A New Simulation System for Traffic Signal Control Evaluation

This paper summarizes the principles and experiences gained so far in building and testing a new kind of simulator at the Helsinki University of Technology. In this simulator a real traffic signal controller is utilized as a part of the simulation system. The first trials on this principle started in 1985 and a third version simulator is under construction. The present simulator software is implemented using object-oriented programming and the Turbo-Pascal version 6.0. The name (HUTSIM) of the simulator comes from the name of the university. The simulation of a signal controlled intersection can be divided into three main components. These are the signal control, the intersection geometry and the traffic.