PNTPRN PRENETSIM

User Manual: PRENETSIM

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PRENETSIM

Tutorial/Reference Manual

PRENETSIM/TEAPAC

Ver 2.81 27MAY08

August, 2008

This work is protected under the Copyright

Act of 1976. Created by Strong Concepts.

secrets; reverse engineering prohibited.

PRENETSIM - ii - Manual

PRENETSIM/TEAPAC

Preprocessor for TRAF-NETSIM Network Simulation/Animation

PRENETSIM is a preprocessor to be used with the TRAF-NETSIM/CORSIM simulation model.

NETSIM requires a rigid input stream of specially numbered card types and coded input fields.

On the other hand, PRENETSIM accepts data in a form directed by traffic engineering terms

which are easy to understand, and builds the fixed format NETSIM input, thus eliminating user

error in coding card types and batch input. Sub-system analysis is also very easy with

PRENETSIM.

This interactive analysis tool will automatically generate the network structure required by

NETSIM for the signal system being analyzed, thus the user does not have to generate individual

links or specify all of the fictitious nodes needed throughout the network. Further, the phasing

and timings for each signal are specified in straightforward traffic engineering terms, and can be

changed easily when testing alternatives. PRENETSIM has the capability of interactively

plotting a time-space diagram for any portion of the system, as well as easy-to-read signal timing

charts with phasing diagrams. Because of the ease of input, an entire day's variation in traffic

conditions can be analyzed quickly and accurately. This, in combination with the 2000 HCM

capacity analysis output of SIGNAL2000, provides all the information needed to fully analyze

the timing operation in a network.

Furthermore, PRENETSIM has the ability to read SIGNAL2000 data files directly, eliminating

the need to enter any data at all if SIGNAL2000 was used to estimate saturation flows and

optimum signal phasings and timings for each signal. PRENETSIM can also share data files

with PREPASSR, PRETRANSYT, PRETSPPD, and PRESYNCHRO, allowing the

interchangeable use of PASSER-II, TRANSYT, TS/PP-DRAFT and SYNCHRO based on the

same data base used for NETSIM to take advantage of the optimization and analysis these

programs offer. Since the results of all of these programs are required inputs of NETSIM, the

use of PRENETSIM in conjunction with SIGNAL2000, PREPASSR, PRETRANSYT,

PRETSPPD and PRESYNCHRO makes a smooth, error-free system for signal timing

optimization.

NETSIM/CORSIM performs a microscopic, stochastic simulation of traffic performance in a

network. The procedure provides a concise and well-founded operational analysis for a signal

system, rather than using other less accurate models. The program can be used to simulate

existing signal system operations as well as optimized operations. Furthermore, the animation

option of NETSIM illustrates the traffic performance visually in addition to the numeric results.

As such, the use of NETSIM is highly recommended, but its difficulty in use can be frustrating.

PRENETSIM is the answer to this dilemma, allowing quick and effective use of NETSIM.

PRENETSIM - iii - Manual

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The PRENETSIM program was developed by and is presently supported by and undergoing

continued development and enhancement by Dennis W. Strong of Strong Concepts.

The PRENETSIM Tutorial/Reference Manual was written by and is presently being enhanced

and maintained by Dennis W. Strong of Strong Concepts.

The NETSIM/CORSIM program was originally developed by and is currently maintained by the

Federal Highway Administration. NETSIM/CORSIM is currently distributed by the McTrans

Center in Gainesville, Florida and PC-TRANS in Lawrence, Kansas.

This document, the PRENETSIM Tutorial/Reference Manual, is provided as a part of the license

to use PRENETSIM/TEAPAC. References in this document are made to other documents which

are not included with the PRENETSIM program and are available from various sources. In

particular, references are made to the TEAPAC Tutorial/Reference Manual which is available

from Strong Concepts. This document applies generically to all TEAPAC programs and

describes the details of and advanced usage procedures for the common interface used by all

TEAPAC programs. Reference is also made to the NETSIM/CORSIM Manual, available from

the McTrans Center and PC-TRANS.

Comments on the usefulness and organization of the program and this document are welcome, as

continual updates and improvements are being made. Please direct your comments to Strong

Concepts.

Strong Concepts

15 Timber Lane

Northbrook, Illinois U.S.A. 60062-3715

phone: 847/564-0386 fax: 847/474-4486

email: support@StrongConcepts.com

internet: www.StrongConcepts.com

PRENETSIM - iv - Manual

PROPRIETARY NOTICE

TEAPAC programs and tutorial/reference manuals are protected under the Copyright Act of 1976

and all rights are reserved by Strong Concepts. Only you, as the original purchaser, may use the

TEAPAC programs, and only on computer systems located in the one office of your agency for

which the programs are licensed. As an original purchaser of the TEAPAC programs, you are

hereby licensed only to read the programs from their medium into the memory of a computer

solely for the purpose of executing the programs. Use of the TEAPAC programs purchased

hereby by any other entity or on computer systems other than the ones for which it is licensed is

an unauthorized use. Except for the limited purpose of system back-up, the copying, duplicating,

selling, or otherwise distributing of TEAPAC programs is a violation of the law.

The TEAPAC documentation may not, in whole or in part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced,

translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable form without the express

written permission of Strong Concepts, other than for personal convenience.

DISCLAIMER

Strong Concepts shall have no liability or responsibility to licensee or any other person or entity

with respect to any liability, loss, or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly

by TEAPAC programs or documentation, including but not limited to any interruption of service,

loss of business or anticipatory profits or consequential damages resulting from the use or

operation of such computer programs. Strong Concepts makes no representations, commitments,

or warranties with respect to the contents hereof. TEAPAC programs are licensed on an "as is"

basis. THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT

LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR

ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY AND

SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. Further, Strong Concepts reserves the right to revise programs

and related publications and to make changes from time to time in the content thereof without

obligation of Strong Concepts to notify any person or organization of such revision or changes.

PRENETSIM - v - Manual

CONTENTS

PRENETSIM - Pre-processor for NETSIM/CORSIM Network Simulation and Animation

Acknowledgments

Proprietary Notice

Disclaimer

List of Tables

List of Figures

Tutorial Manual

Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTION

Chapter 2 - INITIAL EXAMPLE

Chapter 3 - ANALYSIS PROCEDURES

Chapter 4 - ACTIONS AND ENTRY PARAMETERS

Chapter 5 - ADVANCED PROCEDURES

Reference Manual

Summary of Appendices

Appendix A - ABBREVIATED DESCRIPTION OF ACTIONS AND ENTRIES

Appendix B - DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ACTIONS AND ENTRIES

Appendix C - ANALYSIS METHODS AND FORMULATIONS

Appendix D - REPORT DESCRIPTIONS AND EXAMPLES

Appendix E - ERROR MESSAGES AND TROUBLE SPOTS

Appendix F - TEAPAC SYSTEM ERROR MESSAGES

Appendix G - OPERATING SYSTEM MESSAGES AND INSTALLATION NOTES

Appendix H - ADDENDA

Index

PRENETSIM - vi - Manual

LIST OF TABLES

1-1 Organization of the PRENETSIM Tutorial

1-2 Definition of Terms

2-1 Demand Volumes for Example Problem

2-2 Saturation Flow Rates for Example Problem

4-1 Organization of Command Discussions

A-1 Group Name Structure

A-2 Cross-Reference of Commands and Groups

A-3 All Commands Listed Alphabetically

D-1 Report Descriptions and Examples

F-1 Summary of TEAPAC System Error Messages

G-1 Summary of Operating System Messages and Installation Notes

LIST OF FIGURES

1-1 Intersection Approach and Turning Movement Conventions

1-2 Phasing Codes for PRENETSIM

2-1 Intersection Geometrics for Example Problem

2-2 Signal Phasings and Timings for Example Problem

PRENETSIM - 1 - Tutorial

C H A P T E R 1

Introduction

Chapter 1 Topics

Strong Concepts develops and maintains a package of programs which provides quick, accurate

and consistent analysis and design of traffic and transportation-related engineering problems.

These programs are known collectively as TEAPAC, an acronym for Traffic Engineering

Application PACkage. More than a dozen integrated programs are included in TEAPAC, all of

which use the same basic user interface and procedures to direct the actions of the programs. In

addition, these programs share the same characteristics with regard to data entry conventions and

storage format for data files. This allows convenient and efficient sharing of information

between programs.

PRENETSIM is one of the programs within the TEAPAC program package. PRENETSIM is

designed to aid in the use of the NETSIM signal network simulation model. PRENETSIM is an

interactive preprocessor program which is used to prepare input data in a fixed format for the

NETSIM model. Besides allowing easy-to-understand free format input, PRENETSIM also

provides for error checking prior to executing the NETSIM model. To aid in analysis of input

signal timings, it also plots time space diagrams as well as displays signal timing diagrams.

In order to illustrate these features, an initial example for the PRENETSIM program has been

created. By following the step-by-step instructions contained in Chapter 2 of this manual, you

will become familiar with the basic PRENETSIM commands and procedures. If unfamiliar with

the TEAPAC package in general, review of the tutorial section (Chapters 1-4) of the TEAPAC

Tutorial/Reference Manual will increase the speed and effectiveness of learning the

PRENETSIM program.

Chapter 1 Topics

Chapter 1 Introduction

Structure and Organization

Conventions

Review of TEAPAC Procedures

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

PRENETSIM - 2 - Tutorial

Structure and Organization

This document, the PRENETSIM Tutorial/Reference Manual, explains the data entries and

procedures necessary to use the PRENETSIM program. The organization of the PRENETSIM

Tutorial/Reference Manual is similar to all of the TEAPAC manuals. Chapters 1 through 5 serve

as the program Tutorial Manual. The tutorial steps through a simple example problem and then

discusses the specific analysis techniques and procedures of the PRENETSIM program. The

attached appendices form the program Reference Manual which provides easy look-up of detail

on the program's inputs, operation and output. The following paragraphs briefly describe each

section of this manual.

This chapter, Chapter 1, discusses the overall structure of the tutorial/reference manual and the

conventions used throughout (see the outline in Table 1-1). It also contains a brief explanation of

the basic procedures of TEAPAC which are described in detail in the TEAPAC

Tutorial/Reference Manual. If you are unfamiliar with the TEAPAC package, you could review

the tutorial section of the TEAPAC Tutorial/Reference Manual in order to better understand the

basic TEAPAC inputs and procedures.

