYT, there
are some special network coding techniques for handling special practical situations, such as
right turn bays, flared links, staggered junctions, and so on. These coding methods may
generate what may be referred to as non-standard network components. One example is that
link n is upstream of link m but both links n and m are controlled by the same signals node.
When the CTM is selected, TRANSYT will perform a check on the network; any non-standard
network components will be reported and it is necessary to modify the network.
TRANSYT Shared links represent different traffic sub-streams on one link, i.e., either traffic of
different vehicle types, or traffic with different origins / destinations of travel. The use of the
CTM should be aimed at keeping track of different flows of traffic, especially in terms of their
destination, and modelling their behaviour at the end of the link. Modelling mixed traffic flows
with different cruise speeds is not a strength of the CTM.
17.2.3
There are two ways of modelling flared situations in TRANSYT when using the CTM The
traditional method where flares are explicitly specified and the CTM approach.
The
recommended (and more accurate) method is the CTM approach which is described in section
18.8
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17.2.4
The CTM models traffic flow both in uncongested and congested situations. This has an
implication in the modelling of give-way links. The original TRANSYT give-way model assumes
that the maximum give-way flow or capacity F decreases linearly with the increase of flow q on
the controlling link, with the interception F0 and slope A1. The relationship may be written as
F(q)=F0-A1q. As controlling flow increases gradually from zero to saturation flow s, the giveway capacity decreases from maximum value of F0 to F(s)=F0-A1s. This model applies only to
the uncongested situation of traffic flow on the controlling link. Note that the minimum
uncongested give-way capacity is either zero or F(s), whichever is larger.
In the congested situation for the controlling link, at the onset of oversaturation due to reducing
downstream capacity, the flow starts to drop from the saturation flow. As the controlling link
becomes more and more congested, the flow decreases eventually to zero. In TRANSYT 13
(since version 13.1.2) the congested give-way situation is modelled in CTM by extending the
original TRANSYT give way model. It is assumed that there is a maximum congested give-way
capacity when the controlling link is over saturated, and that the give-way capacity decreases
linearly as controlling link flow decreases. Eventually both controlling flow and the give-way
capacity becomes zero when traffic is completely jammed. This relationship may be written as
F(q)=B1q, where B1 is the slope and is given by the ratio of maximum congested give-way
capacity over the corresponding controlling flow.
Thus, there are two linear relationships - one for uncongested situations and one for congested
situations. See Figure 17-6. The minimum uncongested give-way capacity can be conveniently
taken as the maximum congested give-way capacity. This is the default value for the minimum
uncongested give-way capacity.
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zero to 300 vehicles per hour. For the model to work properly, the maximum congested giveway capacity should be larger than, or equal to, the minimum uncongested give-way capacity.
If this is not the case, then the user-entered maximum congested give-way capacity will be
ignored and the minimum uncongested give-way capacity taken as the maximum congested
give-way capacity instead.
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Currently there are certain restrictions on the use of the CTM. If any of these restrictions are
broken, an error will be shown in the Task List.
1) Minimum length of a link = 20 meters, or closer to twice the distance travelled in one
time step by the link cruise speed.
2) Maximum length of a link = 200 meters
3) Each group of shared links is physically one link, and so must share the same upstreamend node as well as the same downstream-end node or stop line. They must also be of
the same length.
4) Each link (or group of shared links) must head for a node where it meets its downstream
link(s); a link must not have a downstream link sharing the same downstream-end node.
5) Similarly, each non-entry link (or group of shared links) must come from a node where
the upstream link(s) end; a link must not have an upstream link sharing the same
downstream-end node.
17.5.2
1) Time segment analysis with time-varying entry link flows is not supported by the CTM.
2) Slow buses, i.e., buses with stops are not represented / modelled by the CTM; they are
treated as having the same speed as the traffic flow on the link
3) Emergency vehicles are not represented / modelled by the CTM; they are treated as
having the same speed as the traffic flow on the link
4) It is inappropriate to model trams by the CTM. If the CTM is selected and if there is a
tram link in the network, an error message is issued to the user.
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18.2 Delays
18.2.1
The queue length is derived from the IN, GO and OUT cyclic flow profiles during each step of the
typical cycle as described in chapter 1. The queue and delay model used in TRANSYT consists of
three components.
18.2.2
For links on which traffic arrivals do not exceed capacity, the average queue corresponds to the
rate at which delay is incurred with an identical pattern of traffic arrivals during every cycle. This
component of the queue and delay model is called the uniform delay rate.
18.2.3
On links where traffic arrivals exceed capacity, the traffic queue increases each cycle by the
amount by which arrivals exceed departures throughout the period of oversaturation. Thus, the
uniform delay during the typical cycle does not account for this additional delay due to the steady
increase in queues. In TRANSYT, the oversaturation delay rate is calculated as the average
value of this oversaturation queue during whatever period is being modelled. Thus, the queue is
zero at the start of the modelled period and twice the average at the end.
18.2.4
A further element of delay not accounted for in the uniform delay calculation is that due to
variations in traffic arrivals from cycle to cycle. This is known as random delay. It may be
conveniently thought of as the average number of PCUs that fail to discharge during the green
time and hence form an initial queue at the start of the following red period. On links where
arrivals exceed departures, a steadily increasing oversaturation queue will also be added to the
average random queue to give the queue at start of red.
Figure 18-1 illustrates, for a particular case, the way in which the three delay elements (uniform,
oversaturation and random) vary as the degree of saturation on a link increases.
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stopline data:
saturation flow
Cycle time
Red time
Duration of flow
60
40
Oversaturation
delay
Random
delay
20
Uniform
delay
0
0
60
70
80
90
100
110
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
Delay calculation
TRANSYT calculates the sum of the oversaturated and random delay elements using one of two
possible formulae, the simplified formula as used in TRANSYT since version 6, and the revised
less simplified formula available optionally in TRANSYT 13:
The simplified TRANSYT formula is as follows:
Random + oversaturation =
T
4
(f F) + 4f
T
2
1/ 2
where
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F =
the maximum flow that can discharge from the link (PCU/hour)
T =
the duration of the flow condition for which signal timings are being
considered (hours)
Where f and F are approximately equal, the random delay rate is extremely sensitive to small
errors in either of the flow values. For example in Figure 18-1 an increase in the degree of
saturation from 95 to 100 per cent will increase random delay by some 80 per cent. This
sensitivity is thought to reflect actual traffic behaviour. In such conditions it is advisable to
check the flow data being used. Even so, there are practical limits to the data accuracy that can
be achieved and the estimates of random delay may be expected to differ significantly from
actual values on links near to 100 per cent saturation.
Whilst the estimates of random and oversaturation delays correspond approximately to true
traffic behaviour, they also serve to deter the signal optimiser from selecting green durations
that have little or no spare capacity. This is important, for example, where the green time on a
side road needs to be reduced to provide better co-ordination along a main arterial road; as side
road green is reduced, random-plus-oversaturation delay increases and should prevent the
optimiser from choosing unduly short green times.
A less simplified (and hence more accurate) random delay equation is used by default by all
newly-created TRANSYT 13 files.
The choice of random delay formula is selected in
Network options/Traffic options. However, the Random Delay Formula option, which is set by
default to the Complex (TRANSYT 13) formula can be reset to Simplified (TRANSYT 12) if there
is a requirement for backwards compatibility with older runs of TRANSYT.
The Complex (TRANSYT 13) formula is the recommended one the simplified
formula will tend to overestimate the random component of delay, particularly for
links that are well below capacity. When comparing signalised solutions produced
by TRANSYT with unsignalised solutions produced by ARCADY, the complex
formula will also produce answers that are more comparable.
18.3 Stops
TRANSYT calculates the total rate at which vehicles are forced to stop on a link as the sum of
uniform and random-plus-oversaturation stop rates. As for delay, the uniform component is
obtained from the cyclic flow profiles and the random-plus-oversaturation component is
calculated from simple equations.
18.3.1
All traffic which suffers uniform delay contributes to the uniform stop rate but traffic delayed by
only a few seconds will, in reality, merely slow down and not make a complete stop. Consequently,
a correction in TRANSYT includes a fractional stop for short delays; the fraction depends on the
length of the delay.
Cruise speeds on individual links are accounted for and the fractional stop is calculated according
to the estimated proportional loss of kinetic energy. Fractional stops, for traffic experiencing short
delays, and full stops, for traffic which is delayed sufficiently to come to a halt, are accumulated as
equivalent full stops to provide the uniform stop rate component for the link. Figure 18-2 shows
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the way in which full and fractional stops are valued for inclusion in the Performance Index relative
to a standard full-stop from a cruise speed of 12m/sec (43km/h).
An estimate is made of the additional stops caused by random variations in traffic arrivals from
cycle to cycle and also caused by steadily increasing oversaturation queues on links where average
arrivals exceed capacity.
18.3.2
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Both values of queue length are average values derived by the model from traffic counts taken
(ideally) over a number of days. Obviously traffic flows can vary from day-to-day and this will,
in turn, lead to variation in queue length from day-to-day. As a result, individual observations of
queue lengths on site on any one occasion may differ considerably from those predicted.
Indeed, assuming that the average flow used to model the junction was unbiased, predicted
queues will be exceeded by observed queues half the time. Therefore, if proper validation of the
TRANSYT 13 model is required, the junction operation will need to be observed on many
occasions (at least 10) and the measured queue lengths averaged. Only then could the queue
lengths predicted by TRANSYT be compared with those found on-site.
18.4.1
Calculation accuracy
The way the blocking back time is calculated depends on the traffic model used. The CTM
(cell-transmission model) can more easily identify when blocking occurs and will generally give
more accurate wasted green results than the PDM (platoon dispersion model).
When the PDM model is being used the program estimates the amount of blocking back during
effective green using a combination of the mean maximum queues, downstream queue lengths,
and the user-defined link Maximum Queue Storage value (see section 19.4.2). If the optional
maximum queue storage is provided by the user it is used, otherwise a TRANSYT estimate of
this value is calculated (previously known as Link Capacity in TRANSYT 12) and is used
instead. The accuracy of the wasted green times will be improved wherever the user-defined
value is present.
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18.5 Give-ways
At priority junctions a traffic stream that has right of way is considered to suffer no delay. It is
referred to as a controlling link. The rate at which traffic can enter from a minor road that gives
way depends on the controlling link flow which, in general, varies from step to step during the
cycle. TRANSYT calculates, during each time step, the maximum flow which can leave the giveway link as a function of the flow on one or two controlling links. This calculation produces the
GO-profile for the give-way link. This profile is then used in the same manner as that for a
signal-controlled link to obtain delays, stops, and an OUT-profile.
The same basic facility can be used to represent traffic on a link which, although
signal-controlled, must also give way to an opposing flow. Such situations occur frequently at
signalled junctions where traffic turns right without a separate signal indication (see section
118.5.3).
1000
Major road
FR
1
FL
800
q =q
1
600
Minor road
400
200
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
18.5.1
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Give-way links are specified in the same general way as signal-controlled links within TRANSYT,
but with the addition of those parameters which determine their GO-profile. This information is
specified in the Give-way tab in the Links Data screen (Outline: Links/Link n/Is Give Way link).
Signalled
node
Signalled
node
all of the traffic gives way to both of the controlling links; e.g. a lane of right turners across
a two way road,
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(ii)
some of the traffic gives way to only one of the controlling links and some of the traffic
gives way to both of the controlling links; e.g. where there is a lane of mixed left and right
turners.
Thus, to cater for the various possible situations, it is necessary to specify the F0, A1, A2 values,
and also the percentage of the flow which must give-way to only the first of the controlling links
(e.g. the percentage of left turners from a flow of mixed left and right turners).
When a give-way is controlled by two controlling links, either both of these links must be
signalised or both unsignalised - The model does not allow mixed types of opposing links.
