2025 Volume 17 Issue 2 Pages 97-105
Traffic congestion and accidents are often rooted in problems related to the structure and/or operation of road networks. While understanding and resolving these problems requires broad and specialized knowledge as well as advanced technologies, establishing such an environment is not always easy. However, many traffic phenomena can, in fact, be reproduced using generalized approaches and simplified models. If the essential characteristics of a given phenomenon are properly modeled, rapid and effective improvements can be achieved. This study focuses on local traffic problems and uses data obtained from field surveys to construct low computational cost, simplified, and flexible discrete-event simulation models. Furthermore, a practical method is proposed to enable the analysis of these problems and the formulation of improvement plans based on real-world traffic conditions. In practice, this method was applied to the issue of a stop sign immediately after a low-visibility left-hand curve near the Sendai International Center. Experiments were conducted under four scenarios that considered changes in traffic flow due to the long-term closure of the Sendaijoato Line.