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

PRENETSIM - 3 - Tutorial

In order to illustrate the features and basic procedures of PRENETSIM, Chapter 2 presents a

"hands-on" example problem with detailed step-by-step instructions on how to execute a simple

analysis using the PRENETSIM program. This chapter provides an opportunity to use the

PRENETSIM program and observe the results.

Chapter 3 discusses the analysis techniques and procedures which should be used with the

PRENETSIM program, as illustrated by the example presented in the previous chapter. After

reading this section, it should be possible to perform simple analyses using the PRENETSIM

program.

Chapter 4 provides a summary of each of the action and entry dialogs used by the PRENETSIM

program, organized by function (details are in Appendix B). This includes a summary of the

basic TEAPAC actions and entries which appear in all TEAPAC programs. More detail on these

TEAPAC functions can be found in Appendix B and the TEAPAC Tutorial/Reference Manual.

Table 1-1

Organization of the PRENETSIM Tutorial

Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTION

Structure and Organization

Conventions

Review of TEAPAC Procedures

Chapter 2 - INITIAL EXAMPLE

Description of Example Problem

Data Entry

Data Review

Analysis

Evaluation

Exiting the Program

Additional Concerns

Chapter 3 - ANALYSIS PROCEDURES

Input Requirements

Analysis Procedures

Chapter 4 - ACTIONS AND ENTRY PARAMETERS

RESULTS Dialogs

PARAMETERS Dialogs

Common TEAPAC Dialogs

Chapter 5 - ADVANCED PROCEDURES

Sharing Data Files with Other TEAPAC Programs

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

PRENETSIM - 4 - Tutorial

Chapter 5 discusses advanced techniques for using the PRENETSIM program which will

improve the efficiency of conducting analyses. These techniques require a working familiarity

with the basic principles of using both the TEAPAC package and the PRENETSIM program, as

described in Chapters 1-4.

Attached to this tutorial are eight appendices (A through H) which form the PRENETSIM

Reference Manual. Each of these appendices is designed to provide quick answers to questions

which may arise during the use of PRENETSIM. These appendices provide detail on program

actions, entries, methods and formulae used in calculating results, program reports, error

messages, operating system conventions and addenda. Their contents are each ordered in a

manner that is convenient for lookup purposes. The introduction at the front of the appendices

briefly describes each appendix and how to use it as a reference document. An index at the end

of the entire document is provided for the combined Tutorial/Reference Manual.

Conventions

Due to the interactive nature of the PRENETSIM program, the tutorial contains sections which

provide "hands-on" program instructions. When reading these sections, it is recommended that

each step be executed as shown in the documentation. The information described below will

help in understanding the conventions and terms used in this example, as well as the entire

document.

Definition of Terms

Intersection Approach and Movement Data Entry

Phasing Sequence Codes

Version Number

Input Modes

Example Data Entries

Parameter Symbols

Definition of Terms

Important terms which are used throughout the documentation are defined in Table 1-2. It is

helpful to be familiar with these terms prior to using the tutorial/reference manual.

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

PRENETSIM - 5 - Tutorial

Intersection Approach and Movement Data Entry

Table 1-2

Definition of Terms

Program Control Menu. PRENETSIM starts up in the Normal View of the Visual Mode by

first displaying the Main Menu. From this menu, all program options can be selected and

executed, including the Tabular View and the Manual Mode.

Menu Line Item. A Menu Line Item is one of the options displayed in any drop-down menu, or

in a lower-level menu. It can be selected and executed to display a dialog box to enter data or

execute a function.

Dialog Box. When a Menu Line Item is selected or the ASK command is used, a dialog box is

displayed. In this display, data entries can be easily entered and changed, and calculations can be

initiated, by simple cursor and/or mouse movements.

Command. A Command is the keyword used to identify a dialog box, and is the first word of an

Input Line which identifies the kind of action to be performed by the program. These actions are

either to enter data or to perform analyses.

Parameter Values. Parameter Values are data entries found in a dialog box, or which follow a

Command on an Input Line. These values define the data being entered or control the analysis to

be performed. Most dialog boxes have at least one Parameter Value associated with it.

Default Value. When the program is run initially, all parameter values take on pre-assigned

default values. These are reasonably typical values. Default Values can be restored using the

File-New menu or the RESET command.

Command Level Prompt. The Command Level Prompt, "→", is displayed in the Manual Mode

when ready to accept a Command Input Line from the keyboard.

Input Line. An Input Line consists of a Command keyword and its Parameter Values. An Input

Line may be entered in either the Tabular View or Manual Mode, or LOADed from a data file.

Group Name. Groups Names are used to identify sets of commands which share a common

function. These commands can be referenced together as a group by using the Group Name

enclosed in square brackets, e.g. [BASIC].

File. A file is a place on a permanent storage disk where program entry information is stored.

This information can be either input data information (a data file), commands to direct

computations (a control file), or a combination of both.

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

PRENETSIM - 6 - Tutorial

TEAPAC programs enter intersection approach and movement data in a standard order, starting

from the north and moving clockwise around the intersection. These conventions should be

understood when entering intersection data, as described below and as illustrated in Figure 1-1.

Approach Data - When approach information is required and four parameter values are to

be entered, one for each approach, data will be entered starting with the north approach

followed by the east, south and west approaches (approach numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4). When

data is required for a specific approach, the approach should be specified using the cardinal

direction codes North, East, South, and West, meaning from the North, from the East, etc.

Turning Movement Data - When movement information is required and twelve parameter

values are to be entered, one for each movement, data will be entered starting with the

right-turn movement on the north approach followed by the through movement and left-

turn movements on the north approach, then continuing with the right, through, and left on

the east, south, and west approaches (movement numbers 1, 2, 3, up to movement 12).

When data is required for a specific movement, the movement should be specified using

numbers 1 through 12.

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

PRENETSIM - 7 - Tutorial

Phasing Sequence Codes

All TEAPAC programs which require phasing information for an intersection use the same basic

phasing codes on the SEQUENCES entry to represent complex phasing schemes with simple

two-digit codes. The first digit represents the type of phasing for the north/south movements,

while the second digit represents the type of phasing for the east/west movements. The phase

codes allowed for north/south and east/west are identical, the east/west codes simply being the

north/south code rotated clockwise 90 degrees. This basic phasing code can be augmented by

entries to change the order of the basic sequence code (LEADLAGS), by adding permitted left

turns before or after exclusive left turn phases (PERMISSIVES), and by adding right turns which

overlap into the other direction's phases (OVERLAPS). Figure 1-2 illustrates each of the eight

| | |

| Approach 1 | North

| from North | |

| | W --+-- E

| 1 2 3 | |

| | | | | S

| | | | |

________________| <-- | --> |______________

|______ 4

<------- 5 Approach 2

______ from East

| 6

12 _______|

Approach 4 11 ------->

from West _______

10 |

________________ ^ ______________

| <-- | --> |

| | | | |

| 9 8 7 |

| |

| Approach 3 |

| from South |

Intersection approach and turning movement data should be entered in the order shown in this figure.

Figure 1-1

Intersection Approach and Turning Movement Conventions

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

PRENETSIM - 8 - Tutorial

basic phase types, with an example of how they are combined to create a SEQUENCE phase

code.

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

PRENETSIM - 9 - Tutorial

Version Number

Sequence 1 Sequence 4 - Dual Lead

------------- -------------------------

| * * * | ^ | * ^ | * * + |

| * * * | | | * ++++| * * + |

|<* * *> | | | *> |<* * +> |

| v ^ | North | | v ^ |

| <* * *>| | | <* | <+ * *>|

| * * * | |++++ * | + * * |

| * * * | | v * | + * * |

------------- -------------------------

Sequence 2 - North Lead Sequence 5 - Dual Lead, North Overlap

------------------------- -------------------------------------

| * * * ^ | * * + | | * ^ | * * * ^ | * * + |

| * * * ++++| * * + | | * ++++| * * * ++++| * * + |

|<* * *> |<* * +> | | *> |<* * *> |<* * +> |

| v | v ^ | | | v | v ^ |

| | <* * *>| | <* | | <+ * *>|

| | * * * | |++++ * | | + * * |

| | * * * | | v * | | + * * |

------------------------- -------------------------------------

Sequence 3 - South Lead Sequence 6 - Dual Lead, South Overlap

------------------------- -------------------------------------

| | * * * | | * ^ | | * * + |

| | * * * | | * ++++| | * * + |

| |<* * *> | | *> | |<* * +> |

| ^ | v ^ | | | ^ | v ^ |

| <* * *>| <+ * *>| | <* | <* * *>| <+ * *>|

|++++ * * * | + * * | |++++ * |++++ * * * | + * * |

| v * * * | + * * | | v * | v * * * | + * * |

------------------------- -------------------------------------

____________________________________________________

Sequence 7 - Split Phase Sequence 8 - Lead/Lag

------------------------- -------------------------------------

| * * * ^ | | | * * * ^ | * * | |

| * * * ++++| | | * * * ++++| * * | |

|<* * *> | | |<* * *> |<* * | |

| v | ^ | | v | v ^ | ^ |

| | <* * *>| | | <+ * *>| <* * *>|

| |++++ * * * | | | + * * |++++ * * * |

| | v * * * | | | + * * | v * * * |

------------------------- -------------------------------------

Rotate diagrams clockwise 90 degrees for phase types of East/West movements. Use PERMISSIVES to allow left turns shown

with "+" symbols. Use OVERLAPS to allow right turns shown with "+" symbols where exclusive right turn lanes exist. Use

LEADLAGS to reverse the order of a phase type. Phase types are combined for both directions to create a sequence code. E.g.,

SEQUENCE 53 is a Dual Lead, North Overlap (5) for the North/South movements followed by a West Lead (3) for the

East/West movements.

Figure 1-2

Phasing Codes for PRENETSIM

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

PRENETSIM - 10 - Tutorial

The version number (x.yz) and date describe what revision of the program is being used. Minor

revisions of the program increment the z-part of the version number, with more significant

changes affecting the y-part of the version number. The version number itself (x) changes when

major program changes are made. The date reflects when the given version of the program was

introduced. The version number and date of the program is displayed using the Help-About

menu. It is also displayed in each printed report title. This information should match the title

page of any printed program documentation or the Help-Version menu of the on-screen

documentation. If this is not the case, check by using the Help-RecentChanges menu for addenda

which explain changes which have been implemented since your documentation was prepared.