18.5.2
Linear relationships between give-way capacity flow (F) and various controlling flows have been
observed for UK conditions at priority type T-junctions and for roundabouts, as reported in SR 582
(Kimber & Coombe, 1980) and LR 942 (Kimber,1980). The coefficients in the linear relationships
are dependent on a number of site-specific quantities and anyone who wishes to model
roundabouts in TRANSYT can use ARCADY TRLs roundabout evaluation and modelling software
to calculate the required coefficients.
For T-junctions, a simplified treatment is given below, but PICADY should be used if the priority
junction is a critical element of the network.
Both ARCADY and PICADYs capabilities now extend well beyond that of the original
two research reports, having been added to over many years.
Consider a give-way link on which the traffic is queueing in a single lane and must give way to
traffic approaching from only one direction as, for example,
left turners from the minor road in Figure 18-3.
Typical (not default) coefficients in this case are:
F0 = 715 PCU/h
A1 = 0.22
These values are related to the following situation: give-way traffic is queueing in a lane of
width w = 3.65m (averaged over the last 20m of the approach), visibility for this give-way
traffic is V = 80m towards the controlling flow, and the width of the roadway occupied by the
controlling flow is Wl = 4.5m.
F0 changes by about +10 per cent per metre increase or decrease in w, and by about +1 per
cent per 10 metres increase or decrease in V. The slope (A1) varies similarly with w and V but
also varies inversely by about -10 per cent per metre change in W1.
Now, consider a give-way link on which the traffic is queueing in a single lane and must give
way to traffic flows approaching from two separate directions. An example of this is the
right-turning stream from the minor road in Figure 18-3. The give-way capacity is determined
by the flows (q1 and q2) on the two controlling links as follows:
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F = F0 - A1q1 - A2q2
with typical (not default) coefficients being;
F0 = 600, A1 = 0.22, A2 = 0.19
These values relate to site characteristics w and V as described above: w = 3.65m and V =
80m. They also relate to the total main road width (W2) occupied by both controlling flows,
where W2 = 9m. Coefficients F0, Al and A2 vary by +10 per cent per +1m in w, and by +1
per cent per +10m in V. The slopes (A1 and A2) also vary inversely by about +5 per cent per
+1m in W2.
The above relationships apply only where give-way traffic forms one queue. Sometimes,
however, traffic on a give-way link will form two or more separate queues in adjacent lanes,
each lane giving way to the same controlling links. The coefficients F0, A1, A2 should then be
estimated for each lane individually and the overall link coefficient for use in TRANSYT obtained
by adding together the two or more corresponding lane coefficients. For example:
F0(total) = F0(Lane 1) + F0(Lane 2) etc, and similarly for A1, A2.
Sometimes give-way traffic in a single lane contains some vehicles which must give way to only
one controlling link flow and other vehicles which must give way to two such flows, as, for
example, a mixed give-way stream of left and right turn vehicles rather than separate turning
streams as in Figure 18-3. The user can allow for this in TRANSYT by specifying the proportion of
give-way traffic which gives way to only the first controlling link flow; the remaining proportion of
the traffic is assumed to give way to both controlling link flows. TRANSYT automatically calculates
the combined-manoeuvre capacity as the weighted harmonic mean of the individual manoeuvre
capacities.
The PICADY program can be used to calculate these coefficients as follows: Refer
to the two linear relationships shown in Figure 18-3. To get the intercept of FL,
run PICADY with zero flows on the main road and 100% left-turners from the side
road. Then increase flow A -> C to, say, 1000 PCU/hr to get the slope of the FL
relationship. For the intercept and slope of FR repeat the above exercise but this
time with 100% right turners. For the intercept, all the main road flows are zero. For the slope,
increase C-> A flow to, say, 1000 PCU/hr. Flows A-> B and C->B should always be set to zero.
Alternatively, the slope and intercept values provided by PICADY 5 can be used instead.
18.5.3
Situations arise within signalled junctions where traffic receives a green signal but must
nevertheless give way to other traffic. This occurs commonly for right-turning traffic which must
give way to opposing straight-ahead traffic.
Comprehensive site measurements of opposed right-turning traffic streams at traffic signals have
not yet been completed but it is suggested that the approximation given below can be used as a
starting point. The values need to be adjusted to represent the site-specific on-street
situation.
F = 1000 - 0.5q
TRANSYT 13 User Guide (Issue G)
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(ii)
a mixed stream of right-turners and straight-ahead traffic without any storage for vehicles
in the middle of the junction. In practice other, more complex, right-turning situations
occur. These should be dealt with by approximating to one of the two cases exemplified.
Give Way Data (Outline: Links/Link n/Give-way Data) and Link Signal Data (Outline: Links/Link
n/Link Signal Data) must be completed in such cases.
Example 1:
Right-turning traffic forms a separate queue at a signal and must then give way
to opposing traffic from one opposing link. The links Link Control Type is set as
signalised. The link is also defined as a give-way link in order to provide the
TRANSYT model with an opposed flow for right turners. The Give Way Data
(Outline: Links/Link n/Give-way Data) is completed as normal with the opposing
link number (1st control link), but the fields for the second control link,
percentage opposed, and opposed by (Controlling) Link 1 only, are left blank.
In situations like this, vehicles often wait in the middle of the junction and
finally turn right during the intergreen period following the green signal.
This effect can be allowed for by adding a relative end displacement,
(Outline: Links/Link n/Link signal Data/Green Period n) onto the end of the
green signal, which extends the effective green.
Page 241
Example 2 :
Straight-ahead traffic and right turners are mixed in a single lane queue. The
right turners must give way to traffic from one opposing link. The links Link
Control Type is set as signalised. The link is also defined as a give-way link in
order to provide the TRANSYT model with an unopposed flow for the
straight-ahead traffic and an opposed flow for right turners. The Give Way Data
(Outline: Links/Link n/Give-way Data) is completed as normal with the 1st control
link field containing the link number opposing the right turners. The 2nd control
link field is left blank as there is only one controlling link.
The Percentage Opposed contains the percentage of the total traffic on the link
that is opposed by the controlling link. The remaining percentage of traffic on the
link (the straight ahead traffic) is modelled as unopposed. A value needs to be
inserted in the Value A1 field (A1 coefficient) only.
The Saturation flow in the Link Data is the value used in the stage when right-turn traffic is
unopposed. The value is usually greater than the Maximum flow at Give Way value. The program
will automatically choose which value is appropriate depending upon the stage in which the traffic
is running.
The value in the Maximum flow at Give Way field, will usually be in the range 500-800 PCU/h,
much less than the saturation flow value in the Link Data, Saturation flow field, which will often
be 1500-1800 PCU/h. The Maximum flow at Give Way is limited to low values by the need for
the driver to check that there are no opposing vehicles having priority on the controlling link(s).
The green period which is specified in the Links Data Screen (Outline: Links/Link n/Link Signal
Data) for the give-way link is the period during which any form of green signal is displayed. Thus,
for traffic receiving a full green signal during one stage when the opposing flow has priority,
followed by another stage when a green arrow indicates there is no opposing flow, the green
specified in the Link Signal Data must be for both stages.
Situations where there is more than one opposing link can be modelled by simply
specifying a second controlling link of the same type. The above-described model
changes in TRANSYT 13 allows this case even when the opposed link contains
mixed straight-ahead (unopposed) traffic and opposed traffic (opposed by two
links).
However, the RR67 opposed right-turn model (see below) is NOT
AVAILABLE for this case.
You cannot model a situation where Link A both opposes and is opposed by traffic on Link B.
TRANSYT will show this as an ERROR on the task list. If you need to model this situation you
will need to model one of the links (usually the one with the lesser flow) as unopposed and
reduce its saturation flow to compensate.
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18.5.4
Give-way bottlenecks
Using a give-way bottleneck allows a situation to be modelled where the maximum capacity or
saturation flow is likely to change from one mode of operation to another, due to drivers
KNOWING that the opposing traffic is being held up, e.g. a slip road by-passing a signalled
junction or maybe a partially signalled roundabout.
A give-way bottleneck link is one that is controlled by the bottleneck parameters (i.e. saturation
flow) when the opposing traffic flow rate is zero, but is controlled by the give-way parameters
when the opposing flow is NOT zero.
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being studied. Each class of vehicle at a common stop line is represented by a separate link. For
vehicles in a given class at the shared stop line, TRANSYT calculates the delay for that class taking
into account delay caused by the interaction between all vehicles using the shared stop line. The
number of stops are also calculated. The procedure is as follows:
a)
For each class of vehicle, the average arrival flow profiles (IN-profiles) are calculated
separately.
b)
Vehicles from each class are discharged over the stop line at rates and times common
to all links sharing the stop line. Saturation flow across the stop line is divided between
the different classes of vehicles according to their arrival time at the stop line. This
means that the order in which the vehicles in the different classes join the queue is
preserved. A separate OUT-profile is calculated for each class of vehicles.
c)
The rate at which uniform delay is incurred by each class of vehicle is calculated from
the average queue on the link in the normal way. The random-plus-oversaturation
delay rate is calculated initially as a total for all traffic sharing the stop line and is then
apportioned to each class in proportion to the flow in the class.
18.6.1
Links forming a shared stop line group are defined as one master or main link and up to six
other minor links. The grouping of these is done in the Links Data Screen (Outline: Links/Link
n/Is Minor Shared Link?). The definition of which link in a group is the master is arbitrary, and
does not affect the calculations of queues, delays, etc. It does have some effect on the output
listing; this differing slightly between the master and minor links in a group.
18.6.2
Shared give-ways
In the same way as for shared stop lines it is possible to group links which share a give-way.
These are defined as a master or main give-way link and other subsidiary give-way links. The
grouping of these is done in Shared Stoplines Data (see Links / Link n) exactly as for shared stop
lines. It is not necessary to complete any of the Give-way specific data, e.g. controlling link
numbers, A1/A2 coefficients, maximum flow etc. for minor give-way links as the information is
taken from the Give Way Data for the major give-way link. The Percentage opposed or
percentage opposed by one link only on the master link refers to the percentage of total flow on all
the shared links combined.
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the saturation flow Sf for the extra lane(s) provided by the flare,
(ii)
the average number Nf of vehicles which are able to use the flare during each green,
estimated or measured (Effective storage)
The go profile is modified to take account of the extra capacity provided by the short lanes, and
this is done with respect to time, thus preserving platoon profiles for downstream links. It should
also be remembered that the presence of flares giving extra discharge capacity for just the initial
part of the green may well mean that the signals will operate more efficiently on a short cycle
time. In this way, more frequent use of the flare capacity will be obtained, compared with longer
cycles.
main lane
flare
(a)
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sat.
flow
green time
(b)
Examples of using the flare model in various cases are given in the following sections.
18.7.1
Flare fully-used
-- flare green same as main-lane green
The example in Figure 18-6 (a) and (b) is for a single-lane link flaring to two lanes at the stop
line. Where the approach traffic (or a substantial proportion of it) can freely choose either the
main lane or the flare lane, then the flare is likely to be virtually fully used.
The value entered for Nf is then simply the storage capacity of the flare -- probably estimated
from the flare length on the basis that 1 vehicle occupies about 6m in a queue, or that 1 PCU
occupies about 5.75m.
main lane
flare
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(a)
sat.
flow
green time
(b)
main lane
flare
18.7.2.1 EXAMPLE A:
Flare caters for separate movement from main lane
+ Flare green same as the main lane green
Page 247
If the flare lane caters for (say) a left-turn movement while the main lane caters for straightahead traffic, as in Figure 18-7, then not all the physical extra capacity will be usable on average
for the following reasons:
a) Some cycles, the flare may fill-up before the main lane, and the longer flare queue will then
block access to the main lane.
b) Other cycles, the main lane may fill-up before the flare, and the main-lane queue block access
to the flare.
Nf = N f *
n
Nf + M
This approximation can be estimated using the capacity calculation component QUEPROB within
the GUI, and the revised Nf' value calculated, and automatically added to the Effective Storage
Value for the flare using the Use Result button (i.e. as the mean number of vehicles using the
flare each green).
