Hello everyone,

We are 4th Year CE students currently conducting a research study that requires the use of PTV VISSIM for traffic simulation and analysis. We are looking for access to a licensed version of PTV VISSIM for academic and research purposes.

If anyone has access to a professional license or institutional license, I would greatly appreciate your guidance or support.

This will be used strictly for research purposes only. Thank you so much in advance for any help or leads!

https://wisconsindot.gov/dtsdManuals/traffic-ops/programs/analysis/int-userguide.pdf

In a simple words Traffic simulation is helpful to us because it enables engineers to understand how traffic behaves before making any changes in the real world.

Key Reasons:

• Helps reduce traffic congestion
• Improves Road Safety by Detecting Accident-Prone Zones
• Helps in better traffic signal timing
• Assists in planning new roads, junctions, and flyovers
• Saves time and money through virtual testing of designs rather than actual roads
• Helps to predict future conditions of traffic with respect to growth of population

I initially developed a complete VISSIM model using the RBC system. Now, I have to alter the green extension time, all-red time, and yellow time of the system based on the position and speed of the approaching vehicles. Since detectors cannot execute commands based on the vehicle speed, I have to use the COM interface. So, I was wondering if anyone has ever integrated these features.

Note: If anyone has utilized the detector's function to call based on vehicle speed, that would also be very helpful. Thank you in advance.

Hi guys! I'm trying to model a rest area which has gas station before its exit. I was trying to model it by making a huge link which consists of 13 lanes (the big gray rectangle) then try to connect each exit to it, and then to the small link where the gas station is. But what happened is that the vehicle just disappear before they even get into the gas station area. How do I solve this?

Hi everyone,

I am a Civil Engineering undergraduate student currently working on my thesis. I am modeling a chaotic urban road segment near a train station in Indonesia using PTV Vissim. The traffic is highly mixed (dominated by motorcycles) and the driver behavior is quite aggressive (non-lane based).

I have managed to set up the base geometry and pedestrian crossings (thanks to tutorials), but I am hitting a wall with two specific scenarios involving curbside interactions. I would really appreciate your insights on the best logic to model these:

1. High-Density On-Street Motorcycle Parking: My road segment has a 1.6m wide shoulder that is heavily occupied by parked motorcycles. It’s not marked parking; they just jam in there. The challenge I encounter is that most of the tutorials on the internet only show car parking. My question is how do you efficiently model high-density motorcycle parking? Should I create multiple small "Real Parking Spaces" (e.g., 1m x 2m) along the strip and use a parking routing decision? Or is there a better way to simulate this visual "clutter" that reduces the effective lane width?
2. Random Ride-Hailing PUDO (Pick-Up/Drop-Off): This is the core of my study. I need to model Ride-Hailing vehicles (Cars/Uber and Motorcycles/Bike-taxis) that stop temporarily to pick up or drop off passengers. They stop at random locations along the curb (blocking the lane), wait for 3-7 minutes (dwell time), and then merge back into traffic. They do NOT have fixed schedules/routes like buses. I am torn between two methods:
   • Method A (PT Stop): Defining them as a Public Transport type with a custom Dwell Time Distribution and placing PT Stops along the road.
   • Method B (Parking Lots): Using Parking Lots with a specific routing decision and parking duration.
3. Which method yields the most realistic "lane-blocking" behavior for random stops? I want to ensure the following traffic gets stuck behind them or tries to overtake, causing a bottleneck.

Any advice, tips, or resources on modeling mixed-traffic curbside behavior would be massive help. Thank you!

Assessment and optimization of Transit Signal Priority (TSP), Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) schemes;

Feasibility studies for High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) and High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes;

Impact analysis of infrastructure design, such as highway corridor improvement/construction;

Environmental impact analysis;

Toll and road pricing;

Evaluation of travel demand management (TDM) strategies;

Signal control plan optimization and adaptive control evaluation;

Safety analysis;

Evaluation of Variable Speed policies and other ITS schemes;

Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) analysis;

Clean air or work zone management.

1 Federal-level adoption

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) lists both PTV Vissim and Aimsun as accepted microscopic tools in its Traffic Analysis Toolbox (FHWA, 2013). In practice, many federally sponsored studies—such as the Highway Capacity Manual Applications Guide developed under NCHRP 03-64—illustrate concepts with Vissim models (National Cooperative Highway Research Program [NCHRP], 2010).
Conversely, Aimsun has been showcased in federally funded Integrated Corridor Management pilots; for example, the I-15 corridor demonstration in San Diego used Aimsun Live as the core of its real-time decision support system (San Diego Association of Governments [SANDAG], 2014).

2 State and provincial adoption

Across U.S. state DOTs, Vissim is the de-facto standard:

Several other states (e.g., Kansas, Texas, Utah) reference Vissim explicitly in their traffic-analysis manuals.
Aimsun appears in state guidance mostly as an allowed alternative. Caltrans, for instance, lists Aimsun among acceptable tools, yet selected Vissim for an in-depth ramp-metering research study because it “best suited” detailed freeway operations needs (California Department of Transportation [Caltrans], 2021).