These addenda should be printed and inserted in Appendix H in the back of the manual for future

off-line reference. The version number of the TEAPAC Interface used in the program is also

displayed with the Help-About menu.

Input Modes

The Main Menu of the Visual Mode is the first display. This is where all program actions can be

initiated, including data entry and computations. Each line of a menu uses a command keyword

to describe what that menu line selection will allow the user to accomplish. For sub-menus, a

‘group name’ is used to label the primary menu line.

Menu selections can be made with the mouse, or with the underlined Alt keys (and the Enter key,

if required). When this is done, a dialog box is displayed which allows entry or editing of current

data values, or execution of action dialogs with the Execute button. Dialog boxes can be

terminated with the OK button, the Close button, or the ESCape key.

The Main Menu can be used to select the Tabular View as an alternate input environment using

the View menu. In Tabular View displays, each line of the display is preceded by a command

keyword which describes the contents of the command line. The bottom line of the dialog

provides HELP on how to use this command. If this command is an action command it requires

use of the Execute button to perform the action. The Help (?) button can be used to access

context-sensitive on-screen help. The Tabular View can also be toggled using the F3 key.

The Main Menu can also be used to select the Manual Mode as another alternate input

environment using the Options menu. This mode allows quick entry of the same command lines

of the Tabular View, but without the rigid structure of the Tabular View dialog box. The Manual

Mode is indicated by the presence of the command prompt in the Manual Mode window, as

shown below:

→

When a command prompt is displayed, the program is ready to accept command keyword input.

Input is the same as a line of the Tabular View display, but must be preceded by the command

(or abbreviation) which is to be used for the input. The Manual Mode can also be toggled using

the F4 function key.

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

PRENETSIM - 11 - Tutorial

Example Data Entries

When executing the "hands-on" examples in this manual, actual entries to be made by the user

are shown here in BOLDFACE CAPITAL LETTERS. The information which precedes these

values indicates what command keyword should be used, showing both the menu line group

name and the command name. In the Visual Mode, the menu group name in square brackets

[xxx] can be found in the Edit menu to change data entries or the command keyword can be

found in the Results menu to execute actions. In the Manual Mode, only the command keyword

and parameter values need to be entered after the command prompt, followed by the OK button

or ENTER key. For example, consider the entry below which might be found in the manual.

[BASIC] → VOLUMES 225 665 165 ...

In the Visual Mode, Basic should be selected from the Edit menu, then the VOLUMES item

should be selected and the values entered, each followed by TAB, then the Execute button. In

the Manual Mode, following the command prompt, simply enter the "VOLUMES 225 665 165"

information followed by a single ENTER key or the OK button. The result is the same in either

case: VOLUMES values are set to the three values listed.

When an ellipsis "..." appears in this document, this indicates that the additional input fields

which are displayed in the Visual Mode need not be entered, thus using any current/default

values which are displayed. In the Manual Mode, the ellipsis is ignored (and should not be

typed), thus retaining any current/default values which may exist. If an asterisk "*" appears

separated from other characters, this means to skip over the input field for the asterisk to

use/retain that field's current/default value.

Parameter Symbols

When discussing the use of PRENETSIM entries in the documentation or in using HELP in the

program, descriptions of parameter values to be entered for each command will be shown

enclosed by the angle bracket symbols, "<" and ">". A typical command keyword and parameter

value HELP line is shown below:

FILES 5*<File Name>

In this example, FILES is the command keyword or menu selection to be used. The "5*"

indicates that up to five <File Name> parameter values may be entered in the Visual Mode or on

an input line. In the Manual Mode, these follow a typed FILES command, each separated by at

least one blank. The number preceding the asterisk (five in this example) indicates the number

of parameter values that may be entered on an input line for the command. In some cases, all

parameter values must be entered, while in others only some are required. If all values are not

entered, the ones not entered will remain unchanged.

This same HELP line is provided at the bottom of each dialog box for immediate on-screen

HELP for the command line currently selected in the display. The F1 key or the Help button can

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

PRENETSIM - 12 - Tutorial

be used to bring up the associated part of the on-screen manual. The TEAPAC

Tutorial/Reference Manual gives extensive detail on how to enter parameter values in either the

Visual or Manual Mode.

Review of TEAPAC Procedures

Before beginning the example problem in Chapter 2, it is worthwhile to review the basic

procedures of running TEAPAC programs. There are four basic steps of an analysis using a

TEAPAC program: Data Entry, Data Review, Analysis and Evaluation. This section briefly

describes each step of this procedure which is used by all the TEAPAC programs. Additional

detail can be found in Chapter 3 of the TEAPAC Tutorial/Reference Manual.

Data Entry

Data Review

Analysis

Evaluation

Data Entry

The first step in using any TEAPAC program is to enter the data required to describe the

problem. This is normally accomplished using the Edit Menu and its sub-menus. Data may also

be loaded from a disk data file (created earlier with the save options of the File menu) by using

the Open option of the File menu. If a multi-scenario structure has been created in the file by the

SCENARIO program, then a specific scenario case can be retrieved with the GetScenarioCase

option of the File menu. TEAPAC programs contain default values for many of the parameter

values; however, there are some parameter values which must be entered for each analysis to

adequately define the problem. The dialog box display shows all of these default values.

Data entry may also be accomplished in the Manual Mode, particularly when a known and small

group of command keywords are to be used. In this mode, the HELP command is useful in

identifying those commands which can be used to enter these necessary parameter values. The

commands can be entered directly with their parameters, or the ASK command can be used to

generate a custom input/editing session with a specified sequence of dialog boxes (Normal View)

or a specified list of input lines (Tabular View).

Before entering the detailed data above, the analysis network can be created on-screen in the

main window with the use of the mouse in most TEAPAC programs (not in NOSTOP or

TUTOR). Creating the network in this manner replaces the need to do it using the Edit menu (as

above), and the network data can be edited further by additional mouse actions in the main

window, or with the Edit menu. After the network is entered, the data for each intersection can

be entered by right-clicking the intersection and using the same menus which appear in the Edit

menu described above.

A network is created with the mouse by first clicking anywhere in the main window to reveal a

grid with 500' spacing, then clicking the 'Create Link' button in the Edit Mode section of the left-

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

PRENETSIM - 13 - Tutorial

side toolbar. In the Create Link mode, simply click down at the location of the beginning of the

link (street), drag the mouse to the position of the end of the link, and release the mouse. A link

terminated by two 'dummy' nodes will be shown. Any time a created link crosses an existing

link, a 'real' analysis intersection is created and numbered in increasing order starting from #1.

Dummy nodes are numbered in decreasing order starting from #999. In the 'Select Intersection'

mode, the intersection which is clicked becomes the 'current' intersection for which any

subsequent entered data will belong or results may pertain. The current intersection can also be

selected with the Intersection dialog of the Edit menu or the Select Intersection toolbar button

under the main menu (or with the ^-Home key combination). When dragging the mouse, the

status bar at the bottom of the window shows the coordinate location of the mouse cursor, as well

as the distance of the cursor from the 'current' intersection. Using the Pan & Zoom buttons

allows the user to move around the network, as necessary.

If a bitmap file (.bmp) of appropriate resolution exists for the study area, (for example, an aerial

photograph or map) that bitmap can first be identified and calibrated with the Setup button on the

left-side toolbar. The file must be in the same folder that the data file (will) reside(s) in. If the

data file already exists, and the bitmap has the same primary file name, then entering '*' as the

bitmap file name will connect the two files automatically. Like data files, bitmap file names

should not have more than 8 characters or have any spaces in the name. When creating a

network from scratch, it is best to first calibrate the bitmap scale by entering a known distance

and the number of pixels in the bitmap that represent that distance. The Click button to the right

of the bitmap distance entry can be a convenient way to establish the pixel distance. For

example, if the distance between two intersections on the bitmap is known, type that distance in

the known distance field and use the mouse to click and drag a box with opposite corners located

at those two intersections. A base point for the coordinate system can also be established with

the translational relationship entries found in the top portion of the dialog. Once a network has

been created, its shift and scaling can be modified by changing the same Setup dialog entries, or

equivalently with the Anchor and Stretch buttons in the Adjust Display left-side toolbar.

Once a network has been created, the 'Move Intersection' Edit Mode button can be used to

relocate any intersection or dummy node. By default, the link distance for all links connected to

the moved node will be modified according to the move made. If the move is simply to better

match the underlying bitmap and the link distances have already been entered and verified, the

Adjust NETWORK checkbox in the Setup dialog should be unchecked to prevent the existing

distances from being changed. (Each time the program is first run, this option is set to the

selected status.) The 'Insert Bend Node' Edit Mode button can be used to create a dummy node

on the link nearest to the click location so the network more precisely reflects curves in the

network.

When creating legs to any intersection, use care to meet the standard TEAPAC requirement that

each intersection can have only 4 legs and understanding that these legs will be assigned to the

four positions North, East, South and West, regardless of their actual orientation. If two skewed

legs might be interpreted by the program to have an approach angle which assigns them both to

the same leg of the intersection, initially create the legs with angles are such that they do not

conflict, then Move the upstream external or bend node to correctly orient the leg visually.

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

PRENETSIM - 14 - Tutorial

Data Review

Once data has been entered, it should be checked for accuracy and correctness. In the Visual

Mode, or when using the ASK command for input, this process is direct and immediate, since all

of the current values of the entered commands are continuously displayed. The View-Summary

menu is also a quick way to see all current data entries. In the Manual Mode, the TEAPAC

commands DATA and SUMMARISE are used for data review. These commands display the

current parameter values contained in the program. If no data has been entered for a command,

its current values will be the default (RESET) values. If incorrect data is detected, it may be

corrected using either of the data entry techniques described above. In the Manual Mode, the

ASK command is frequently a good way to check data integrity, since it displays all values, and

also allows immediate re-entry in the dialog box display if an error is found.

Analysis

The third step in program execution is to perform an analysis using the current parameter values.