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18.7.2.2 EXAMPLE B: Flare caters for separate movement from main lane:
Flare green not the same as main-lane green
+ left turn filter green for flare
If the flare lane caters for a left-turn movement while the main lane caters for straight-ahead
traffic, again as in Figure 18-7, but the two lanes receive different green times, then the extra
capacity due to the flare cannot be represented simply as a step-function as in Figure 18-6(b).
This is because the left-turn flare lane receives a filter green prior to the main green when both
lanes discharge. Depending on access to the flare, some or all of the left-turners may thus clear
earlier than the main green.
If the queues do not interact and a left-filter green exists, then two independent, non-interacting
links can be used to model the situation.
Otherwise, for situations as in Example A1 above, but with a left-filter also, the user must model
this by some rough approximation. For example, represent the situation by two independent links,
one providing for part of the flare flow using the filter, and another for the remaining traffic:
estimate how many left-turn vehicles discharge on average from the flare as though the
situation were as in Example A.1. Use the QUEPROB component, but take Nf as the mean
flare-queue component, not the extra capacity due to the flare value. Multiply this Nf (or
corrected Nf' if appropriate, as in A.1) number of vehicles/cycle by the cycles/hour to give an
estimate of the maximum flow on a separate left-turn filter link. Any remaining left-turn flow
would then be modelled on a mixed straight-ahead and left-turn link without any extra flare
capacity. The flare feature is not used.
Page 249
In this way the additional saturation flow provided by the flare will automatically be accounted
for and the GO profile will reflect this. This modelling method will be more accurate than using
the traditional method.
Further examples of using this method are detailed in Chapters 20 and 21.
18.9
There are strong arguments for optimising network timings in terms of the movement of people
rather than of vehicles. On this basis buses or trams would be given some degree of priority over
cars. Of course, the advantages to bus/tram passengers would be partly offset by disbenefits to
other vehicles.
The effect of representing buses or trams separately from other traffic can be illustrated by an
example. Figure 18-8 is a time distance diagram showing a one-way progression between two
signals which are assumed to operate on a common fixed-time cycle. The movement of a platoon
of traffic is represented by the dotted band and a bus is shown crossing signal 1 in the centre of
the platoon. The cruise speed of the bus is less than the average platoon speed. There is a bus
Page 250
stop between the signals. As a result of stopping, the bus arrives at signal 2 after the main
platoon. If the bus behaviour is not represented, the green period of signal 2 would be optimised
to give unimpeded progression to the platoon of other traffic and the bus would be delayed by the
red period. In Figure 18-8, the green period is offset to reduce the delay to the bus even though
the platoon of other traffic then suffers some delay.
18.9.1
In real traffic situations, the interactions between buses and other traffic are more complex than in
this simple example. For this reason, bus behaviour is modelled in TRANSYT by using the shared
stop line facility together with a special bus dispersion formula. The dispersion formula takes
account of the variation in the journey times of buses along a link. Bus journey times vary due to
differences in their cruise speeds and in the time spent at bus stops. The formula is a modified
version of that for general traffic dispersion). For buses, the dispersion coefficient is given by:
1
F=
1 + 0.7b + 0.15t
where t =
b=
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Time
Bus
Distance
SIGNAL 1
Red
Green
One-way
progression
Bus stop
SIGNAL 2
Red
Green
Bus
A platoon
of traffic
Figure 18-8 A time-distance diagram showing the different typical movements of a
platoon of traffic and a bus
Once delays and stops have been calculated separately for buses and for other traffic, by using the
shared stop line facility, total passenger delay can be estimated by weighting the results for each
class by using link weighting factors (see section 19.1) proportional to an assumed number of
passengers. The optimising routine will then attempt to find signal settings which minimise total
passenger delay.
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The BUS TRANSYT method is likely to be most effective where bus flow rates are relatively high
(more than 10 to 20 buses per hour) and the average time spent at bus stops is considerably less
than the cycle time of the signals. When the method was tested in Glasgow by TRL, it produced
bus journey times which were, on average, 8 per cent less than those measured with signals coordinated to minimise delay to vehicles rather than people. The disbenefits to other vehicles were
too small to be measured reliably.
18.9.2
Currently there is no new model for trams the existing bus model is copied, so the same
parameter types that affect behaviour within the model are assumed. In order to accommodate,
as far as possible, the differences between buses and trams or simply specific types of buses,
the existing bus model parameters and tram model parameters can be edited by the user.
18.9.3
Although initially the same by default, the bus and tram sets of coefficients are stored separately
and can therefore be changed independently. These coefficients are as follows:
Dispersion coefficient1 (which is the dispersion factor parameters for stops)
Dispersion coefficient2 (which is the dispersion factor parameters for running time)
Acceleration (ms-2) (which is the assumed acceleration of the vehicle moving off from
rest)
Travel time coefficient1 (which is the dispersion factor parameters for stops)
Travel time coefficient2 (which is the dispersion factor parameters for running time)
Details of the equations used are given in LR666.
18.9.4
While shared stop lines allows you to separate classes of vehicles which are part of the same
queueing situation, the Source Type (Outline: Links / link n / Sources) allows you to define what
category of traffic is entering these links (see Figure 18-9).
There are currently three types of source Normal, Buses and Trams. The default Normal
source is the name given to a link which is assumed will not be modelling buses or trams.
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18.11 Routes
TRANSYT allows the specification of Routes. A route is simply a defined subset of the links
within the network. Although a very simple concept, they are a very powerful and useful tool.
Routes consist of an ID, description and a list of existing links within the network.
They can be specified in three ways:
1. using the data editor (Outline: TRANSYT Network/Routes)
2. Using a combination of multiple-selection (e.g. via Netcon) and the menu item
Tools>Routes>Store New Route from currently selected Links.
3. the menu item Tools>Routes>Calculate all routes in network, which will replace all
existing routes.
Routes have the following benefits:
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The Gaussian mode takes the Total Flow as the flow for the central time segment and then
applies a normal curve to the traffic profile so that it fits a pre-determined distribution as used
in the ODTAB option in ARCADY, PICADY and OSCADY PRO. (This only works if you are using a
90 minute modelling period.) This is a convenient way to model a typical peak curve without
having to enter separate flows.
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12
10
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0.03
0.02
0.01
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
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PI = (W.widi + ((K/100).kisi))
i=1
where
number of links
wi
di
delay on link i
ki
si
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The TRANSYT signal optimiser attempts to minimise the P.I. If it were possible to reduce the
delay and number of stops to zero, then this would mean that every vehicle which approached a
traffic signal would find the signal at green and would thus proceed to its destination without any
delay or stops and hence with minimum journey time. The TRANSYT optimiser is therefore
seeking to produce multi-directional green waves. Clearly, it is usually not possible to eliminate
all delay or stops within a signal network, but the minimum total value will be sought
automatically by the TRANSYT program.
TRANSYT evaluates the P.I. in monetary terms ( sterling - by default) and the user is required to
select values Monetary Value of Delay and Monetary Value of 100 stops (in Network
Options/Economics), for the coefficients W and K that he judges are most appropriate. The values
of W and K appropriate for a traffic stream of average composition, at the time of release of the
product, are set as the defaults within the software. A lower valuation of delay (W) would be
more appropriate if the cost of non-working time was to be considered negligible. Clearly the
proportion of heavy goods vehicles and buses within a traffic stream may also affect the cost of
delay. Occasionally it may be advisable to use the link-specific coefficient wi to correct the
estimates of the delay costs on links where, for example, there is a high proportion of goods
vehicles.
Similar arguments apply to the selection of a value for K. This value is for a standard full stop
from a cruise speed of 12 metres/sec; stops on links with other cruise speeds are automatically
increased or decreased in value by the TRANSYT program in proportion to the loss of kinetic
energy. The relationship between the K and W values has for many years been maintained at
the values developed for LR 888. This relationship between stops and delays has been dropped
in favour of a system that allows users to update their own values using the UK Governments
web-based Transport Analysis Guidance known as WebTag. As a consequence of the revised
method users will notice how little the cost of stops has become in relation to delay. This
reflects the far larger increases in the cost of peoples time compared with the costs associated
with stops. If it is thought that accidents are partly caused by vehicle stops or some cost is
placed on the nuisance value of a stop then the user might wish to increase K.
The signal optimisation procedure is affected only by the relative values of W and K and not by
their absolute values. Further, where signals are initially uncoordinated or badly co-ordinated,
then both stops and delay can usually be reduced by the TRANSYT optimiser. However, the
balance between delay and stops that is finally achieved by the signal optimiser is likely to be
affected by the relative values chosen for W and K (Robertson et al, 1980, also describes how W
and K may be chosen to minimise the overall fuel consumption).
TRANSYT 13 allows for varying traffic conditions, involving the use of several
contiguous time segments making up the overall modelled time period. When this
option is used the overall P.I. value presented is the AVERAGE P.I. for all of the
time segments combined. The highest P.I. within the time segments is also
provided. For purely cost benefit purposes the overall average P.I. value is the one
to use.
19.1.1
The link stop weighting is a number representing the percentage of the stop valuation used when
calculating the links contribution to the Performance Index. The stop valuation is set in Traffic
Options/Economics data/Monetary Value of Stops (per 100 stops). The default stop weighting of
100% means that the specified cost will be used unchanged; a value of 0% will mean there will be
no stop costs incurred. Negative percentage weightings will cause the optimiser to seek settings
which increase stops on this link.
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Similarly, the link delay weighting is a number representing the percentage of the delay costs
(uniform + random-plus-oversaturation) used when calculating the links contribution to the
Performance Index. The default delay weighting of 100% means the specified cost will be used
unchanged; a value of 0% will mean there will be no delay costs incurred. Negative percentage
weightings will cause the optimiser to seek settings which tending to increase delay on this link
during optimisation.
Stop and delay weightings allow the user to place a different emphasis on specific links. For
example, a large delay weighting factor on a particular link or series of links will ensure that the
optimiser will derive greater benefit from reducing delay on those links and thus delay will tend to
be reduced more on those links than others.
This method of specifying weightings is NOT the same as in earlier versions
of TRANSYT, i.e. the use of -9999 to represent zero weighting and 0 to
represent the default TRANSYT value, i.e. 100%, is now redundant, and if
used will result in undesirable effects. The weightings of older files are
converted to the new method when imported into TRANSYT 13.
19.1.2
19.1.3
First, TRANSYT calculates the Performance Index of the network for an initial set of signal timings.
Any set of timings that do not violate minimum green requirements and are capable of handling
the traffic are suitable.
Next, the program alters the offset of one of the signals by a
predetermined incremental change (time units) and recalculates the P.I. of the network. If the P.I.
is reduced, the offset is altered successively in the same direction by the same incremental change
until a minimum value of the P.I. is obtained. If the initial change increases the value of the P.I.,
the offset of the signal is altered in the opposite direction until the minimum value is obtained.
The offset of each signal in turn is adjusted in this way; the signals are dealt with in the order
which is specified in the Node Number List (Outline: Network Options/Node Optimisation Order).
The process of optimising the offsets of each signal in turn is repeated a number of times, to
obtain the final signal settings.
It is a characteristic of hill climbing methods, such as the one just described, that the optimum
they find is not necessarily the best one; it may just be a local minimum. To reduce the
possibility of finding a poor local optimum, TRANSYT normally uses both large and small timing
alterations for the successive optimisation of each signal.
The size of the incremental changes made to the node timings by the hill-climb process is
determined by the Hill Climb Increments (Outline: Network Options/Signal Options). The
increments are listed as percentages of the cycle time. The number of increments must not
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exceed 15. The increments must be less than 50 per cent. The program automatically
multiplies the percentages by the cycle time specified in Network Options/Network Timings. In
this way, a list of increments in 1-second units is obtained. To ensure that the increments list
can contain a 1-second increment for optimisation to the highest accuracy possible, a value of 1
input on Hill climb increments is interpreted as 1 second not as a percentage.
The hill-climb process takes the first increment (in seconds) from the list and adjusts all stage
change times of the first node on the node list for a local minimum of the Performance Index.
