Microsimulation is used for pedestrian analysis scenarios as described in

Figure 14-1

.

Microsimulation is often used if the pedestrian facility interacts with motor vehicles (e.g., a midblock crossing across an arterial) and the interaction is expected to cause considerable pedestrian or vehicular delay. Microsimulation does not analyze safety or perceived comfort of a pedestrian facility; therefore, a microsimulation (microscopic) analysis is typically paired with a PLTS analysis.

A pedestrian crosswalk can be coded at an intersection using links that match the width and location of the crosswalk in the field that cross over the leg of the intersection. It is a best practice to use a different display type for pedestrian crosswalk links to show that these are separate from the vehicle network links. Signal heads and detectors are used on the pedestrian crosswalk links for pedestrian movements controlled by a pedestrian signal. Conflict areas are coded between vehicle and pedestrian links. Pedestrians are given priority by coding the conflict area for pedestrian links green and coding the overlapping vehicle links red.

Animations of pedestrian facilities can be created with microsimulation (microscopic) tools, and these animations are a valuable resource in a pedestrian analysis. Animations are not necessary for any pedestrian facility analysis but could be recommended based on project complexity and level of detail. Animations are not acceptable as a standalone form of analysis and are to be used only as a complement to a PLTS, HCS, or traditional microsimulation (microscopic) analysis.

For information on coding detectors, conflict areas, and links for pedestrian analysis, see

Chapter 13

.

If using Vissim to conduct a pedestrian analysis, refer to the Vissim user manual for information on specific best practices and guidance.