When satisfied with the accuracy of the program data, it is possible to use one or more of the

commands in the Results Menu ([RESULTS] commands) to perform an analysis. All TEAPAC

programs have one or more [RESULTS] commands which cause the program to act on the

current data. These commands typically produce a report which displays the results of the

analysis. Since more than one analysis may be required to generate the desired results, several

[RESULTS] commands may be used at this step in the procedure.

Action commands can be executed by first selecting the Results Menu. This contains all of the

action commands which are specific to PRENETSIM. If the parameter values need to be

changed first, they should be entered in the dialog, then the Execute button is pressed to execute

the selected function.

In the Manual Mode, the action command need only be typed at the command prompt, followed

by any desired parameter values to control the action, then the ENTER key or OK button.

Evaluation

After executing an action function(s), the results contained in the report(s) must be evaluated for

reasonableness and to determine if subsequent analyses are required. Additional analyses may be

necessary for a variety of reasons. One of the most common reasons for further analyses is to test

adjustments to the input conditions. These could be in the form of simulated before and after

studies or testing multiple scenarios. Another type of evaluation might be a sensitivity analysis

to refine initial results or identify how a specific parameter value impacts the overall results. In

any of these cases, the methods described above for data entry, review and analysis should be

used.

PRENETSIM - 15 - Tutorial

C H A P T E R 2

Initial Example

Chapter 2 Topics

In order to illustrate some of the basic commands and procedures essential to using the

PRENETSIM program, as well as to provide some experience using them and observing the

program's responses, an example problem has been developed which can be analyzed with the

PRENETSIM program. Consider the following basic traffic problem.

Chapter 2 Topics

Chapter 2 Introduction

Description of Example Problem

Data Entry

Data Review

Analysis

Evaluation

Exiting the Program

Additional Concerns

Description of Example Problem

The three-signal arterial system shown in Figure 2-1 is to be simulated using the NETSIM model.

The PRENETSIM program is to be used as a pre-processor to the NETSIM model. The system

currently has timings for each isolated intersection, but no system offsets (the through phases

occur simultaneously). The phase diagrams and timings are shown in Figure 2-2. Table 2-1

contains the demand volumes to be used for each intersection, while Table 2-2 contains the

saturation flow rate for each lane group shown in Figure 2-1. Both tables are organized by

approach, the way all input to TEAPAC programs is performed, as described in Chapter 1. The

task is to generate a NETSIM input file, produce a report which shows the phasings and timings,

and plot a time-space diagram using the existing splits and offsets.

Chapter 2 INITIAL EXAMPLE

PRENETSIM - 16 - Tutorial

Table 2-1

Demand Volumes for Example Problem

Approach From North From East From South From West

========== _____________ ______________ ______________ ______________

Intersectn RT TH LT RT TH LT RT TH LT RT TH LT

__________ ___ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

#13 Monroe 122 216 80 79 722 187 212 310 198 139 660 134

#14 Main 150 813 244 0 1296 589 0 0 0 386 620 0

#15 Water 0 0 0 466 780 0 386 135 453 0 573 291

Table 2-2

Saturation Flow Rates for Example Problem

Approach From North From East From South From West

========== _____________ ______________ ______________ ______________

Intersectn RT TH LT RT TH LT RT TH LT RT TH LT

__________ ___ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

#13 Monroe 0 2410 0 0 2771 1433 0 2337 1433 0 2525 1448

#14 Main 0 5296 0 0 3041 2606 0 0 0 1448 2634 0

#15 Water 0 0 0 1359 3387 0 1345 4402 0 0 2486 1300

Chapter 2 INITIAL EXAMPLE

PRENETSIM - 17 - Tutorial

| ^

| ----

|<----

| | | | |<----

<| | | | |<----

v v v | v

#15 Water Street ---------------*---------------

(X,Y)=2656,0 | ^ ^ ^

|<| | |> |

| | | | 530 feet

| | | |

| | | | | 35 mph

| | | | | |

| | | |>| |

v v |> | v

#14 Main Street ---------------*---------------

(X,Y)=2125,0 ^ | ^ ^ ^

---->| | | |> |

---->| | | | |

---->| |

v | |

N | |

o | 2130 feet

<---r-- |

t | 35 mph

h | |

| |

assume 12 ft lanes | |

| ^ |

| | | |<---- |

<| | |>| ---- |

v v | v v

#13 Monroe Street ---------------*---------------

(X,Y)=0,0 ^ | ^ ^

---->|<| | |>

---->| | | |

v | | | |

Pershing

Figure 2-1

Intersection Geometrics for Example Problem

Chapter 2 INITIAL EXAMPLE

PRENETSIM - 18 - Tutorial

Data Entry

If you are not currently running the PRENETSIM program, do so according to the way it was

installed on your computer (see Appendix G). The program will display the program name along

with important licensing information. As described in Chapter 1, two input modes can be used to

manipulate the program. In the examples below, the Edit menu line to select in the Visual Mode

is shown in square brackets, "[XXX]", and the command line to move to is shown following the

System Cycle - 60 sec

_____________________________________________________

Int #13 - Monroe & -------------------------------------

Pershing | * * * | ^ | ^ | ^

| * * * | ****| ****| |

|<* * *> | <****| <****| |

Seq Code 12 | v | ****| | |

| ^ | v |****> | North

| <* * *>| |**** | |

| * * * | | v | |

| * * * | | |

-------------------------------------

Green (%) 32.0 14.0 39.0

Yellow (sec) 3.0 3.0 3.0

_____________________________________________________

Int #14 - Main & -------------------------------------

Pershing | * * * | | | ^

| * * * | | | |

|<* * *> | <****| <****| |

Seq Code 12 | v | ****| | |

| | v |****> | North

| | |**** | |

| | | v | |

| | | |

-------------------------------------

Green (%) 23.0 26.0 36.0

Yellow (sec) 3.0 3.0 3.0

_____________________________________________________

Int #15 - Water & -------------------------------------

Pershing | | | ^ | ^

| | | ****| |

| | ^ | <****| |

Seq Code 13 | |**** | | |

| ^ |****> |****> | North

| <* * *>| | | |

| * * * | | | |

| * * * | | |

-------------------------------------

Green (%) 34.0 11.0 40.0

Yellow (sec) 3.0 3.0 3.0

Figure 2-2

Signal Phasings and Timings for Example Problem

Chapter 2 INITIAL EXAMPLE

PRENETSIM - 19 - Tutorial

arrow, "→". To enter the desired parameter values, move the cursor to the appropriate display

area and type the value in, followed by the TAB key. Use the OK button when done entering

data to return to the Main Menu. To display more entries on a single dialog box, first select the

Tabular View in the View menu before entering data using the Edit menu.

To use the Manual Mode for this tutorial, select the Manual Mode from the Options menu, or

simply press F4. Once the program is ready to accept input, it will display the command prompt

arrow. To enter the desired parameter values, enter the command keyword and parameter values,

each separated by a space, all followed by the ENTER key. If the Visual Mode is desired at any

point, simply press the F4 function key.

If you wish, you can use the drag-and-drop graphical network creation method to create your

analysis network in the main window before entering detailed data. To do this, follow the

instructions in the Data Entry section of Chapter 1, working from left-to-right so that the

intersections that are created are numbered in the correct order. Use the “distance from the

current node” information in the status bar to get your intersection spacings correct (approximate

is adequate for the example). After the network is created, the additional detailed data described

below can be entered by right-clicking on the appropriate intersection, including a check of the

data already created by the drag-and-drop network creation. The intersections can also be re-

numbered to the numbers used here with a right-click option.

The first step in using any TEAPAC program is to enter the data required to describe the problem

to be solved. This is accomplished using commands designated as [PARAMETERS] commands,

such as VOLUMES and WIDTHS. The Commands option of the Help menu can be used to

display help for all commands.

The Help-Commands menu displays all commands, along with information on how to use each.

Note the number of parameters for each command and their associated default values. For

example, the VOLUMES command requires volumes for the twelve (12*) possible movements

at the intersection.

Since a lot of commands exist, getting HELP for a smaller group might be appropriate. The

[BASIC] group consists of only those commands which are essential to solving problems with

PRENETSIM. These commands can be viewed by issuing the following command from the

Manual Mode.

→ HELP [BASIC]

If help for only one command is needed, the HELP command will display the same detailed HLP

file information for that command which is produced by the Help buttons in Visual Mode

dialogs. For example, use the following Manual Mode entry to obtain complete help for the

NODELIST entry to be made in the next paragraph.

→ HELP NODELIST

Chapter 2 INITIAL EXAMPLE

PRENETSIM - 20 - Tutorial

Now let's enter the information needed to describe the problem. The first entry should be the list

of valid node numbers for the system (NODELIST).

[Basic] → NODELIST 13 14 15

This information sets up the system data, while the entries below describe the conditions at each

individual intersection. Note that the INTERSECTION command identifies which intersection

the data that follows applies to. In the Tabular View, INTERSECTION is an active command

which needs to be executed with the Execute button in order to change the dialog box values to

the new intersection. Also, when entering the movement parameters, PRENETSIM expects the

data to be entered starting with the North approach right-turns and proceeding clockwise around

the intersection as shown below. See Chapter 1 - Conventions for more detail. Enter the

following information for intersection 13.

[Basic] → INTERSECTION 13 MONROE

[Basic] → NODELOCATION 0 0

As an efficiency aid, one can move to the next dialog box in sequence as shown in the Edit menu

with the Next button instead of using the menu each time. Thus, instead of pressing the OK

button after the INTERSECTION entry above and using the Edit menu to select

NODELOCATION, simply press the Next button.

[Basic] → NETWORK EAST 2130 35 14 ...

[Basic] → VOLUMES 122 216 80 79 722 187 212 310 198 139 660 134

[Basic] → WIDTHS 0 24 0 0 24 12 0 24 12 0 24 12

[Basic] → SATFLOWS 0 2410 0 0 2771 1433 0 2337 1433 0 2525 1448

[Basic] → SEQUENCE 12

[Basic] → CYCLES 60 60 ...

[Basic] → GREENTIMES 0.32 0.14 0.39 ...

[Basic] → YELLOWTIMES 3.0 3.0 3.0 ...

[Basic] → OFFSET 0.0 3

The NODELOCATION command is used to provide the X,Y coordinates of the intersection.