The second node is then adjusted in the same way and so on until the end of the node list. At
this point, the second increment is used and each node re-optimised in turn. The process ends
when all nodes have been optimised for all increments. Green times are not affected. The
increments used are chosen to give a good global minimum in least computing time.
The recommended (and default) values for use on Hill climb increments for the optimisation
level, offsets only optimisation are:
15
40
15
40
15
The 15 per cent increments find an approximate local minimum of the Performance Index whilst
the 40 per cent increments avoid getting trapped in that minimum. The unity values, interpreted
as 1-second increments, give the final settings.
Green times can be optimised by selecting the optimisation Level offsets and Green Splits
introducing 1 increments into the list, in which case each stage change time at a node is altered
by one second at a time, whilst the remaining stage change times stay fixed. This has the effect
of varying the durations of the green times. The recommended (and default) values for use on Hill
climb increments for offsets and green times optimisation are:
15
40
-1
15
40
-1
40
-1
15
40
-1
-15
-5
-1
15
TRANSYT uses the default values as described above, automatically choosing the relevant
sequence depending upon the selected level of optimisation chosen in Network Options/Signals
Options. However, if the optimisation level is set to Custom the sequence can be edited
directly by the user, to suit whatever circumstances they may have. As with the default cases
described above, the absence or presence of negative numbers in the custom list of parameters
dictates whether or not green times are optimised or not.
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19.1.4
Accuracy parameters
On links that are remote from the node being optimised, the recalculation of stops and delays is
often unnecessary. TRANSYT tests whether the OUT-profile on a link has been altered sufficiently
to require that the delay and stops on the adjacent downstream link be recalculated. If not, the
effects on downstream links are ignored. In this way, delay and stops are recalculated only on
those links that are significantly affected by the signal optimisation.
The Optimisation Steps, Accuracy parameters field enables the user to specify the percentage
change in the OUT-profile below which downstream effects are ignored. The values specified must
lie within the range 1 to 2000 and represent 0.01 to 20 per cent. One such accuracy value must
be specified for each increment in the hill-climb procedure (as specified on the Signal Options/Hill
climb increments field).
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The default accuracy value, if the Optimisation Steps, Accuracy parameters field, is omitted, is 1.
This corresponds to a change in the flow profile of 0.01 per cent.
It is not necessary to calculate the cyclic flow profiles very accurately whilst the hill-climb
increment is large. Thus, small changes in the flow profile on a link can be ignored until the
signal settings are close to optimum. For the usual (default) Hill- climb increments sequence,
which optimises offsets:
15
40
15
40
15
1000
100
100
10
Similarly, the list corresponding to the usual (default) Hill climb increments for offsets and
green times optimisation sequence:
15
40
-1
15
40
-1
1000
100
100
10
10
is
1000
Similarly, the list corresponding to the usual (default) hill-climb increments for Extended offsets and green times optimisation sequence:
15
40
-1
15
40
1000
100
100
100
10
-1
-15
-5
-1
15
is
1000
The sequences chosen depend on whether optimisation is being carried out for offsets only,
green times and offsets, or enhanced green times and offsets.
Accuracy parameter values greater than 100 are not recommended for the calculation of final
signal settings. The initial signal settings are always calculated with an accuracy parameter
value of one.
19.1.5
TRANSYT optimises the complete situation in such a way as to provide optimised timings that
give the best overall Performance Index for the complete modelled time period, i.e. the timings
are NOT optimised for each separate time segment.
The optimised timings are applied across all time segments within the traffic model in order to
provide results for each time segment and for the whole modelled time period.
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stage change times individually, in an attempt to reduce the network Performance Index. Such
re-allocation of green time is not allowed to reduce any green time below its specified minimum
value.
The user may have particular situations where it is necessary to prevent a queue from reaching
back from one junction to another, thereby blocking the upstream junction. This complex effect is
not modelled when using the traditional PDM model in TRANSYT which assumes that all vehicles
queue at the stop line. (see Section 17.2 on CTM for how to model blocking effects) TRANSYT
does, however estimate a mean maximum queue (PCU) for each link.
It is then optionally possible to specify a queue limit for selected links, so that the signal optimiser
attempts to find settings which make it less likely that the mean maximum queues will exceed the
limit values. The limit is set in Links/Link n/Modelling (or the Queue Limits tab, within the Links
Data screen).
As part of the queue-limit process, TRANSYT computes an average excess queue (PCU) for
links where a queue limit has been specified. The mean maximum queue is checked against
the queue limit during each step of the typical cycle. During any step of the cycle when the
limit is exceeded, the excess queue is totalled and hence an average excess queue is computed
for the link. In this way, it is intended that the excess value will relate not only to the amount
by which the limit is exceeded (in PCU) but also to the duration of the blocking back.
The use of the above queue-reduction facility, and indeed the use of large weighting factors on
link delays or stops, may result in the optimiser being unable to find satisfactory signal settings.
Consequently the TRANSYT output should be examined most carefully, looking, for example, for
poor co-ordination which seems unreasonable; the cyclic flow pattern graphs (Section 13.4) can
help in this process. To improve the ability of the optimiser to find acceptable timings and thus
to lessen the need for such checking, the user is recommended to use a node optimisation
sequence which includes more than once any nodes connected by affected links. The nodes will
thus be listed once individually, again in pairs of adjacent nodes, and possibly in larger groups,
using the facility described in Section 19.1.3.
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It is then necessary to encourage the signal optimiser to avoid settings which cause any limit
queues to be exceeded. Thus, the average excess queues are weighted by a value specified by
the user as Excess Queue Penalty, and are added to the Performance Index.
19.4.1
The mean maximum queue is, by definition, likely to be exceeded during 50 per cent of cycles.
It would be more helpful to know the size of the queue which would be exceeded in no more
than (say) 95 per cent of cycles. Unfortunately, the shape of the distribution of the cycle-bycycle values is not readily calculable.
The user must therefore use judgement to set a limit queue which, usually, will be smaller than
the PCU storage capacity of the link. It has been found suitable in several cases to use a limit
of about 60 to 75 per cent of the full storage, but a lesser value may be needed where the full
storage accommodates only a small number of vehicles, as variation from cycle to cycle is then
relatively more extreme.
19.4.2
In order to assist in the identification of links which may have problems storing the number of
vehicles in the queue on that link TRANSYT estimates a maximum queue storage value for all links
in the network. (Previously known as Link Capacity.) The calculation is as follows:
maximum queue storage (PCU) = link length (m) x saturation flow (PCU/h)
5.75
x 1850
This assumes that each PCU in a queue occupies 5.75m along a lane having a standard saturation
flow of 1850 PCU/hour of green.
If the mean maximum queue exceeds the above maximum queue storage, this is indicated in the
output, e.g. the Link Results table is marked with a + symbol in the mean maximum queue
column to indicate a possible problem which the user is advised to check if the timings are to be
implemented in practice. The amount by which the MMQ value exceeds the mean queue storage
is also shown.
This calculation is only a rough calculation and in particular, is subject to
overestimation of the available storage space available to queueing
vehicles. Therefore, TRANSYT lets you specify your own Maximum Queue
Storage value for each link (in PCUs). TRANSYT automatically uses this
user-defined value if it exists, instead of the internally estimated one.
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As an additional aid in this difficult choice process, the Cycle Time Optimiser tool (Section 19.7),
provides information for a wide range of cycle times at each node; it shows a graph of the
Performance Index for the complete network against cycle time. Suitable cycle times for the
complete network are quickly discernible. Multiple cycling options are also indicated wherever
they appear to be beneficial (based on the nodes operating as isolated (uncoordinated) signals),
but not all of these may prove worthwhile when implemented within the network due to coordination effects.
However, the effect of implementing all of the multiple cycling
recommendations can be seen in the CYOP graph.
It is relevant to comment that when altering signal cycles (and green time durations) the
random-plus-oversaturation delay term (Section 18.2) has a most important part to play; the
main limitation when using shorter signal cycles is the increase to higher saturation of the green
times. This is reflected in an increase of random-plus-oversaturation delay with shorter cycle
times.
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The Cycle Time Optimiser (including CYOP) is opened by clicking the CYOP button located on the
vertical toolbar. The screen can be resized to whatever size you wish.
The program makes use of the currently selected TRANSYT file. The screen is split into three main
areas a Nodes Table on the left; the graph, and graph options bottom right.
The Nodes Table indicates which nodes are currently single, double, triple, or quadruple cycled. The
node table can be hidden using the Hide Nodes button.
Pressing the Run Graph button creates a graph of Performance Index against a range of cycle
times. A full run of TRANSYT is carried out for every cycle time in order to produce the results.
Points are plotted for every second within the chosen range. The graph displays up to four sets
of results. These sets of data are selected using the options below the graph. A key can
optionally be included on the graph using the Show key option.
The vertical bars show the P.I values based on the proposed set of cycling options. This data
set also indicates the proportion of links exceeding the user-defined degree of saturation
threshold by colouring (in red) the same proportion of the length of the vertical bars. The
proportions not over-saturated are in green. All green indicates that the whole network is
within the defined DoS threshold.
The orange coloured line graph indicating the P.I. values of the current multiple cycling options,
while the black line graph is a plot of the recommended (CYOP) recommendations. The cycle
time producing the lowest P.I. is indicated with a purple outline while the minimum practical
cycle time is indicated with a blue outline.
Having examined the graphs the required cycling changes to the existing TRANSYT file can be
made by selecting Use Proposed Cycling Options and pressing <OK>. For those nodes whose
cycling status is changing, the relevant node and link data will be changed. It is usually wise to
backup the original data file prior to implementing cycling changes, in case the original proves
more suitable.
Similarly, the minimum practical cycle time can also be implemented in the current file by
selecting Use Min Practical Cycle Time.
The Min Practical Cycle Time is defined as the lowest cycle time which will result in no links
exceeding the DoS threshold, i.e. an all green bar chart.
19.7.1
CYOP recommendations
Pressing the Run CYOP button populates the Recommended column which indicates what links
might benefit from being multiple-cycled for a range of cycle times. The CYOP CycleTime Selection
allows the recommendations for a particular cycle time to be displayed in the Recommendations
column. The cycle time with the lowest P.I. is automatically displayed when CYOP is run, indicated
by an asterisk next to the P.I. value.
The displayed recommendations can be transferred into the Proposed column using the Transfer
button. The proposed column can subsequently be edited.
Pressing the Run CYOP button also produces a graph of P.I. against cycle time for the set of
recommendations.
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The DoS column indicates whether or not the Degree of Saturation threshold is exceeded for that
particular node and selected cycle time.
The graph (black line) produced when CYOP is run is not the same as the Cycle
Time Graph for the recommended multiple-cycling options - The CYOP graph
shows the P.I. for a range of cycle times assuming the multiple cycling
recommendations for each cycle is implemented, i.e. the recommendations vary
as the cycle time varies. The standard graph of the (CYOP) recommended column
of
multiple-cycling
options
assumes
the
same
currently-displayed
recommendations for the complete range of cycle times.
You may notice that, for some cycle times, the recommended graph indicates a
higher P.I. than the existing file. This simply highlights the fact that not all of the
cycling recommendations (which are still based on treating nodes in isolation) will
improve the network performance when all the recommendations are implemented
within the coordinated network.
19.8.1
Multiple cycling
Some nodes can be set to operate on a cycle time which is one half, third or quarter of the
common network cycle time; these are referred to as double-cycling, triple-cycling or
quadruple-cycling respectively.
Multiple-cycling, as it is called, of lightly loaded junctions within a sub-area requiring a much
longer cycle time may reduce delay due to excessive cycle time at the quiet junction(s). Multiplecycling is most likely to give benefits when a group of junctions within an area can all be double
cycled. However, Multiple-cycling the occasional junction may give benefits.
It is not easy to
predict when benefits will accrue - multiple-cycling often, but not always, reduces the overall
network delay. It is therefore important to try various possibilities, and make your final selection
based on the TRANSYT optimised PIs achieved.
The effect of multiple-cycling at particular nodes can be tested using repeat runs of TRANSYT with
first single then double-cycling, etc. on the nodes in question. This process can also be carried out
using the Cycle Time Optimiser.