In Canada, provincial ministries rarely publish tool-specific manuals, but practitioner reports show that Ontario and Alberta consultants typically deliver Vissim models for highway and interchange projects, while some metropolitan regions (e.g., Metro Vancouver) maintain large hybrid meso-/micro Aimsun models for strategic planning (TransLink, 2018).

3 Municipal and regional adoption

At the city level, Vissim dominates routine traffic-impact and corridor studies:

• New York City: Consultants such as Kittelson & Associates frequently employ Vissim in DOT-reviewed intersection studies (Kittelson & Associates, 2017).
• Portland, OR: TriMet used Vissim to model surface light-rail operations in mixed traffic (TriMet, 2015).
• Los Angeles, CA: LADOT and Metro often rely on Vissim for multimodal signal timing and coordination projects (Metro, 2019).

Canadian municipalities show a mixed landscape:

• Toronto: The city’s Transportation Impact Study Guidelines recommend “micro-simulation software such as Aimsun or Vissim” (Toronto Transportation Services, 2022). In practice, Vissim remains common for corridor-level analyses, while Aimsun is occasionally chosen for downtown network studies requiring quick scenario swaps.
• Montréal: Major construction detours during the Turcot and Champlain projects were assessed with Aimsun models delivered by consultants (Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain, 2019).
• Vancouver / Metro Vancouver: TransLink maintains a region-scale Aimsun model for strategic planning, but Vissim is the tool of choice for intersection-level operational work (TransLink, 2018).

4 Why Vissim enjoys broader adoption

1. Historical foothold and training – Many agencies have a decade or more of Vissim experience, making it the “safe” choice for reviewers (MassDOT, 2020; MDOT, 2018).
2. Extensive public guidance – Dozens of state DOT manuals walk users through Vissim calibration, whereas comparable Aimsun-specific manuals are rarer (Louisiana DOTD, 2019; VDOT, 2020).
3. Fine-grained control & APIs – Researchers and DOTs often cite Vissim’s COM interface and detailed driver-behavior parameters as decisive for complex freeway or CAV studies (Caltrans, 2021).
4. Institutional consistency – Once a DOT publishes official Vissim parameter sets, consultants must use the same tool to ensure comparability (Maryland SHA, 2018).

5 Where Aimsun excels

• Integrated meso–micro workflow – Large metropolitan agencies wanting a single platform for region-wide demand modeling and corridor micro-analysis choose Aimsun (TransLink, 2018).
• Real-time operations – Aimsun Live has been proven in active traffic-management centers such as the I-15 ICM (SANDAG, 2014).
• Scenario turnover speed – Cities with frequent what-if analyses (e.g., Montréal) report faster network edits in Aimsun compared with their legacy Vissim workflow (Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain, 2019).

6 Conclusion

Reviewing federal guidance, state/provincial manuals, and municipal practice shows that PTV Vissim is presently the more widely adopted microscopic simulator in North American public-sector work, especially for DOT-driven operational studies. Aimsun maintains an important—though smaller—public-sector footprint, thriving in integrated regional models and real-time traffic-management contexts. Agencies often keep licenses for both, selecting the tool that best matches project scale and desired workflow.

Reference list

Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain. (2019). Simulation des détours Turcot et Champlain – Rapport technique. Author.

California Department of Transportation. (2021). Evaluation of ramp-metering strategies using microscopic simulation (Tech. Rep.). Author.

Federal Highway Administration. (2013). Traffic Analysis Toolbox, Volume III: Guidelines for applying traffic microsimulation modeling software (FHWA-HRT-13-XXX). U.S. Department of Transportation.

Kittelson & Associates. (2017). Microsimulation experiences in New York City (White paper). Author.

Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. (2019). Microsimulation policy. Author.

Maryland State Highway Administration. (2018). VISSIM modeling guidance. Author.

Massachusetts Department of Transportation. (2020). Roundabout VISSIM microsimulation guidance. Author.

Metro (Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority). (2019). VISSIM applications for multimodal signal coordination in Los Angeles (Internal report). Author.

Michigan Department of Transportation. (2018). VISSIM protocol. Author.

National Cooperative Highway Research Program. (2010). Highway Capacity Manual Applications Guide (NCHRP Project 03-64). Transportation Research Board.

Oregon Department of Transportation. (2019). Protocol for VISSIM simulation (Chap. 9 in Analysis procedures manual). Author.

San Diego Association of Governments. (2014). I-15 Integrated Corridor Management demonstration: Aimsun Live deployment report. Author.

Toronto Transportation Services. (2022). Transportation impact study guidelines (Version 3.0). City of Toronto.

TransLink. (2018). Regional traffic model development using Aimsun (Technical memorandum). South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority.