The NETWORK command is used to connect each intersection to adjacent intersections by

indicating which intersection node number is upstream of each approach. It also indicates the

distance between these two nodes and the average speed at which vehicles travel this distance. In

Chapter 2 INITIAL EXAMPLE

PRENETSIM - 21 - Tutorial

the case of the WIDTHS entries, note that if right- or left-turning movements do not have

exclusive turn lanes, the WIDTH entry is zero. Also note that the width given is for all lanes in

each lane group. The SATURATIONFLOWS values are given for each non-zero lane group

WIDTH. The phasing for each intersection is given by the SEQUENCE code according to the

codes listed in Figure 1-2. The timings for each phase are entered with the CYCLES,

GREENTIMES and YELLOWTIMES commands in the order of the phasing. The OFFSET

command provides the system offset value to the beginning of the phase number indicated.

Now use the INTERSECTION command to change to the next intersection and enter the

following information for intersection 14.

[Basic] → INTERSECTION 14 MAIN

[Basic] → NODELOCATION 2125 0

[Basic] → NETWORK EAST 530 35 15 ...

[Basic] → NETWORK WEST 2130 35 13 ...

[Basic] → VOLUMES 150 813 244 0 1296 589 0 0 0 386 620 0

[Basic] → WIDTHS 0 48 0 0 24 24 0 0 0 12 24 0

[Basic] → SATFLOWS 0 5296 0 0 3041 2606 0 0 0 1448 2634 0

[Basic] → SEQUENCE 12

[Basic] → CYCLES 60 60 ...

[Basic] → GREENTIMES 0.23 0.26 0.36 ...

[Basic] → YELLOWTIMES 3.0 3.0 3.0 ...

[Basic] → OFFSET 0.0 2

Finally, select intersection 15 and enter its information, as follows.

[Basic] → INTERSECTION 15 WATER

[Basic] → NODELOCATION 2656 0

[Basic] → NETWORK WEST 530 35 14 ...

[Basic] → VOLUMES 0 0 0 366 780 0 386 135 453 0 573 291

Chapter 2 INITIAL EXAMPLE

PRENETSIM - 22 - Tutorial

[Basic] → WIDTHS 0 0 0 12 36 0 12 48 0 0 24 12

[Basic] → SATFLOWS 0 0 0 1359 3387 0 1345 4402 0 0 2486 1300

[Basic] → SEQUENCE 13

[Basic] → CYCLES 60 60 ...

[Basic] → GREENTIMES 0.34 0.11 0.40 ...

[Basic] → YELLOWTIMES 3.0 3.0 3.0 ...

[Basic] → OFFSET 0.0 2

The Tabular View is a particularly efficient data entry mode when lots of data is to be entered,

buts lacks some of the dialog box cues that the Normal View provides. Use the View menu (or

the F3 key) and the Edit menu to explore this view and see the data values you have entered. If

you have entered a value improperly, simply re-enter the proper value. The next section shows

how you can verify all entries, particularly if you are using the Manual Mode.

Data Review

Once data has been entered, it should be checked for accuracy and completeness. In the Visual

Mode, this process is simply a matter of reviewing the data entered in each dialog, since this

reflects the actual current values. In the Manual Mode, DATA and SUMMARISE are used for

this data review. Either of these commands may be used to display the current parameter values

for the PRENETSIM entries. SUMMARISE provides a formatted summary report for all of the

command parameter values, while DATA displays only the parameter values for the list of

commands requested. To illustrate this operation, in either the Visual or Manual Modes, enter

the following. Note that again, since this is an active command, the Visual Mode requires that

the Execute button be used to execute the command. The View-Summary menu can also be

used.

[Datafiles] → SUMMARISE

The current values of all input commands are listed with the values just entered, as well as any

default values which were not entered. Note that the movement parameters, such as VOLUMES

and WIDTHS, have approach and movement labels and a report title is displayed. The DATA

command only displays the information, without any special formatting.

[Datafiles] → DATA INTERSECTION VOLUMES WIDTHS

Chapter 2 INITIAL EXAMPLE

PRENETSIM - 23 - Tutorial

The program displays the current parameter values for only the INTERSECTION, VOLUMES

and WIDTHS commands of the current intersection. Note that no other command's values are

listed, nor are there any headings. Since DATA accepts other commands as parameter values,

DATA can be requested for only one, several or all commands, where SUMMARISE always

gives all values. This makes DATA quicker to use, but less clear for others to review other than

on the computer display.

Note also that the VOLUMES and WIDTHS listed are only for the "current" intersection, as

defined by the current value of the INTERSECTION command. To review information for any

given intersection, precede the data command with the proper INTERSECTION command, as

below.

[Basic] → INTERSECTION 13 ...

[Basic] → DATA VOLUMES SATFLOWS

[Basic] → INTERSECTION 15 ...

[Basic] → DATA VOLUMES SATFLOWS

The most efficient way to check input from the Manual Mode is to use the ASK command. This

displays the current values of the commands "ASKed for" in a dialog box display which provides

on-screen HELP and allows the user to move the cursor among the data fields and even change

any values desired (just like the Visual Mode). Try the following from the Manual Mode, both in

the Normal and Tabular Views (use F3 to toggle between views):

→ ASK [BASIC]

In the Visual Mode, the “+” and “-” buttons can be used at any time to increment and decrement

the intersection number displayed in the dialog, according to the order defined in the

NODELIST. The Ctrl-PageUp and Ctrl-PageDown keys (^Page-Up/Down) may also be used as

shortcut keys, as long as no changes have been made to input fields in the dialog. If a change is

made, first TAB to the next field, then use ^Page-Up/Down. Try this as the quickest way to

review and/or edit data input for each intersection.

Review the data values listed using any of the methods described above. Note that there is an

error in the VOLUMES entered for intersection 15. The right turn on the east approach should

be 466, not 366. To correct this, re-enter the VOLUMES entry with the proper value using either

of the entry modes, Visual or Manual.

[Basic] → VOLUMES * * * 466 ...

Note that in either mode, only the value to be changed need be entered. In the Visual Mode, the

cursor is moved to the field with the 366 value and the 466 is typed right over the 366, followed

Chapter 2 INITIAL EXAMPLE

PRENETSIM - 24 - Tutorial

by TAB or ENTER. In the Manual Mode, the VOLUMES command is typed followed by 3

asterisks used as place holders to skip the first three entries.

It is frequently desirable to print the summary of input values, both as a document to use in the

input checking process, as well as a physical record of the input data used in subsequent analyses.

Use of the printer is easy with PRENETSIM. Simply use the File-Print menu of the output

window (or Ctrl-P) to direct the output to the default printer. Various available printers and

printer options can be selected using the Setup options in the File menu, and the last produced

output can be printed from the File menu of the main window. If your printer is connected,

perform the above sequence for the SUMMARISE command to get a printed summary of input,

then recheck all the data input for proper values before proceeding.

Analysis

The third step in program execution is to perform an analysis of the current data. Once satisfied

with the accuracy of the input data, use the TIMINGS command in the Results menu to execute a

PRENETSIM analysis.

[Results] → TIMINGS ...

The TIMINGS command produces a report which summarizes the current timings and calculates

the offsets to the beginning-of-green and beginning-of-yellow for all phases. These calculations

are not provided by the NETSIM model and can be useful in verifying the timings in the field. A

complete phase diagram is also displayed to clarify which phase each timing belongs to.

The PLOT command is another useful command which displays a time-space diagram for the

selected nodes in the NODELIST. As an example of this option, type the following.

[Results] → PLOT 500 ...

The PLOT command generates a time-space diagram for the current timings. The horizontal axis

represents time in percent of cycle and the vertical axis is distance in feet. Note that the PLOT

command has two parameter values, <Scale> and <List of Nodes>. In the above analysis, the

time-space diagram was plotted for all nodes in the node list at a scale of 500 feet per line.

The EXPORT command is used to create an input data file for the NETSIM model.

[Results] → EXPORT AUTO YES ...

Note that while the EXPORT is in process, the program displays on the screen what is being

written into the file. The file is ready to be used with the NETSIM model or it can be edited

using any ASCII editor. It can also be edited with TrafED directly within CORSIM. If CORSIM

is referenced properly in the Options-Setup menu of PRENETSIM, the AUTO option selected

Chapter 2 INITIAL EXAMPLE

PRENETSIM - 25 - Tutorial

above will launch CORSIM automatically into a simulation with the created file, followed

immediately by an animation when the simulation is complete.

Evaluation

One powerful aspect of TEAPAC software is the capability to quickly test multiple scenarios or

conditions in an interactive environment. For example, to manually input the offsets generated

by a run of an external offset optimization model such as NOSTOP, PASSER, TRANSYT or

SYNCHRO, simply use the following command entries.

[Intersection] → INTERSECTION 13 ...

[Intersection] → OFFSET 0.65 2

[Intersection] → INTERSECTION 14 ...

[Intersection] → OFFSET 0.88 2

[Intersection] → INTERSECTION 15 ...

[Intersection] → OFFSET 0.02 2

Now the optimum timings and time space diagram can be reviewed with the TIMINGS and

PLOT commands and EXPORTed for a comparative simulation.

[Results] → TIMINGS ...

[Results] → PLOT 500 ...

[Results] → EXPORT AUTO YES ...

Compare the new time-space diagram to the original diagram. Note that in the first diagram the

offsets were zero and no progression was achieved, while in the second diagram there is a

definite band of progression.

While the example problem is over-simplified, it does demonstrate that PRENETSIM’s

interactive analysis and design techniques allow many conditions to be tested quickly and

efficiently. In addition, printed reports can be produced to document the analysis, and analysis

conditions can be saved at any time, as illustrated below.

At this point of the analysis, we may feel we have an adequate solution to the problem, and wish

to SAVE the data values which created the final results for future use. The typical Save/SaveAs

options of the File menu are normally used, but the [DATAFILES] commands of the File menu

Chapter 2 INITIAL EXAMPLE

PRENETSIM - 26 - Tutorial

also offer these capabilities by first defining the disk FILE name to be used for storage, then

issuing the SAVE command to save the parameter values.

[Datafiles] → FILES SAMPLE/N ...

[Datafiles] → SAVE 1 1 ...