Multiple cycling can also be of use when attempting to model specific stages that come in only
every second, third, or fourth cycle (e.g. a pedestrian stage). In order to model this effect you will
of course need to double, triple or quadruple the cycling on all the nodes which are running during
EVERY cycle while leaving those not coming in every cycle as single-cycled.
19.8.2
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The TRANSYT optimiser can be constrained to only allow equal length multiple cycling, e.g. the
cycle of a double-cycled node is divided into two equal-length halves. There are however,
occasions where it is advantageous to allow the cycle to be split into two unequal halves, for
instance the traffic arriving at a junction may be split into a large platoon from the main through
movement at the previous junction followed later by a small platoon from the turning movement.
Unequal cycles can also be useful in tidal flow situations, where the platoon from the dominant
direction arrives in one half of the cycle, and the minor direction in the other.
Allowing unequal multiple-cycling gives the optimiser more flexibility to find good timings, and of
course does not stop the optimiser selecting identical timings for each set of repeated stages
within the cycle. The option that prevents unequal double-cycling is called Equal Length Multiplecycling, (Outline: TRANSYT Network/Network options/Signals Options).
The original stages (which are repeated) are called Base Stages in order to differentiate them
from the virtual copies of these stages.
Unlike
stages
stages
stages
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19.8.3
Repeated greens
An alternative to multiple cycling a node is to repeat one or more stage green time(s) during the
common cycle time. Thus, a node with three separate stages A, B and C might be operated with,
for example, stage sequences A, B, A, C or A, B, C, A, B. At present, it remains a matter of
judgement when such modifications are likely to be of overall benefit in a network. The traffic
engineer must decide which stage sequences are of interest and TRANSYT may then be used to
compare the alternatives. There is evidence from unpublished work by TRL that, in some
situations, the correct choice of stage order can lead to substantial reductions in signal delay in a
network.
Stage ordering of individual junctions can be easily investigated using TRLs signal
optimising software OSCADY PRO which can automatically provide you with the
best stage ordering.
19.9.1
A flow scaling factor can be applied to all links in the network in Common Data or to individual
links using the Link Sensitivity Multiplier (previously known as the Link Flow Factor Data).
The facility is useful in the study of the sensitivity of the optimum signal settings to changes in
flow. Flows for the whole network can be scaled within the range 10% to 200%. Flows for
individual links can be scaled within the range 5% to 2000%.
The global flow scaling factor and the local Link Sensitivity Multiplier effects are added together.
19.9.2
A cruise time / cruise speed scaling factor can be applied to all links in the network in Network
Options/Traffic Options or to individual links in Links/Link n/Link Flows.
The facility allows a signal plan to be tested for sensitivity to the accuracy of cruise time / cruise
speed data. Cruise times / speeds for the whole network and for individual links can be scaled
within the range 50 % to 200%.
The effect of any local cruise scaling factor and the global cruise scaling factor is combined. This
differs from previous versions of TRANSYT where the use of a local scaling factor would override
the global value.
19.9.3
Changes to initial offsets at specified nodes can be made in the Nodes/Node n/Signals Setup.
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Stage 1 start times are entered in seconds and overwrite the stage 1 timings initially specified.
The remaining stage change times on the node in question are altered by the same amount to
maintain identical green times.
19.9.4
The links stop and delay weightings specified in the Links/Link n/Link Flows affect the
Performance Index and signal timings. Switching off the Use Link Stop weightings and Use
Link Delay weightings options, located in Network Options/Traffic Options, can be used to
negate the effect of any weightings specified. Thus, it is possible to investigate the effects of
changes to these weightings upon the Performance Index and timings.
In TRANSYT 13 the P.I. results are presented with and without the effects
of all of the different types of weightings, so that the true P.I. is always
available. This avoids the need to carry out non-optimised runs with the
weightings cancelled in order to produce a P.I. for, say, cost-benefit use.
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Modelling Examples
Page 275
20 Modelling Examples
This chapter describes a number of example files to assist users to familiarise themselves with
all the various key aspects of TRANSYT, and to give assurance that they are using the software
in correct way. The examples described in this chapter make use of the PDM. For CTM
examples see chapter 21, Modelling Signalised Roundabouts.
The Chapter 21 examples also include the use of the Flow Allocation Tool as a detailed
explanation of modelling signalised roundabouts.
The files supplied with the software may show some small differences with those
described here as a result of creating and running the files with a more recent
release of TRANSYT.
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Nodes
Modelling Examples
20.2.2
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Give-way control
The network contains one priority junction (Node P1) operating without signal control. There is no
need to use a P prefix, but doing so does help to quickly identify priority nodes within your
network. The north arm gives way to the controlling flow from the west arm.
At node 1, right-turning traffic from the South (link 13) is given a green signal during stage (ii)
but must also give way to opposing flow (link 12) from the North. During stage (iii) an unopposed
right-turn for link 13 traffic is possible.
20.2.3
Links
A link is a one-way traffic stream between intersections; a separate link is used for each distinct
queueing situation of interest, as discussed in section 3.3.
There are 19 links. The links are numbered for convenience so that the first digits correspond to
the node number which controls exit flow from the link and the last digit corresponds to the
alignment of the link, numbering in a clockwise direction from the West.
Links 10, 1, 21, and 22 are bus-only links. Buses on link 1 share a common bottleneck (see
section 3.4.6) with the other traffic on link 2; this bottleneck is used to provide the cyclic flow
profile of the controlling traffic flow at the priority junction where link 3 traffic must give way.
Buses on link 21 and 22 share a common stopline with the other traffic on link 23 at node 2. The
queues on shared links intermingle and, for example, buses on a bus-only link may be delayed by
a queue of other traffic which arrived earlier and is sharing the stopline.
Buses on bus link 21 stop for an average of 24 seconds (Stationary Time) at a bus stop; buses on
links 1 and 22 do not stop at bus stops in this network and are assumed to be following a different
route from the buses represented on link 21.
Links P71 and P72 represent pedestrians using the crossing at node 7. As there are pedestrians
crossing in both directions this representation, using two links, is the technically correct one,
however if you do not plan to model the effects of pedestrian movements within your model and
only wish to visualise the existence of the crossing, a single link would suffice. Also note that
although the pedestrian links are placed straddling the conflicting link on the diagram (as most
users will tend to do) it would be more correct to place them either side of the link to represent
the true location of pedestrians waiting to cross the road.
20.2.4
Queue Limits
A queue limit (Queue Limit (length and Excess Queue Penalty) is applied to link 13 in an
endeavour to restrain the queue from exceeding the 10 PCU storage capacity of the lane
concerned. To enhance the likelihood that the optimisation process will be able to cope with this
additional restraint, nodes 1 and 11 at either end of link 3 are included twice in the optimisation
sequence (listed on the Node Number List for Hill-climb, card type 2), once individually and again
as part of a node group, as recommended in section 19.5.
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20.2.5
Average flows
The inflows to each link and the total flows are shown on the link diagram in units of PCU/hour.
The sum of the inflows need not exactly equal the total flow; adjustments are
made to entry flows, if necessary, as described in section 3.4.3. Link 71 receives
a flow, assumed to be at a uniform rate, of 240 PCU/hour from a car park. This
flow from the car park could be modelled as a give-way link at a priority junction if
thought necessary for realism.
20.2.6
Saturation flows
The saturation flows for each stopline are shown in Figure 20-2, in units of PCU/hour of green.
Saturation flows would normally be measured on-site or estimated from local knowledge of
stopline width, gradient or other site factors. If they are to be estimated, the Saturation Flow
Calculator can be used.
The saturation flow on link 12 is affected by the presence of a flared approach. Depending on the
length of the green, the flare has a potential additional saturation flow of 1600 PCU/hour, but this
can be sustained to discharge only a limited number of vehicles queueing in the flare (defined by
Flare 1/Effective Storage). The resultant combined saturation flow for main-lane-plus-flare,
averaged over the whole green, is given in the output listing; it will be noted that this average is
likely to change with changes to the signal settings, due to different green times.
The pedestrian saturation flow is assumed to be 8000 persons/hour of green.
20.2.7
Link lengths are shown in the data editor at TRANSYT Network/Link n, in this case, shown in the
chosen units of metres. The lengths specified on external links are arbitrary.
Average cruise speeds are set mainly in the range 30-36 km/h as seen in Link n/Sources/Source
n, with some variations for longer, higher-speed links and lesser speeds on bus-only links or links
with turning traffic or parked vehicles.
20.2.8
Specific link weightings (on stops and delay) are used on certain links (see Link n/Modelling); PCU
delay and stops weightings on bus links are set to 100% (i.e. ten times higher than normal); this
corresponds to a factor of 20 per bus, since each bus is represented by 2 PCUs.
On the pedestrian links (Links 71 and 73) delay and stops weightings are set to 60% as no vehicle
costs are involved and a smaller proportion of pedestrians than vehicle occupants are assumed to
be working: pedestrian stops will, in any case, be given a low valuation as this depends on the
cruise speed given to traffic using the link, as explained in section 18.3.
20.2.9
Cycle selection
The information to aid cycle selection from the Cycle Time Optimiser shows that a cycle time in
excess of 97 seconds is needed to prevent any node being more than 90 per cent saturated.
Running CYOP provides multiple-cycling recommendations over the complete range of cycle times.
Modelling Examples
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Note how the CYOP graph gives different multiple-cycling suggestions for each cycle time. The
results suggest that running a cycle time of 108 seconds with the nodes 1 and 2 double-cycled
and node 7 triple-cycled might produce a marginally better P.I. The hypothetical improvement is
probably too small to be worth considering.
All plots on the graphs use full runs of TRANSYT to calculate the Performance Indices values, so
the values you see are the same as you would get if you implemented any of the particular cycle
times plotted, or any of the multiple-cycling recommendations. The multiple-cycling
recommendations themselves are however only estimates of what the best multiple-cycling
selections might be, as CYOP itself involves some approximations as the effects of co-ordination
are not considered in their calculation.
20.2.10 Optimisation
A standard sequence of change increments is used to optimise offsets and green durations as
specified in the Network Options/Signals Options. The Use Enhanced Optimisation option and
the Optimisation Level Extended Offsets and Green Splits could be used to seek a further
improvement in the final P.I. These options increase the time that TRANSYT needs to run, but for
a small network using the PDM model, the extra time needed would be small.
Results are
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21.2 Introduction
At roundabouts it is common practice to signalise one or more entry arms in an effort to
reduce delay and increase capacity. Whilst TRANSYT may not always be suitable where
roundabouts have just one signal controlled entry, where roundabouts require signals
on most or all entries, the TRANSYT method of optimising signal settings can be used to
predict the effect of installing signals and to find optimum signal timings.
Signalling roundabouts to prevent queues blocking the junction was first studied in
1959 (Webster 1960), and the technique has been selectively applied over a range of
circumstances. Several authors have shown that the performance of three arm
roundabouts could be improved by traffic signals (Davies 1980, Flanagan 1983).
Other authors have studied junctions in London (Huddart 1983, Wright 1984) and
Sheffield (Bull 1983) with success. The Sheffield study used TRANSYT to provide
initial signal timings for a six arm junction. More recently, Hallworth (1992) examined
the factors that affect the capacity of signalised roundabouts using an example from
Bradford (a three-arm roundabout) and another from Bristol (a four arm roundabout).
Following on from Hallworths article, Jones (1992) examined the techniques used in
the design of signalised roundabouts and strategies for their control.
Roundabouts where most or all the entries are signal controlled will normally benefit
from coordination of the traffic signals. TRANSYT can be used to optimise the signal
timings in such cases. However, roundabouts do need to be considered carefully as
there will often be short internal circulating links that may be prone to filling up and
blocking back, and in general it will be important not to let too much traffic enter the
circulating section if locking up is to be avoided. By using various facilities available in
TRANSYT such as link weighting, the shared link facility, and queue penalties, the
program can be used to model traffic behaviour on the roundabout, control queue
lengths, and find signal timings such that queues do not form to block upstream
junctions.
