Transferability of a calibrated microscopic simulation model parameters for operational assessment of transit signal priority

This study evaluates the transferability of the calibrated parameters for mobility performance of transit signal priority (TSP) in a microscopic simulation environment. The analysis is based on two transit corridors in Florida. Two microscopic simulation VISSIM models, a base model, and a TSP model are developed for each corridor. The simulation models are calibrated to represent field conditions. Three driving behavior parameters that significantly affect the simulation results are identified and selected for the transferability study. A genetic algorithm technique is used to obtain an improved value for each of the three parameters for both transit corridors. Calibrated parameters obtained from the first study corridor, which maximize the correlation between simulated and field travel time, are used to estimate the second study corridor’s travel time and compare the results to parameters optimized specifically for the second study corridor. The study uses the application-based and estimation-based approaches for the analysis. Overall, the TSP model parameter results are generally transferable between the two transit corridors. A percentage change of 9.25 and 18.50% are observed for two of the parameters between two TSP corridors which indicates that these two parameters are transferable. On the other hand, one of the parameters with a high percentage change value of 23.80% between the two TSP corridors are not transferable. The findings of this study may present key considerations for transportation agencies and practitioners when planning future TSP deployments.