Note that the file name "SAMPLE" has a "/N" switch added to its name the first time it is used to

indicate to PRENETSIM that you expect to create a new file. This is not required, but saves the

steps of responding to the new file creation query. When used, an error will be produced only if

this file name already exists. Other such switches and file name conventions are discussed in

Appendix G, as they relate to your operating system. Also note that as many as five files can be

named at any given time, and that the SAVE command describes which of these five files are to

be used. The SAVE command can also tell the program where in the file to save information,

allowing different scenarios to be stacked one after the other in the same file. The LOAD

command is used to retrieve the information at a later date. All of these options relate to

advanced file manipulation capabilities such as batch control file scripts and multiple scenarios,

described in detail in the TEAPAC Tutorial/Reference Manual.

Exiting the Program

Additional experiments may be conducted at this point. When finished, the Exit option of the

File menu can be used. In the Manual Mode, the STOP (or QUIT) command can also be used.

[Control] → STOP ...

Control of the computer is returned to the operating system. This step is not necessary if you will

continue with the examples of Chapter 3.

Additional Concerns

The procedures and commands presented in this chapter are representative of the functions which

can be performed using the PRENETSIM program. A number of important aspects were not

presented in the interest of simplifying the example problem. Specifically, default values were

used for many of the possible parameter values of the program. These parameter default values

may not be appropriate for the conditions to be studied and thus may require modification.

Other inputs not mentioned are the SIMULATION entries and the SUBSYSTEM command

which selects a subset of the network for export to NETSIM in Usage Level 2 and 3 versions of

PRENETSIM.

These procedures, as well as other important elements of the complete use of the PRENETSIM

program, are discussed in detail in Chapters 3, 4 and 5, and should be addressed as soon as you

are comfortable with the basic elements discussed in this initial example.

PRENETSIM - 27 - Tutorial

C H A P T E R 3

Analysis Procedures

Chapter 3 Topics

Having stepped through the example problem in Chapter 2, it is now possible to discuss in

greater detail the actual procedures and entries used to perform analyses using the PRENETSIM

program. This chapter discusses the minimum input requirements to conduct a reasonable

analysis, as well as practical limitations of the program. Then appropriate analysis procedures

are explained. This chapter is designed to fully explain the operation of the PRENETSIM

program and provide additional understanding of the example shown in Chapter 2.

Chapter 3 Topics

Chapter 3 Introduction

Input Requirements

Analysis Procedures

Input Requirements

This section discusses the basic input requirements for PRENETSIM. It begins with a discussion

of the minimum input requirements to produce various reports, and then discusses the limitations

to data input which exist. This section is quite important in that it sets the minimum information

for valid results, as well as the limitations of the program.

Minimum Input Requirements

Input Limitations

Minimum Input Requirements

Many of the input parameter values have defaults which eliminate the need to enter data for

every parameter. After the program is started or the File-New menu or RESET

[PARAMETERS] command is issued, these default values can be viewed in any of the input

dialogs of the Visual Mode or with the DATA or ASK commands in the Manual Mode. The

default values of each command are also listed in the right-hand section of the HELP displays

which are generated by the Help-Commands menu or the HELP command in the Manual Mode.

Chapter 3 ANALYSIS PROCEDURES

PRENETSIM - 28 - Tutorial

On the other hand, there are a number of commands for which it is necessary to input data in

order to produce legitimate results. The most obvious of these are the NODELIST and

SEQUENCE commands to describe the intersections under study and their phasings. Values for

these commands are needed to do most any function of the PRENETSIM program. As such,

examples of these inputs were illustrated in the initial example of Chapter 2. For an approximate

modeling effort, only a few of these commands may be needed. For a more detailed operations

analysis, the other commands which describe intersection conditions completely should be used,

although each has a preset default value which may be usable in an analysis. Each of the input

parameters for these commands should be reviewed to check the appropriateness of the default

values using the View-Summary menu or the dialog boxes of the Edit menu.

The PRENETSIM program has three basic modes of operation, one where an export of input

values to NETSIM is desired, another where phasing and timing diagrams for each intersection is

desired, and a third where a time-space diagram of input conditions is desired. The input

requirements for these three modes are noticeably different, and thus are discussed below in

separate sections.

EXPORT Inputs. The EXPORT mode means that a complete set of conditions are given in

order for the program to code these inputs for NETSIM and produce a complete and valid

NETSIM model. This means that the NODELIST command must be entered for the system to

define the intersection numbers which will be used. Then for each INTERSECTION, the

NODELOCATION, NETWORK, VOLUMES, WIDTHS, SATURATIONFLOWS and

SEQUENCES commands must be entered. After defining for which INTERSECTION the

following inputs will apply, the NODELOCATION command describes the X,Y coordinates of

the intersection, the NETWORK command describes the speed and distance relationship of the

intersections, the VOLUMES describes the demand volumes for each of the 12 possible turning

movements, and the WIDTHS and SATURATIONFLOWS describes the lane use configuration

and capacities of each. The SEQUENCES command is used to specify the phasing according to

the sequence code method discussed in Chapter 1.

Since NETSIM is capable of simulation of given conditions only, this is the default condition of

the OPTIMIZE command (NONE, a simulation, is the default), and GREENTIMES and

YELLOWTIMES must be given for each phase, as well as the CYCLE and OFFSET.

Optional inputs include the SIMULATION command to simulate an even number of cycles. The

RIGHTTURNONREDS, LANES, GROUPTYPE, TRUCKPERCENTS,

PEAKHOURFACTORS, STARTUPLOST, ENDGAIN, STORAGE, LEADLAGS,

PERMISSIVES, OVERLAPS and PHASEMOVS commands may also be used to further define

movement's RTOR, lanes, lane groupt types, heavy vehicles, peak hour factors, startup lost time,

end gain time and storage conditions, and the SEQUENCE of operation at each signal. Route

entries may also be used to define specific arteries in the system, which can be a useful shortcut

when using the SUBSYSTEM and other commands. If a subset of the entire nodelist is to be

analyzed, this can be done conveniently by using the SUBSYSTEM command in Usage Level 2

and 3 versions of PRENETSIM.

Chapter 3 ANALYSIS PROCEDURES

PRENETSIM - 29 - Tutorial

Timing Diagrams Inputs. In order to produce phasing and timing diagrams for each

intersection, virtually the same basic inputs are required as for an EXPORT, as described above,

including the GREENTIMES, YELLOWTIMES and OFFSET inputs. The major exception is

that the NETWORK, WIDTHS and SATURATIONFLOWS are not required, nor are any of the

optional inputs described above, such as SIMULATION, etc. Note that VOLUMES are required

in order to display the proper arrows in the phasing diagram. The special phasing commands

may be used to further define the SEQUENCE used, and SUBSYSTEM may be used to see a

subset of the NODELIST in Usage Level 2 and 3 versions of PRENETSIM.

Time-Space Inputs. In order to produce time-space diagrams, the input requirements are the

same as the timing diagrams inputs, except that the NETWORK inputs are required and the

VOLUMES inputs are not.

Input Limitations

PRENETSIM is designed to simulate the operation of as many as 500 four-legged intersection

using the NETSIM model as a basis for the analyses. In accomplishing this objective, certain

limitations in the input and use of the program exist. These are described in this section. In

some instances, references to Chapter 5 are made where techniques are described to get around

some of these limitations. None of these limitations constrain the basic use of the program for

most situations, however, and this section should not be viewed as diminishing the usability of

the program, but merely documenting the limitations which should be observed in its use.

Usage Level 2 of PRENETSIM allows the definition of up to 100 intersections; Usage Level 3

handles up to 500 intersections. Smaller systems can also be defined with these large versions of

PRENETSIM. Usage Level 1 of PRENETSIM will only allow the definition of up to 12

intersections for a single analysis.

As many as four approaches can be analyzed for each intersection as long as they generally

follow the geometric layout of two crossing two-way streets. The primary concern here is that

the designated left turns conflict with through movements on the opposite approach as in a

normal four-way intersection, since these are what the pre-coded sequences address. Sixty-four

phasings can be handled automatically through use of the standard TEAPAC phase sequence

numbering scheme described in Chapter 1. Through use of sequence codes less than 0 and the

PHASEMOVEMENTS command, completely arbitrary phasings can be handled, as long as the

rules of describing the phasing are followed for the PHASEMOVEMENTS command.

The NETSIM model is a very comprehensive model, and not all options of the model can be

coded directly with PRENETSIM. This presently includes such things as modeling actuated

controllers, link-specific adjustments, and the like. When these options are desired, the

EXPORTed NETSIM input file can be modified to include these features. This allows

PRENETSIM to perform the bulk of the NETSIM coding effort and the user to exercise the more

detailed aspects of the model.

Chapter 3 ANALYSIS PROCEDURES

PRENETSIM - 30 - Tutorial

Analysis Procedures

When using PRENETSIM, it is important to understand the fundamentals of how the data entries

and actions are used together in order to get results in an efficient and accurate manner. In the

example in Chapter 2, certain processes produced specific results. In this section, these steps are

reviewed and discussed in detail to provide a more complete understanding of the program

functions. First the basic analysis procedures are outlined, then more specialized procedures are

described. Chapter 5 describes unique ways that these basic and special procedures can be

combined to solve unusual problems with PRENETSIM.

Basic Analysis Procedures

Special Analysis Procedures

Printing and Saving NETSIM Results

Basic Analysis Procedures

In performing any of the functions of PRENETSIM, the basic method of using the program is to

enter the parameters which describe the signalized system conditions, as described in the Input

Requirements above, then follow this with the either the EXPORT, TIMINGS or PLOT

commands. These entries and actions are done with the Edit and Results menus, respectively. If

properly installed, the AUTO option of EXPORT can be used to link directly to NETSIM. The

Results menu allows the review of signal timings and manipulation of the commonly changed

values which follow a NETSIM run, such as OFFSETS, as well as either the TIMINGS or PLOT

commands.

In the Manual Mode, all the same steps can be performed by simply entering the commands

desired with their appropriate parameter values. The end of Chapter 3 of the TEAPAC

Tutorial/Reference Manual describes how the ASK command can be used in the Manual Mode

to further enhance the process of performing iterative tabulations and analyses, especially when

using the special group names described in Appendix A of this document.

Special Analysis Procedures

PRENETSIM can also be used in a sequential manner for the typical steps of a signal timing

effort. If existing timings for a network are known, it is usually desirable to simulate these

timings with NETSIM, then optimize the network with another program and simulate the

optimized results with NETSIM so the simulated before and after conditions can be compared.