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Note that many signal controlled roundabout operate using MOVA or SCOOT. Indeed
the Highways Agency have issued a directive that MOVA shall be used on all trunk
road installations (see TD35/2006). However, in many cases it is important to
understand the way a roundabout operates before installing MOVA as SCOOT as it
helps with commissioning and validation of these systems, and should lead to a better
solution.
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Cycle time
In networks which contain some short links (such as roundabouts), severe problems
can arise if traffic queues fill these links and block upstream nodes. If this blocking
continues for any significant time, the capacity of the network will fall dramatically
and traffic queues can block back and lock up around a roundabout. One of the most
important methods of keeping queues short is to keep the length of the red time
short. Achieving this is helped by having a short cycle time.
TRANSYT has a cycle time optimiser (CYOP) that predicts the saturation of each node
over a range of cycle times. This can be used to help select the lowest possible cycle
time at which the roundabout can operate satisfactorily.
21.4.2
Link structure
A link in TRANSYT is used to represent more than one lane when the traffic in the
lanes behaves in a similar way and forms equal length queues. In many cases,
however, traffic will not form equal queues because a particular lane may be used for
a specific movement only. For example, on a two lane approach, virtually all vehicles
wishing to turn left at or before the next signal may use the nearside lane on the
approach. This may occur even though the nearside lane has longer queues than the
offside lane. By using the nearside lane vehicles avoid having to push in from the
offside lane. In this situation two separate links will have to be used and the
proportion of traffic in each must be measured or estimated separately.
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Unequal use of lanes often occurs when lane markings direct vehicles making a left
turn into the nearside lane, and other traffic onto the offside lane, as shown in Figure
21-1 (node 2). In this case, only one lane has been marked with a left turn arrow
because further downstream left turning traffic has only one exit lane. This means
that it is unlikely that any left turning traffic would be in the centre lane, so unequal
length queues could form and two separate links are required.
At nodes 1 and 3 the centre circulating lanes have been marked for both straight
ahead and left turn traffic. This should be acceptable because the left turning traffic
exits down a two lane road. As the centre lane is therefore likely to contain both left
turn and straight ahead traffic, it is probable that the queues on all lanes will form at
the same rate. Queues at the circulating link stop line should therefore form equally
for all lanes and one link can be used.
This assumption is only valid, however, when the arriving flow is reasonably balanced
between the turning and the straight ahead movements. If, for example, during any
part of the cycle more than 67% of the flow arriving at the stop line wished to turn
left, then the queue in the left and centre lanes would be longer than that in the
outside (straight ahead only) lane. Equally if in another part of the cycle less than
30% of the arriving traffic was turning left, then the queue in the left lane would be
smaller than the queue in the centre and outside lanes. In this situation it would be
necessary to use one link for each lane.
The link diagram in Figure 21-2 shows one main circulating link for node 1 (link 11),
and two main circulating links for node 2 (links 21 and 25) where left turn traffic uses
the nearside lane exclusively. The link structure for node 3 is similar to node 1, and
the link structure for node 4 is similar to node 2. For nodes 2 and 4, where there are
two main links for the circulating traffic, one main link is used to model traffic
continuing round the roundabout and through to the next downstream junction (e.g.
link 21), and a second main link models traffic that turns left, leaving the roundabout
prior to the downstream junction (e.g. link 25). Vehicles on these second links have a
free left turn before they reach the subsequent node (e.g. node 3 for link 25), and
are not considered again by TRANSYT.
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21.4.3
Flared Approaches
Flare approaches are common on roundabout entries where extra short lanes are
often added prior to the stop line. In these situations the saturation flow in reality will
start at a high level (say three-lane flow) and then drop as the flare is emptied (to
two-lane flow). In this way flares improve capacity and can achieve this at shorter
cycle times. TRANSYT models this stepped saturation flow which is described in
sections 8.5 and section 18.7.
21.4.4
Saturation flows
At normal signalised junctions such as cross roads, saturation flows can be estimated
using formulae in TRRL report RR67 (Kimber 1986). There has been much discussion
about whether these formulae give reasonable or optimistic estimates for roundabouts
(see Traffic Software News, Issue 33, March 2005 (Crabtree, 2005)). In general, it
should not be automatically assumed that these formulae give optimistic estimates.
In fact, in some circumstances it is likely that RR67 formulae are pessimistic about
saturation flows, even on circulating links. The real problem is that there are many
features and effects that make any prescriptive method of estimating saturation flows
less than ideal. For example, flared approaches, stop lines with more than 3 lanes,
oblique stop lines or curved approaches can affect saturation flow, and possibly make
the use of RR67 formulae less appropriate.
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(a)
The need to change lanes in the next section may make drivers more
cautious (or perhaps more aggressive occasionally) in trying to fit into the
adjacent lane;
(b)
Road curvature;
(c)
Short next section with signals red and/or queue preventing normal
acceleration.
Item (c) above may require a great deal of thought if accurate modelling is to be
achieved. On most signalised roundabouts there are at least some short circulating
sections of carriageway with several lanes. Ideally, a single TRANSYT link should be
used to represent more than one lane only if the queue lengths are similar in each
lane throughout the cycle. Where lane usage (and, therefore, queueing behaviour) is
known or can be predicted (through the use of destination markings for example) one
link should be used to represent one lane. In these circumstances the formulae in
RR67 may be applicable (once due account has been taken of the factors (a) to (c)
above).
Often, not all these lanes are fully utilised and where knowledge of lane usage for a
section of road is inadequate, it may not be feasible to use more than one TRANSYT
link to represent more than one lane. However, where it is necessary to represent
more than one lane on one link, the effects of uneven queueing may be compensated
for by reducing the saturation flow in TRANSYT. The amount by which to reduce the
saturation flow will depend on the extent to which queueing is uneven, but it is likely
to be in the order of a few hundred PCU/hour per lane. If there is doubt about the
extent of the unevenness of queueing, it will be necessary to err on the low side for
circulating links, otherwise the capacity of the roundabout may be over-estimated.
The initial estimate can be refined following observation of the junction with a set of
TRANSYT timings.
In situations where coordination between upstream and downstream circulating
sections is assured, it might be important to specify a high saturation flow to avoid
any spurious queuing during the green period.
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21.4.5
Shared links
The use of shared links can improve the modelling of the junction significantly,
especially if origin/destination flows are available. More accuracy is obtained as more
information is added to the TRANSYT model (providing the information is good). See
section 18.6 for a detailed description of shared links.
TRANSYT models traffic flows in a series of time intervals or steps, and the number
of steps per cycle is chosen by the user, but would normally be 1 second/step. When
modelling a discharging queue, TRANSYT calculates the proportion of flow that
continues into each downstream link from its knowledge of the total flow on the
discharging link and the total flow required to enter the downstream link. For
example, if 75% of the upstream link flow continues into the downstream link (with
25% turning off), then for every step in the cycle, three quarters of the discharging
flow is taken as the entry flow into the downstream link. This is repeated for every
step in the cycle. The remaining flow is assumed to have turned out of the network
and is not considered further.
In many cases this simplified model is not accurate, as in reality there will be
predominant movements across the roundabout. While on average one vehicle in four
will exit, it is probable that these turning vehicles will not be evenly distributed
throughout the cycle. It is not uncommon that for most of the cycle there is little
traffic turning out at a given node, but then, for a short time, a platoon arrives of
which the majority exit.
Figure 21-1, Figure 21-2 and Figure 21-3 illustrate this for a simple four-arm
roundabout. Consider the flows arriving at the stop line X--X at node 2. Some
vehicles will have come from the entry at node 4, heading for node 3 (f43), and will
exit before the stop line Y--Y at node 3. The remaining vehicles arriving at X--X will
have entered at node 1 (f13 and f14) and a proportion of this (f13) will also exit before
stop line Y--Y at node 3. The vehicles from nodes 4 and 1 enter the circulating
carriageway between nodes 1 and 2 at different times in the cycle and so will form
two distinct platoons at the stop line X--X. The platoons are illustrated in Figure 21-3
(a). Of the two platoons only the proportion which entered at node 1 and continuing
to node 4 (f14) will continue to stop line Y--Y. This traffic alone should flow into the
downstream link 32.
Fortunately it is possible to model two entry flows separately using the shared link
facility in TRANSYT. If vehicles that are turning out of the roundabout before the next
node (f43) are modelled as a minor shared link, then the fixed proportional reduction
for circulating traffic can be applied to the newly entered traffic only (f13 and f14). This
will give significantly improved modelling compared to taking a (smaller) fixed
proportion of the total traffic on a single link between nodes 1 and 2.
This is further illustrated in Figure 21-3. The two platoons arriving at stop line X--X
are shown in graph (a), and their departure in graph (b). Graph (c) shows the flow
along links 31 (circulating flow) and 32 (entry flow), and it can be seen that flows f13
and f43 have turned out of the roundabout. Graph (d) shows what would happen if
only one link was used to model all the flow between nodes 1 and 2 (f13 + f14 + f43) TRANSYT simply reduces the flow leaving stop line X--X by the proportion which is
turning out of the roundabout. Hence arrivals downstream would be earlier in the
cycle than in real life. This can have a significant detrimental effect on the coordination of the final signal timings, and wherever possible the shared link model
described above should be used. The shared link model does require complete
origin/destination flow data.
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Use of the shared link facility is required to separate circulating traffic such that, on
each section of circulating carriageway, either:
(a)
(b)
The option (a) is described above - the equally acceptable alternative (b) is illustrated
in Example 2, section 21.6.
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For roundabouts with five or more entries (or four entry roundabouts with significant
U-turning traffic) further inaccuracies of the nature described in paragraphs 1 and 2 of
this section may be introduced. This is because each circulating section may cater for
traffic from three different origins, (i.e. traffic having just entered plus circulating
traffic from two further upstream entries).
Depending on the nature of OD
movements, bearing in mind paragraphs 2 and 3 of this section, it may be beneficial
to model all three streams separately.
21.4.6
Blocking back
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receives green. This can only be at the expense of entry link(s) that run in the other
stage, and some of these entry links may then be forced into oversaturation. This
oversaturation causes the Performance Index to increase considerably, and the
optimiser will attempt to reduce the oversaturation to lower the Performance Index.
This in turn will cause the limit queue to be exceeded, and even a very high excess
queue penalty may not keep the queue below the limit in situations where entry links
running in the other stage have high degrees of oversaturation.
In such cases, a low delay weighting for oversaturated entry links which can usually
accommodate a long queue may help to force the critical circulating queue below the
desired limit, but the consequences of having an oversaturated link should be
carefully considered. Sparing use of the facility is also advisable. Use limit queues
only where they are needed to minimise unwanted side effects.
Note that with CTM there will be less need for setting limit queues as queues that
block back will be more naturally avoided. However, keeping queues below a certain
level is not guaranteed and limit queues might still be useful for this.
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Once the signal timings have been found using the suggested weighting factors and
queue penalties etc, the network should be run with flows increased by about 10-15%
with the timings set to those found without the flow increase, to check the network
will continue to operate in higher than average flow conditions. The results should be
carefully checked to ensure queue lengths remain short on circulating and other
critical links, with degrees of saturation below 90% ideally, so that blocking back to
upstream nodes is unlikely to occur. To do this in TRANSYT 13, after completing the
optimisation runs, simply switch the optimisation to none, remove the equisat
facility, and re run: this will run the file with the timings from the last run. Check the
results to see that oversaturation is stored on the entries rather than circulating links.
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TRANSYT 13 offers a number of animation options which can offer a better insight into
how the roundabout is operating. To better understand both how the roundabouts
described below have been modelled and to see the way they behave, it is worth
loading the data files supplied with TRANSYT and experiment with the available
facilities.
21.6.1
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21.6.1.2 Flows
The Origin/Destination flow matrix is given in Table 21-1. This shows the flow from
each entry to each exit during the period under consideration.