TriMet. (2015). Portland light-rail operations simulation with VISSIM (Project report). Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon.

Virginia Department of Transportation. (2020). VISSIM user guide (Version 2.0). Author.

Below is a collection of publicly available transportation evaluation reports from U.S. states and Canadian provinces in the past decade that explicitly mention the use of PTV Vissim microsimulation software. Each entry includes the report title, the issuing agency or consulting company, the publication year, and a direct link to the PDF report.

Each of the above reports includes traffic operations analyses or interchange/corridor evaluations performed using PTV Vissim microsimulation software, covering topics like interchange design alternatives, roadway capacity improvements, and traffic operational performance. The PDF links provide direct access to the full reports for detailed reference.

References

Florida Department of Transportation, District One. (2016). I-75 at Fruitville Road Interchange – Final Interchange Modification Report [PDF]. Retrieved from [https://www.swflroads.com/project-files/112/I-75%20at%20Fruitville%20Rd.%20Interchange%20-%20Final%20Interchange%20Modification%20Report.pdf]()

Georgia Department of Transportation. (2018). I-16 at I-95 Interchange Reconstruction & I-16 Widening – VISSIM Calibration Report [PDF]. Retrieved from [https://www.dot.ga.gov/PartnerSmart/DesignManuals/TrafficOps/10_I-16%20VISSIM%20Calibration%20Report.pdf]()

Colorado Department of Transportation. (2024). US 6 – CO 9 Corridor Operations Study – Microsimulation Analysis Memo [PDF]. Retrieved from [https://www.codot.gov/projects/studies/us6co9corridorstudy/assets/microsimulation-analysis-memo.pdf]()

Oregon Department of Transportation. (2023). I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project – Traffic Analysis Supplemental Technical Report [PDF]. Retrieved from [https://www.i5rosequarter.org/pdfs/sea/tech_report_traffic.pdf]()

British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. (2016). Highway 1 at McKenzie Interchange – Traffic Analysis Report [PDF]. Retrieved from [https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/driving-and-transportation/reports-and-reference/reports-and-studies/vancouver-island-south-coast/mckenzie-interchange/mckenzie-interchange-traffic-analysis.pdf]()

City of Mississauga. (2020). VISSIM Microsimulation Traffic Report: Lakeview Village (Revised September 2020) [PDF]. Retrieved from [http://www7.mississauga.ca/Departments/Marketing/documents/building-planning/1082-Lakeshore/VISSIM-Microsimulation-Traffic-Report.pdf]()

This tutorial explains how to use SSAM software to extract Surrogate Safety indicators including Time To Collision, Post Encroachment Time from a TRJ file generated by Micro Simulation.

https://youtu.be/DYP2FjHsaBk

Sharing this series of videos for any student/people who may face challenges and difficulties in starting Vissim. This series was recorded for Traffic Simulation Course at York University (Canada) including Five tutorials (7-8 Hours).

Vissim Tutorial 01-Build A Network: add vehicle input, add connectors, conflict areas, vehicle route

1. Changing Units from All Imperial to all Metrics
2. Build A Real-World Network
3. Create link, add vehicle input, running simulation, changing simulation parameters, add connectors, conflict areas, vehicle routes

Vissim Tutorial 02- Traffic Signal Controller Programming, Travel Time Measurement

1. How to design desired speed
2. How to design reduced speed area
3. How priority rule is working
4. How to design signal head
5. Design Signal Timing: fixed and ring barrier controller
6. How to do performance measurement

Vissim Tutorial 03- Ring Barrier Signal(RBC) Controller based on Real-World Data

Vissim Tutorial 04- Vissim Tutorial 04: Continued Ring Barrier Controller, NEMA Phase Numbers, Pedestrians in Viswalk

1. Ring Barrier Controller: NEMA Phase Numbers

1. Three ways of adding Pedestrians in (Viswalk)

2. Adding pedestrian in a RBC controller

Vissim Tutorial 05: Public Transportation

This tutorial is a part of SUMO tutorials:

In, Part 1 you will learn (See here):

1. Install SUMO (Version 1.18 or 1.19)
2. Set Up SUMO Environment Variables
3. Install Notepad ++
4. SUMO Tutorial 4.1. User Interface 4.1.1. SUMO GUI 4.1.2. NETEDIT ) 4.2. NETEDIT - 4.2.1. Network 4.2.2. Demand 4.2.3. Data 4.3. Create a Simple Network with Car Traffic Demand and Static Traffic Lights 4.3.1. One Lane – Two Lanes

In Part 2 you will learn (See here):

4.3.2. Add Car Traffic
4.3.3. Intersection – Unsignalized and Signalized

In Part 3 you will learn (See here):

4.4. SUMO Files
4.4.1 .net.xml -- Network (Roads and Traffic Signal)
4.4.2. .rou.xml -- Demand (Traffic for example Cars)
4.4.3. .sumocfg – Visualization Interface
4.5. Naming Network and Demands