This is done easily using PRENETSIM, as described below.

First, all of the known timing and phasing information should be entered for each intersection

along with the basic geometric, demand and capacity information, as described in the Minimum

Requirements section above. Then the PLOT command can be issued to draw a time-space

diagram of these existing conditions. The TIMINGS command can also be issued to document

the complete timing and phasing information which was entered. Then the EXPORT command

is used to create a simulation run of NETSIM. This run of NETSIM can also be used to check

the resultant NETSIM model for validity and reasonableness.

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PRENETSIM - 31 - Tutorial

Following a successful simulation with NETSIM, the data can be SAVEd to a file and LOADed

directly with either PREPASSR or PRETRANSYT so that PASSER or TRANSYT can be used

to optimize the timings. Either of these TEAPAC programs can then import the results of the

host optimizer and SAVE them so that PRENETSIM can LOAD them and make another

NETSIM run for comparative purposes. See Chapter 5 for more details on this process.

From this point, it is common to speculate what would happen if certain changes to the timings

are made which are intuitively "better" than those produced by PASSER or TRANSYT. This is

typically the result of looking at the time-space diagrams or platoon progression diagrams and

speculating small changes in offsets which appear to improve the progression of traffic which

wasn't specifically considered. These changes can be made easily within PRENETSIM and re-

PLOTted with PRENETSIM to observe the apparent results. When a satisfactory change has

been entered, these inputs can again be exported to NETSIM so that the simulation of these

timings can be compared with the "optimized" timings. Using this technique, a final set of

timings can be arrived at in a quick and definitive fashion, documented with final PLOT and

TIMINGS reports, and stored in the final PRENETSIM data file.

In Usage Level 2 and 3 versions of PRENETSIM, the same process can be executed for

SUBSYSTEMs of the entire network to assess the potential impact of running the entire system

as several independent subsystems.

Printing and Saving NETSIM Results

If the AUTO option of EXPORT is used to make runs of NETSIM directly from PRENETSIM,

the results of the NETSIM run must be printed separately if the printed results are desired. This

can be done by using the TSIS executive program for NETSIM to print the NETSIM program

output. The name of the file group used is TMPTRF stored in the data subdirectory defined by

the PRENETSI.CFG file. The program output file to print is called TMPTRF.OUT.

If these files are to be retained for future review or archival purposes, they must be copied

elsewhere or renamed to something different than the TMPTRF name before the next EXPORT

AUTO is executed, or they will be over-written by that EXPORT.

PRENETSIM - 33 - Tutorial

C H A P T E R 4

Actions and Entry Parameters

Chapter 4 Topics

This chapter provides a summary description of all of the actions and entry parameters of the

PRENETSIM program. The usage format of each command dialog and associated parameter

values are provided along with a functional description of the command dialog. The dialogs are

grouped and presented in the following three logical categories:

• [RESULTS] Dialogs - action commands for PRENETSIM found in the Results menu

which are specific to the act of solving the traffic problem addressed by the program, and

used to control the type of analysis performed.

• [PARAMETERS] Dialogs - entry commands for PRENETSIM found in the Edit menu

which are specific to the process of entering data for the traffic problem to be solved by

the PRENETSIM program.

• Common TEAPAC Dialogs - entry and action commands of the PRENETSIM program

which are common to and used by all of the TEAPAC programs. These are found

primarily in the Datafiles and Control sub-menus of the File menu.

Table 4-1 describes the detailed organization of how each of the PRENETSIM commands is

presented in this chapter, according to these categories.

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PRENETSIM - 34 - Tutorial

For each command discussed, the first line of a command header provides the basic usage format

of the command dialog, as shown in the sample format below:

COMMAND <Parameter Value> 5*<Another Parameter>

Parameter values which are enclosed by angle brackets, "<" and ">", indicate that the bracketed

description is to be replaced by a parameter value as described. If a command requires more than

one parameter value of the same type, this is represented by an asterisk, "*", preceded by the

number of entries expected or allowed. In the example above, as many as five of <Another

Parameter> can be entered. This command header is then followed by a summary which

describes the main purpose of the command. Details of the command’s usage are found in

Appendix B.

Remember that each PRENETSIM command has been classified into one or more "groups"

which share functional similarities. Appendix A provides a tabular summary of all commands

assigned to each command group. Appendix B provides a detailed table of information for each

command, listed in alphabetical order. Appendices A and B can be used as reference documents

when questions arise regarding any given group or command. Refer to Chapter 4 - TEAPAC

Command Structure in the TEAPAC Tutorial/Reference Manual for a detailed discussion of

group names and their uses.

Chapter 4 Topics

Chapter 4 Introduction

RESULTS Dialogs

PARAMETERS Dialogs

Common TEAPAC Dialogs

Table 4-1

Organization of Command Discussions

RESULTS Dialogs

PARAMETERS Dialogs

Commands to Enter Basic Data

Commands to Enter System Data

Commands to Enter Intersection Data

Commands to Enter Additional Intersection Data

Commands to Enter Traffic Generator Data

Commands to Enter Traffic Count Data

Common TEAPAC Dialogs

Commands to Aid Interactive Input of Data

Commands to Label Output

Commands to Control Operation of Program

Commands to Access Data Stored in Files

Commands to Control Program Execution

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PRENETSIM - 35 - Tutorial

RESULTS Dialogs

[RESULTS] commands are the active command dialogs which perform the various analyses

specific to the purpose of the PRENETSIM program. These commands are summarized in this

section. All the details about each command dialog can be found alphabetically in Appendix B.

The data entry values which must be made prior to using the active commands are listed in the

following section.

EXPORT <File/AUTO/STACK> <Display Output> <Auto Option>

Create a NETSIM-compatible input data file from the current data values, with an optional

automatic link to NETSIM.

PLOT <Scale> <List of Nodes>

Plot a time-space diagram for the nodes specified.

TIMINGS <List of Nodes>

Display the phasing and timings defined for each intersection in the list of nodes, including the

system offset value.

PARAMETERS Dialogs

[PARAMETERS] commands are the data entry command dialogs used to enter the parameter

values which are specific to the purpose of the PRENETSIM program. Each is summarized in

the following paragraphs. First, those [PARAMETERS] commands which are the most basic

entry commands are described. These commands are frequently the only ones needed to describe

a signalized system completely, using the defaults for the remaining [PARAMETERS]

commands. These remaining commands are then described, organized by the type of inputs they

represent, including the basic commands. All the details about each command dialog can be

found alphabetically in Appendix B.

Commands to Enter Basic Data

Commands to Enter System Data

Commands to Enter Intersection Data

Commands to Enter Additional Intersection Data

Commands to Enter Traffic Generator Data

Commands to Enter Traffic Count Data

Commands to Enter Basic Data

The following are the commands which are used to enter the basic data to describe the problem

to be solved.

NODELIST 100*<Node Number>

Enter the list of nodes to be simulated.

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PRENETSIM - 36 - Tutorial

INTERSECTION <Node Number> <Description>

Enter the node number of the current intersection (and an optional description) as defined in the

network.

NODELOCATION <X-Y Coordinates>

Enter the X and Y coordinates of the current intersection.

NETWORK <Direction> <Distance> <Speed> <Node #> 4*<Movement #>

Enter the current intersection's relative location in the system network, including spatial and

speed parameters.

VOLUMES 12*<Design Hour Volume>

Enter the turning and through movement volumes for each of the movements at the current

intersection.

WIDTHS 12*<Lane Group Width>

Enter the width of the lane group for each movement at the current intersection.

PEAKHOURFACTORS 12*<Peak Hour Factor>

Enter the peak hour factor for each movement of the current intersection.

STORAGE 12*<Storage Distance>

Enter the amount of storage distance for queued vehicles for each of the twelve movements of

the current intersection.

SATURATIONFLOWS 12*<Stream Saturation Flow>

Enter the maximum capacity for each lane group of the current intersection.

SEQUENCES <Sequence Code>

Enter the desired and allowed phasings of the traffic signal of the current intersection according

to the codes defined in Figure 1-2 of Chapter 1.

CYCLES <Minimum Cycle> <Maximum Cycle> <Cycle Increment>

Enter the cycle length for the current intersection to be used for NETSIM's simulation, as well as

a time-space plot or timing diagram.

GREENTIMES 6*<Phase Green Time>

Enter the duration of green for each of the phases of a specified phase sequence, or optionally for

each of the movements, of the current intersection.

YELLOWTIMES 6*<Phase Yellow Time>

Enter the clearance interval at the end of each phase of a phase sequence, or optionally for each

of the movements, of the current intersection.

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OFFSET <Offset> <Phase Number>

Enter the coordinated offset for a phase of the phase sequence at the current intersection.

Commands to Enter System Data

The following are commands which can be used to describe the signalized system which is being

analyzed. Some of these commands were also included in the Basic Data discussed above.

NODELIST 100*<Node Number>

Enter the list of nodes to be simulated.

SUBSYSTEM 100*<Node Number>

Enter the subset of the NODELIST for which subsequent actions should be taken.

ROUTE <Route #> <List of Artery Nodes>

Enter a list of node numbers which represent the intersections on the artery for the given route

number.

MASTERNODE <Master Node #>

Enter the node number of the intersection which is the master node location for the system. This

command appears only for compatibility with PRETRANSYT, and is not presently used in

PRENETSIM.

QUEUEMODELS <Model #> <Percentile> <Auto> <Truck>

Enter parameters which control the queue model calculations used for all intersections under

study.

SIMULATION <Steps/Cycle> < Analysis Period> <Stop Penalty>

<Assignment Method>Analysis Period

Enter simulation control parameters, including the length of the analysis period for all

intersections under study.

OPTIMIZE <Optimization Type> <Step Size List>

Enter the type of optimization to be performed. This command appears only for compatibility

with PREPASSR and PRETRANSYT, and is not presently used in PRENETSIM.

OUTPUT <Prog> <NETSIM Version>

Enter the version of NETSIM/CORSIM to create input for.

LINKLIST 200*< <Node Number> <Direction> >

Enter the simulation order for each link in the network, primarily for earlier versions of

TRANSYT. This command appears only for compatibility with PRETRANSYT, and is not

presently used in PRENETSIM.

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PRENETSIM - 38 - Tutorial

Commands to Enter Intersection Data

The following are commands which can be used to describe each intersection being analyzed.