From
Node
Total
275
330
330
110
55
1100
55
275
330
330
110
1100
110
55
275
330
330
1100
300
110
55
275
330
1070
340
450
560
60
290
1700
275
330
330
110
55
1100
Total
1080
1220
1550
1105
1100
1115
The Flow Allocation Tool in TRANSYT 13.1 has been used to help assign flows to links.
When using the tool it is necessary to be careful that the flows allocated to links are
realistic, and to adjust them if they are not.
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21.6.2
d)
e)
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predicted for the one hour period. This implies a queue at the end of the hour could
be approximately 84 PCU in two lanes (i.e. 42 per lane). Depending on how long the
slip road might be, this could be longer than that and may need further attention.
The other motorway entry slip road, link 40, is not as oversaturated.
Apart from link 55 the circulating links do not have large queues and there is little
danger of blocking back to the upstream nodes.
Increasing the flows globally for the whole simulation period is a severe test.
Providing the queues on circulating links do not look to be seriously impeding
upstream nodes, the roundabout should function comfortably within capacity most of
the time.
21.6.3
Graphical outputs
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21.6.4
The motorway roundabout example described above has also been modelled using the
CTM option. The opportunity has been taken to model the flares explicitly, which the
CTM enables (flares cannot be modelled in the same way in the PDM). This involves
using a bottleneck link upstream of the flare that feeds links representing the lanes at
the stop line (see Figure 21-10). This is more accurate than using the flare feature as
it can model the effects of having separate movements at the stop line (and, although
not a feature here, can also model situations where the lanes are separately
signalled).
Apart from modelling of the flares (Nodes 3 and 5), the remaining model structure is
as before. An important point though is that the saturation flows on the exit links
must be high enough to accommodate the highest flows that enter the link.
Otherwise queues will form on the feeding links which would not be present in reality.
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200 metre internal links where platoon dispersion could be noticeable. The extent to
which this matters or not will depend on how the queues form and discharge.
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21.7.1
The roundabout is triangular in shape (see Figure 21-11) with four main junctions,
plus a signalised pedestrian crossing on the exit to the north. The longest circulating
link is 150 metres and the shortest just 40 metres. Each link has two lanes at each
stop line.
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21.7.2
The link diagram in Figure 21-12 and the TRANSYT input data (see TRANSYT file
TRL3 - Walton Street - AM peak.t13) show how the roundabout has been modelled.
The ODTAB option has been used to input the flows. The link structure in this
example differs from the example in section 21.4. In this case only one shared link
has been necessary in this case to separate traffic that is exiting and that continuing
to circulate. All the other circulating sections have a lane structure that segregates
the movements adequately without the need to use shared links. There are some Uturners, but these generally have to use a specific lane to make their exit, which is
the same link (hence lane) used by other OD movements making the same exit, so
again there is no need to introduce additional shared links.
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21.7.3
TRANSYT output
The output from a TRANSYT run with a cycle time of 50 seconds is given in the
TRANSYT file TRL3 - Walton Street - AM peak.t13.
Studying the degree-ofsaturation on each link shows that the aim of giving spare green to circulating links
has been achieved. However, link 21 is quite heavily saturated. It is necessary to put
this oversaturation onto the entry links so that the amount of traffic entering the
roundabout is restricted, thus reducing the possibility of blocking back. For these
predictions to accurately depict on-street behaviour, the simulation time (card type 1,
column 20) should equal the length of time over which the flow conditions have been
averaged. In this case the flows are averaged over one hour, so the simulation time
is 60 minutes.
The circulating links for node 3 (link 31 and 32) also need to be well coordinated if
queues are to remain under control. The graphs for links 31 and 32 show the large
platoon made up of traffic entering the roundabout on link 25. With just the one
platoon, good co-ordination between node 3 and the upstream node (node 2) is easily
achieved. Hence, queue lengths are comparatively short. However, a small error in,
say, cruise speed, could result in some of the on-street platoon being stopped and it
would not take much of an error to give rise to large on-street queues. This
highlights the importance of correct information for critical nodes.
For the remainder of the roundabout, the graphical output shows that it has been
possible to co-ordinate well for all the platoons around the roundabout. On links 31
and 32, good co-ordination plays a major role in keeping the queues on circulating
links short.
21.7.4
To check that the gyratory continued to function without locking up under conditions
of higher than average flow, the final signal plan was tested with flows increased by
10 per cent of their modelled values. Under these circumstances, the increase in
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circulating traffic was small, but, as would be expected, the queues predicted for
entry links 27 and 37 were large. This was tolerable at this roundabout since no
significant hazard was caused by large queues on these two approaches, and this is
preferable to the roundabout blocking up, possibly reducing capacity to a fraction of
that expected.
21.8 Recommendations
Use zero stop weightings and reduced delay weightings on entry links so that
TRANSYT considers entry links as more unimportant relative to entry link, so
that spare green is given to the circulating links.
Keep the cycle time as short as possible to avoid long queues on circulating
links and to make the best use of flared entries.
Use Card Type 33s to model flared approaches, but watch out for modelling
inaccuracies.
Make use of the TRANSYT flow pattern graphs, queue graphs and the queue
analysis features of NetCon to check co-ordination and queueing behaviour.
Compare flow patterns, degrees of saturation and cyclic flow patterns with the
on-street behaviour (and re-model the junction if necessary).
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Definitions / Glossary
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22 Definitions / Glossary
22.1 TRANSYT 13 GUI Terms
Data Item
Every TRANSYT 13 data file is made up of Data Items, most of which are shown as
entries in the Data Outline screen. Data Item is a generic term meaning any of the
various 'objects' used in TRANSYT 13. Total Flow is an example of a data item, as is
Node 1. Most data items belong to a 'parent' data item for example, Sources may
contain several data items such as Source 1 and Source 2. Data items also include
general areas such as Traffic and File Description.
Data Editor
A screen that shows and allows editing of all data item fields for the Active Data Item.
See Data Editor Screen for more details.
Data Grid
A Data grid is powerful and flexible screen which allows views of input data and
output results in a grid style, which can be sorted and filtered. Input data can also be
edited.
Data Outline
A screen that shows the current data file in outline form, with an entry for each data
item, and allows the adding/deleting of data items. See Data Outline for details.
Padlock
This is a mechanism that allows specific screens to be locked to specific types of data
and/or specific items of data while navigating around the network.
Task List
A screen that shows any warnings and/or errors detected in the current data file. See
Task List for more details.
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A1 coefficient
The first coefficient used in the TRANSYT give-way model. It is a measure of how
much traffic can cross a give-way link through another stream of traffic. This
coefficient and the A2 coefficient can be calculated using ARCADY or PICADY.
A2 coefficient
The second coefficient used in the TRANSYT give-way model. It is a measure of how
much traffic can cross a give-way link through another (second) stream of traffic. If
traffic entering from a give-way crosses only one stream of traffic, this value is not
needed.
Analysis Set
An analysis set is data within a single TRANSYT file which contains signal plan (+
other relevant signal related data) for a single network. Several analysis sets can be
stored in a TRANSYT 13 file. Analysis sets also allow different signal information to be
associated with the different demand sets, e.g. different signal timings for am and pm
peak periods.
Bottleneck
A bottleneck is a link with 100% green. The facility can be used to model links which
have reduced saturation flow along their length or at a particular point. Bottlenecks
are also used to represent the controlling flows at a priority junction since they have
no signals and hence have 100% green.
Bus TRANSYT
This is a method of optimising the signals in a network to favour buses.
Bus link
This is a special type of link used to model buses. For buses on such links the user
must specify the average free-running speed and the average time stationary at bus
stops. The performance of buses is given separate consideration in the output.
Definitions / Glossary
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Card type
A term continued in TRANSYT that dates back to the use of computer punch cards.
Junction data values have traditionally been split into logical groupings (card types) to
facilitate the reading and saving of data as well as the program coding of TRANSYT.
References to such cards is now limited to sections of this User Guide covering
TRANSYT 12 (or earlier) file formats, such as details on import to/export from
TRANSYT 12.
Controlling links
These links form part of the give-way model in TRANSYT. They are the links
containing traffic streams to which traffic on side roads must give way.
Cruise time
This is the average time it takes for a vehicle to progress down a link.
CYOP
This is a TRANSYT tool to aid the selection of the optimum cycle time for the network
being modelled and also for identifying nodes that may benefit from double-cycling.
Demand Set
Several sets of traffic flows can be stored in TRANSYT 13, and then combined as
needed when the file is run. Each set of flows is a demand set. A typical use is to
store flows for morning and evening peak periods separately and then select the
desired set to run. Demand sets can be combined to model e.g. base flows plus
development flows, which are stored separately.
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(Queueing) Delay
This is delay incurred by vehicles on a link as a result of them having to queue up and
stop because of the signals at the junction at the downstream end of the link, or
because of having to give-way at a priority junction.
Double Cycling
Traffic signals within a network are commonly operated on the same common cycle
time. Double cycled nodes are nodes set to operate on a cycle time which is half of
the common network cycle time. This is called double cycling.
Drive-on-the-left / Drive-on-the-right
Drive-on-the-left indicates that vehicles travel along the left-hand-side of the road,
as in the UK and Japan. Drive-on-the-right indicates that the vehicles travel along
the right-hand-side of the road, as in mainland Europe and the USA.
Early cut-off
An early cut-off is a staging arrangement designed to benefit traffic having to turn
right through an opposing traffic stream at a signalised junction. The traffic opposing
the right turners is stopped earlier than the right turners, in order that the right
turners can finally turn unopposed.
Definitions / Glossary
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EQUISAT
This is the part of TRANSYT which, for each node, produces initial green splits which
equalise saturation for the most saturated links which determine the green needed by
each stage.
Flared approach
This an approach which flares out towards the stop line to provide an extra bay or
bays.
Give-way link
A link that must give-way to another link, or links which have priority over it. It can
be at a priority intersection or a signalised intersection.
GO-profile
The GO-profile is the cyclic pattern of traffic that would leave the stop line if there was
enough traffic to saturate the green.
HDV
Heavy duty vehicle. This term is used in the vehicle composition for the exhaust
emissions model.
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(Link) Intergreen
A link intergreen is the length of time (in seconds) that is the minimum time between
the end of one conflicting link and the start of another, defined mainly for safety
reasons. The Intergreen Matrix specifies the intergreen between each conflicting pair
of links. N.B. Intergreens are usually defined in terms of phases rather than links.
Link intergreen is a term specific to TRANSYT due to it modelling links rather than
directly modelling phases.
Interstage
The interstage is defined as starting from the termination of the first green in a stage
(which also signals the end of the stage) to the commencement of the last green
starting in the next stage.
IN-profile
The IN-profile is the cyclic pattern of traffic which would arrive at the stop line at the
downstream end of the link if the traffic were not impeded by signals at the stop line.
Late Release
An arrangement of stages whereby the phase for opposing traffic starts after that for
the opposed traffic. In other words, opposed traffic initially gets a clear run, but later
on has to give way to oncoming traffic.
Level of Service
A subjective description of traffic performance measured at intersections. It indicates
the quality of the service afforded by any junction. TRANSYT uses the Level of
Service thresholds from the US Highway Capacity Manual 2000.
Link
A link is a one-way traffic stream between junctions. A separate link is used for each
distinct queueing situation or traffic stream. Thus, for example, two straight ahead
Definitions / Glossary
Page 317
lanes can form part of the same link providing traffic queues equally in them. (This
can only occur if a movement is shared, and the exit(s) are largely unrestricted).
Location
A traffic entry and exit point which acts as both the origin and destination for flows
defined in an OD Matrix using the Flow Allocation Tool. At least two locations will
normally be required.
SF
Link length
*
1800
5.75
Network
A network is a collection of links and nodes modelled within TRANSYT.
Node
The TRANSYT representation of a signal controlled intersection.
OD Matrix
Defines Flows between Origins and Destinations. Origins and Destinations are defined
by Locations. Within a section of the network Paths are defined and together with the
turning flows, flows can be assigned to the Links (total flows) and the Connectors
between links (source flows).
