Calibration and Validation of a Shared Space Model: Case Study

Anvari, Bani; Bell, Michael G.H.; Angeloudis, Panagiotis; Ochieng, Washington Y. · 2016 · Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

DOI: 10.3141/2588-05

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Summary

This paper addresses the need for simulation tools to evaluate shared space street designs, which aim to harmonize vehicle and pedestrian coexistence by minimizing physical separation and traffic clutter. While previous work by the authors calibrated a microscopic model based on the Social Force Model (SFM) using data from New Road in Brighton, this study focuses on calibrating and validating that model using data from Exhibition Road in London. Exhibition Road shares the same typology as New Road but features significantly higher vehicle flows and speeds, along with greater segregation between pedestrians and cars, providing a distinct context for testing the model’s robustness. The methodology employs a rule-based SFM comprising three layers: trajectory planning, force-based dynamics, and rule-based constraints. The model treats both pedestrians and vehicles as agents influenced by driving forces, socio-psychological repulsive forces, physical contact forces, and obstacle repulsion. Vehicle behavior is further constrained by steering-angle relationships and conflict avoidance strategies. Data collection involved monitoring peak-hour traffic on Exhibition Road using CCTV and digital cameras. Trajectories, speeds, and accelerations of pedestrians and vehicles were extracted using specialized software and resampled to match the model’s 0.1-second time step. Calibration utilized a hybrid method minimizing the deviation between simulated and tracked trajectories, specifically adjusting interaction strength ($A$) and interaction range ($B$) parameters for pedestrian-pedestrian, pedestrian-car, car-pedestrian, and car-car interactions. The results demonstrate that the calibrated model successfully reproduces the empirical speed and acceleration distributions of both road users. The calibration yielded specific parameter values, such as an interaction range of 11–12 meters for car-pedestrian and car-car interactions, which are larger than those found in the Brighton study. This increase reflects the higher speeds and greater segregation observed on Exhibition Road, where pedestrians largely remain on the sides while vehicles adhere to assumed lanes. The simulation accurately captured the observed tendency for agents to maintain separation and follow shortest paths, with fitness values indicating a strong match between simulated and real-world trajectories. The significance of this work lies in confirming that shared space schemes are highly context-dependent. The findings indicate that infrastructural design, traffic volume, and speed critically influence the willingness of road users to share space. By validating the model against a high-flow, segregated environment, the authors demonstrate that the SFM-based approach can effectively simulate diverse shared space characteristics. This capability allows urban designers and authorities to evaluate the performance of new street designs under varying traffic conditions before implementation, supporting the broader adoption of shared space concepts in urban planning.

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• mental model of traffic