Dr. Fabio Sasahara
HCS to TSIS-CORSIM Export Tool
Most HCS modules offer a quick “Export to CORSIM” tool. With one click, the user can quickly generate a TSIS-CORSIM file to microsimulate any models developed in HCS. This feature can be particularly useful to overcome known HCM limitations (refer to HCM Chapter 6 – HCM and Alternative Analysis Tools for a list of common examples and further discussion)
Example: 4-leg, 3-way Stop Intersection
This example illustrates a 4-leg intersection where three approaches are subject to a stop sign, with the same priority, similar to an All-Way Stop Control (AWSC) intersection. However, the Eastbound (EB) approach is uncontrolled, and it is not required to stop at the intersection, having priority over the other three approaches. Due to the presence of an adjacent rail crossing, this design prioritizes safety by avoiding the development of queues on the EB approach that may become a hazard when they extend further upstream.
4-leg intersection with three stop-controlled approaches
HCS analysis
The first step in this example is to model this intersection, including all lane configurations and volumes as a regular AWSC intersection. However, the AWSC analysis in HCM, applicable to the three approaches under a stop sign, cannot account for their interaction with the single uncontrolled approach in this location. As shown in the next figure, the EB approach yields some relatively high delays that do not reflect the real field conditions:
Performance measures considering a full AWSC intersection
The next step in this analysis is to export this HCS model to TSIS-CORSIM by generating a TRF file:
Exporting an HCS file to TSIS-CORSIM
Next, open the TRF file using TSIS-CORSIM, then right-click the intersection node and select “Edit Node”:
Editing node properties for the intersection
Then, under “Control” tab, click “Properties” to configure the type of control applied to each approach. For the EB approach (301), click the Stop sign button to make it uncontrolled:
Defining the control type for each intersection approach
Next, run the simulation to confirm that the EB approach is operating uncontrolled:
TSIS-CORSIM 3-Way STOP intersection
Finally, control delay for all intersection approaches can be extracted from the simulation. As shown in the next figure, microsimulation correctly shows zero delay to the EB approach, while other approaches also have their control delays computed:
Control delay comparison – HCM AWSC vs Simulated 3-Way Stop