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Offset
The offset for a junction is the time at which stage 1 starts relative to the arbitrary
time zero for the network and hence also relative to the other junctions in the
network.
Opposed Traffic
Traffic making an offside movement which must give way to oncoming vehicles. For
drive-on-the-left situations (as in the UK), this applies to right-turning traffic.
Opposing Traffic
The oncoming stream of traffic to which opposed traffic must give way.
OUT-profile
The OUT-profile is the cyclic pattern of traffic which leaves a link.
PCU factor
Bicycles
Motorcycles
Cars/light goods (3/4 wheels)
Medium goods (two axles but > 4 tyres)
Buses, coaches
Heavy goods (more than two axles)
0.2
0.4
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.3
For the purposes of modelling pedestrians they too can be given a PCU value.
(Pedestrians never mix with any other type of traffic so there is no need to assign a
value relative to vehicle types etc.)
Path
A form of continuous route. A TRANSYT Path is a defined path, in terms of a specific
sequence of links, between an OD pair (i.e. between one origin Location and one
destination Location) within a section of the network relating to a particular OD
Matrix.
It therefore contains only links which are consistent, i.e. each link is
downstream of the previous link.
Definitions / Glossary
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Pedestrian Link
Link Sources (upstream links) can be defined as pedestrian only links in TRANSYT.
These links are treated more-or-less the same as normal traffic links except that
they can optionally be excluded from contributing to the Performance Index
calculations. They can also be explicitly identified in TRANSYT, e.g. drawn differently
in NetCon.
Performance Index
This value represents the delay and stop costs incurred by vehicles on links having to
queue and stop on those links.
Phase
A phase is a set of signal conditions given to one or more traffic streams (vehicular or
pedestrian) so that each stream allocated to the phase receives identical signal
indications. The phasing is closely related to the electrical cabling at a junction and
the arrangements for wiring individual signal heads to the controller. All signal heads
controlled by a particular phase will switch at the same time.
A phase can control more than one traffic stream providing it is acceptable that each
traffic stream always receives the same signal indications.
Platoon dispersion
TRANSYT data inputs a single cruise speed or cruise time for traffic travelling along a
link. In reality, some traffic travels faster, some slower, than this average. To take
account of this, the TRANSYT model takes flow entering a link and disperses the
platoon as it travels down the link. This models the variation in vehicle cruise speeds
as they progress down the link.
Queues
Queues are streams of stationary traffic at a stop line.
QUEPROB
A component of TRANSYT GUI (previously an independent supplementary program)
that estimates the average number of vehicles able to use a flare during each green.
Repeated greens
This is the situation where one (or more) stages receives more than one green during
any one cycle.
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RFC
Ratio of demand flow to capacity (see also Degree of Saturation).
Route
A user-defined subset of the links within the network. Unlike Paths, Links within a
route can be duplicated and do not adhere to any ordering rules.
RTIA
Road traffic impact assessment
Saturation flow
This is the maximum rate of discharge from a queue when the traffic signal is green.
It can be obtained by measurement or calculation based on stop line width and other
site factors. (see RR 67)
N.B. The Cell Transmission Model interprets this value as a link saturation flow.
Stage
A stage is a part of the signal cycle during which a particular set of non-conflicting
phases receives green, and during which there are no phase changes. Each two
successive stages are usually separated in the signal cycle by an interstage period.
The start of a stage occurs when the last phase running in the stage turns to green,
and the end of a stage occurs when the first terminating phase reaches the end of its
green period. Consistent with this definition, individual phases may continue to run
beyond the end of the stage, or may start before the stage starts.
A TRANSYT 12 STAGE is defined as starting from termination of the first green in
the previous stage to the termination of the first green in that stage, hence includes
the preceding interstage.
Definitions / Glossary
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Steps
The TRANSYT model divides the network cycle time into a number of steps for
modelling purposes.
Stop penalty
This is a penalty which deters the optimiser from producing signal timings which will
give unduly high stops on a link.
Stream
Vehicle flows from one or more lanes which are considered together for calculation
purposes.
TDD
An abbreviation used in TRANSYT to refer to a time-distance diagram. Time-distance
diagrams are used to display the state of progression (good or bad) of traffic from
stopline to stopline by plotting traffic flow over time and distance.
Traffic Flow
The quantity of vehicles (measured in PCUs) or pedestrians arriving at a particular
point on a link (e.g. a stop line) or passing a particular point, per unit time.
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Time Segment
When analysing a network over a extended time period, the time period can optionally
be split into several time segments of shorter length. This allows varying traffic
conditions to be modelled. Traffic flows are assumed to be constant within each time
segment, but may vary from one time segment to the next. Signal timings are
assumed to be constant over the entire time period. Output results are reported for
both averages over all time segments and for each segment giving a detailed
breakdown of the network performance over the modelled time period.
Uniform delay
This is the delay incurred by the average number of vehicles queueing on a link during
the typical cycle.
Weighting factors
These factors allow the user to modify all stop and delay weightings by a fixed
percentage. In this way the user can check whether or not it would be beneficial
changing these values.
References
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23 References
ANON. (1968). SIGOP traffic signal optimisation program users manual. New York,
(Peat, Marwick, Livingston and Co.).
BULL P and G M DUNNE (1983). Traffic signal control of Park Square roundabout,
Sheffield. PTRC summer annual meeting, University of Sussex.
BINNING J C, M R CRABTREE and G Burtenshaw (2003). TRANSYT 12 User Guide.
TRL Application Guide AG 48. Crowthorne: Transport Research Laboratory.
BURTENSHAW G L and X Zhang (2006). OSCADY PRO User Guide. TRL Application
Guide AG 59. Crowthorne: Transport Research Laboratory.
DAVIES P and B JAMIESON (1980). Traffic signal control of roundabouts. Traffic
Engineering and Control, 19(7), July 1980, 354-357.
DEPARTMENT for TRANSPORT ET AL (2003). Environmental assessment, section 3
environmental assessment techniques part 1 air quality, Design Manual for Roads
and Bridges (DMRB) Volume 11.
FLANAGAN T B and R J SALTER (1983). Signal-controlled roundabouts. PTRS
summer annual meeting, University of Sussex.
HALLWORTH M S (1992). Signalling roundabouts 1. Circular arguments. Traffic
Engineering and Control, 33(6), June 1992, 354-363.
HILLIER J A (1965). Glasgow experiment in Area Traffic Control. Traffic Engineering
and Control, Vol.7, No 8 (Dec), pp 502-509, and Vol.7, No 9 (Jan 1966), pp 569-571.
HOLROYD J and J A HILLIER (1971). The Glasgow experiment: PLIDENT and after.
Department of the Environment, RRL Report LR384. Crowthorne: Road Research
Laboratory.
HUDDART K (1983). Signalling of Hyde Park Corner, Elephant and Castle and other
roundabouts. PTRC summer annual meeting, University of Sussex.
JONES S E (1992). Signalling roundabouts 2. Controlling the revolution. Traffic
Engineering and Control, 33(11), November 1992, 606-613.
KIMBER R M (1980). The traffic capacity of roundabouts. Department of the
Environment Department of Transport, TRRL Report LR 942. Crowthorne: Transport and
Road Research Laboratory.
KIMBER R M and R D COOMBE (1980). The traffic capacity of major/minor priority
junctions. Department of the Environment Department of Transport, TRRL Report
SR582. Crowthorne: Transport and Road Research Laboratory.
KIMBER R M, M McDONALD and N B HOUNSELL (1986). The prediction of
saturation flows for road junctions controlled by traffic signals. Department of
Transport, TRRL Report RR67, Crowthorne: Transport and Road Research Laboratory.
Page 324
Ministry of
References (CTM)
Crabtree M. (2002). Modelling opposed right-turn movements in TRANSYT Part 1.
Traffic Software News, 20. TRL Limited.
Crabtree M. (2002). Modelling opposed right-turn movements in TRANSYT Part 2.
Traffic Software News, 21. TRL Limited.
Crabtree M. (2002). Modelling opposed right-turn movements in TRANSYT Part 3.
Traffic Software News, 22. TRL Limited.
Daganzo C. (1994). The cell transmission model: a dynamic representation of
highway traffic consistent with the hydrodynamic theory. Transportation research-B,
28 (4) 269-287.
Daganzo C. (1995). The cell transmission model, Part II: network traffic.
Transportation Research-B, 29 (2) 79-93.
Lighthill M J and Whitham J B (1955). On kinematic waves: I. flow movement in
long rivers; II. a theory of traffic flow on long crowded road. Proceedings of Royal
Society, A229, pp 281-345.
Richards P I (1956). Shockwaves on the highway. Operations Research 4, 42-51.
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Fully
2 Optimisation Node List
7 Shared Lanes
1X Controller Timing
18 Controller Timing
2Y Phasing Data*
2Z Phasing Data Continuation
28 Link Data
30 Performance Index (PI) weighting
34 Queueing Capacity Modifier
35 Cruise speed multiplier
36 Volume Multiplier
37 Delay Weight Multiplier
38 Stop Weight Multiplier
39 Platoon Dispersion Factors
40 Flow Profile Diagrams
42 Arterial Routes
Route Title Card
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61 Route Link
70 Node Coordinates
Intersection Name Record
Link Name Record
Partially
1 Run Controls
10 Network Parameters
29 Link Data Continuation
291 Link Data Further Continuation
9X Termination Instructions
Not at all
3 Movement Numbering
4 Hill-Climb Optimisation Step Sizes
5 Associated Links
6 Hill-Climb Sensitivity Parameters
8 Model Coefficients
31 Link-to-Link Flow Weighting
32 Queueing Ratio Weighting
33 Throughput Weighting
41 Bandwidth Constraints
43 Arterial Weighting
5X Run Instructions
60 Route Parameters
71 Link Curvature
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Enter the signalised node that you wish to export; this node will be used as the
OSCADY PRO signalised junction.
TRANSYT 13 will export all links controlled by this node as a separate traffic stream in
OSCADY PRO, with each shared minor link appearing as a lane within that traffic
stream. The actual appearance in OSCADY PRO is unimportant unless you plan to
develop the junction further in OSCADY PRO in that case, you can use the tools in
OSCADY PRO to adjust the layout.
TRANSYT 13 will export the current stage sequence for the node as a stage sequence
in OSCADY PRO. Tick the Force Stages box if you need OSCADY PRO to run this
sequence exactly as it appears (as opposed to adjusting the stage sequence).
Tick Include Evaluation Sequence if the current link timings should be included as an
OSCADY PRO evaluation sequence. In this way you can use OSCADY PRO to compare
the current link timings to the optimised timings (and optimised stage sequence and
possible new stages) that OSCADY PRO generates.
You can choose to use the current network cycle time either as the fixed cycle time in
OSCADY PRO or as the maximum cycle time in OSCADY PRO.
Finally you can choose whether or not to include pedestrian links and whether basic
opposition status should be exported.
Please note that no attempt is made to export options in a detailed manner and, for
example, the opposition status is limited to simply turning opposition on/off for
individual links; you should check the various detailed parameters available in
OSCADY PRO, including turning movements.
The screenshot below shows a node from TRANSYT 13 which was exported to OSCADY
PRO and then run using a new set of timings generated by OSCADY PRO. (In this
example there are no intergreens).
Page 335
In the Phase Timings screen, click the Show Phase Timings Editor button,
which will show a grid of the phase timings
Use the main OSCADY PRO toolbar Copy button to copy these timings to the
clipboard
Return to TRANSYT 13, show the Link Timings screen for the appropriate node,
and select Clipboard>Paste Link Timings From Clipboard (OSCADY PRO
Format). If the timings are compatible, you should then see the link timings
appear in TRANSYT 13, along with a new set of stages if necessary. (There is
no need to manually add the stages.)
Note this is based on the assumption that the links in TRANSYT 13 are
equivalent to the phases in OSCADY PRO. This should always be true if you
export from TRANSYT 13 and then paste the timings directly back to TRANSYT
13, but cannot be guaranteed if you have used intermediate files.