Some of these commands were also included in the Basic Data discussed above.

INTERSECTION <Node Number> <Description>

Enter the node number of the current intersection (and an optional description) as defined in the

network.

NODELOCATION <X-Y Coordinates>

Enter the X and Y coordinates of the current intersection.

NETWORK <Direction> <Distance> <Speed> <Node #> 4*<Movement #>

Enter the current intersection's relative location in the system network, including spatial and

speed parameters.

APPLABELS 4*<Approach Label>

Enter labels for each approach of the current intersection.

MOVLABELS 12*<Movement Label>

Enter abbreviated labels for each movement of the current intersection.

RIGHTTURNONREDS 4*<Right Turn on Red Volume>

Enter the right turn on red volume for the right turns on each approach of the current intersection.

VOLUMES 12*<Design Hour Volume>

Enter the turning and through movement volumes for each of the movements at the current

intersection.

VOLFACTORS <# Years> 12*<Volume Adjustment Factor>

Enter number of times to compound and each multiplier used for each movement to adjust the

volume data entered by the VOLUMES command at the current intersection.

VOLADDITIONALS <AddFactor> 12*<Additional Volume>

Enter the factor and additional volume to be added for each movement of the current intersection.

WIDTHS 12*<Lane Group Width>

Enter the width of the lane group for each movement at the current intersection.

LANES 12*<Number of Lanes>

Enter the number of lanes which are assigned for use by each of the twelve movements at the

current intersection.

GROUPTYPES 12*<Lane Group Type>

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PRENETSIM - 39 - Tutorial

Enter the special lane group type for each possible lane group, such as dual-optional lanes, free-

flow lanes and sign-controlled lanes for the current intersection.

TRUCKPERCENTS 12*<Truck-Through Bus Percentage>

Enter the truck and through bus (heavy vehicle) traffic percentage for each movement of the

current intersection.

PEAKHOURFACTORS 12*<Peak Hour Factor>

Enter the peak hour factor for each movement of the current intersection.

ACTUATIONS 12*<Actuated Movement>

Enter the type of phase module present, actuated or non-actuated, for each movement of the

current intersection. This command is not presently used in PRENETSIM.

MINIMUMS 12*<Minimum Green Time>

Enter the minimum green time requirements for each of the twelve movements at the current

intersection. This command appears only for compatibility with PRETRANSYT, and is not

presently used in PRENETSIM.

STARTUPLOST 12*<Startup Lost Time>

Enter the length of the lost time at the beginning of a movement’s green period for each of the

twelve movements of the current intersection.

ENDGAIN 12*<End Gain Time>

Enter the length of time that vehicles effectively extend the green period into the yellow and all-

red period for each of the twelve movements of the current intersection.

STORAGE 12*<Storage Distance>

Enter the amount of storage distance for queued vehicles for each of the twelve movements of

the current intersection.

SATURATIONFLOWS 12*<Stream Saturation Flow>

Enter the maximum capacity for each lane group of the current intersection.

SEQUENCES <Sequence Code>

Enter the desired and allowed phasings of the traffic signal of the current intersection according

to the codes defined in Figure 1-2 of Chapter 1.

PERMISSIVES 4*<Permissive Left>

Enter an option for each approach identifying the permissability of left-turning traffic to turn on a

through phase following or preceding a protected left turn phase of the current intersection.

OVERLAPS 4*<Right Turn Overlap>

Enter how right turn overlaps are to be handled for each approach of the current intersection.

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PRENETSIM - 40 - Tutorial

LEADLAGS 2*<Lead-Lag Phasing>

Enter the order of the phases, particularly in multiphase operation, of the current intersection.

CYCLES <Minimum Cycle> <Maximum Cycle> <Cycle Increment>

Enter the cycle length for the current intersection to be used for NETSIM's simulation, as well as

a time-space plot or timing diagram.

GREENTIMES 6*<Phase Green Time>

Enter the duration of green for each of the phases of a specified phase sequence, or optionally for

each of the movements, of the current intersection.

YELLOWTIMES 6*<Phase Yellow Time>

Enter the clearance interval at the end of each phase of a phase sequence, or optionally for each

of the movements, of the current intersection.

OFFSET <Offset> <Phase Number>

Enter the coordinated offset for a phase of the phase sequence at the current intersection.

PHASEMOVEMENTS <Phase Number> <List of Movements>

Enter the movements permitted during each phase for a non-standard phasing at the current

intersection.

Commands to Enter Additional Intersection Data

The following are commands which can be used to describe each intersection being analyzed but

whose data values are not used by PRENETSIM. Their inclusion in the program is to provide

seamless data file compatibility with the SIGNAL2000 program.

METROAREA <Location>

Enter the location of the current intersection within the metropolitan area.

LEVELOFSERVICE <Target Delay/LOS> <Max Delay/LOS> <Delay Incr>

Enter the range of delay (or level of service) and v/c which should be tested by a DESIGN

optimization and GOVERCS for the current intersection.

EXCESS <List of Priority Movement Numbers>

Enter the movements to which the TIMINGS command will assign available excess portions of

the cycle length for the current intersection.

APPLABELS 4*<Approach Label>

Enter labels for each approach of the current intersection.

GRADES 4*<Grade of Approach>

Enter the grade of each approach of the current intersection.

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PRENETSIM - 41 - Tutorial

PEDLEVELS 4*<Pedestrian Interference>

Enter the level of pedestrian interference for right turns on each approach of the current

intersection.

BIKEVOLUMES 4*<Conflicting Bicycles>

Enter the volume of conflicting bicycles for right turns on each approach of the current

intersection.

PARKINGSIDES 4*<Parking Location>

Enter parking conditions on each approach of the current intersection.

PARKVOLUMES 4*<Parking Volume>

Enter the number of parking maneuvers per hour on each side of each approach of the current

intersection.

BUSVOLUMES 4*<Stopping Bus Volume>

Enter the volumes of stopping buses which stop on each approach of the current intersection.

UPSTREAMVC 4*<Upstream v/c Ratio>

Enter the v/c ratio of the upstream intersection for each approach of the current intersection.

MOVLABELS 12*<Movement Label>

Enter abbreviated labels for each movement of the current intersection.

UTILIZATIONS 12*<Lane Utilization Factor>

Enter the lane utilization factor for each movement of the current intersection.

ARRIVALTYPES 12*<Quality of Progression>

Enter the quality of progression for each movement of the current intersection.

REQCLEARANCES 12*<Required Clearance>

Enter the clearance times required for each movement of the current intersection.

INITIALQUEUE 12*<Initial Queue Size>

Enter the number of vehicles queued at the intersection at the start of the analysis period for each

of the twelve movements of the current intersection.

IDEALSATFLOWS 12*<Ideal Saturation Flow Rate>

Enter the base (ideal) saturation flow rate for each movement of the current intersection.

FACTORS 12*<Satflow Adjustment Factor>

Enter satflow adjustment factors for each movement of the current intersection to adjust 2000

Highway Capacity Manual satflow computations.

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PRENETSIM - 42 - Tutorial

DELAYFACTORS 12*<Delay Adjustment Factor>

Enter factors for each movement of the current intersection used to adjust the delay calculations,

for example, to match delays obtained from a network simulation model.

NSTOPFACTORS 12*<Stops Adjustment Factor>

Enter twelve factors used to adjust the number of stops calculations of the EVALUATE report of

the current intersection, for example, to match the number of stops obtained from a network

simulation model.

CRITICALS 6*<Critical Movement Number>

Enter the movement which is critical for each phase of the phase sequence of operation of the

current intersection.

PEDTIME <Exclusive Pedestrian Phase Time> <Phase Number>

Enter the time for an exclusive pedestrian scramble phase of the current intersection.

Commands to Enter Traffic Generator Data

The following are commands which can be used to describe traffic generator data for each

intersection being analyzed but whose data values are not used by PRENETSIM. Their inclusion

in the program is to provide seamless data file compatibility with the SITE program in particular,

and all TEAPAC programs, in general.

SITESIZE <# of Distribution Types> <# of Inbound Types>

Enter the number of distribution types to be used to describe the inbound and outbound traffic

generation.

ROUND <Precision of Totals>

Enter the precision to be used in computing the results.

BASE <Generation Base> <X-Y Coord LL> <X-Y Coord UR>

Enter the base development size for generating trips as it relates to the generation rates used for

the development.

GENERATION <Direction> <Generation Rate> 10*<Node-Dir>

Enter the traffic generation rates and access points and access directions for the development.

PATHDISTRIBUTION <Distr Type #> <Distr %> <Node #> <Node Dir>

<Descr>

Enter and set the current distribution type number, and enter its related distribution percentage,

external node, and description.

PATHASSIGNMENT <Path #> <Path %> <Path List>

Enter a path (list of intersections) which vehicles of the current distribution type follow when

traveling to and from the development.

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ASSIGNMENT <Type #> <Intersection #>

12*<<Movement #> <Assignment Factor>>

Enter the percentage of a distribution type to be assigned to the movements at an intersection.

This is only used to define special assignment situations, and is not normally used for typical site

traffic assignment situations.

Commands to Enter Traffic Count Data

The following are commands which can be used to describe traffic count data for each

intersection being analyzed but whose data values are not used by PRENETSIM. Their inclusion

in the program is to provide seamless data file compatibility with the TURNS and WARRANTS

programs in particular, and all TEAPAC programs, in general.

COUNTTYPE <Type of Data> <Type of Truck Counts>

Enter the type of count data which is to be supplied to the program at the current intersection, and

to provide a description of the count.

PERIODS <Count Interval> 5*< <Start Time> <Stop Time> >

Enter the count interval and the beginning and ending times for each count period for which

subsequent data will be entered at the current intersection.

CONDITIONS <Major Direction> <# N-S Lanes> <# E-W Lanes>

<# Accidents for Signal> <Stop Sign Delay>

<# Accidents for Stop> <Minor Street Delay>

Enter intersection conditions which affect the conduct of a Warrant Analysis at the current

intersection.

ADTFACTOR <Factor to Expand Counts to 24 Hour Volumes>

Enter a factor which will be used to estimate 24-hour volumes from partial day's counts at the

current intersection.

VEHICLECOUNTS <Movement or Time> <List of Counts>

Enter the count of vehicles for a count interval or movement number at the current intersection.

TRUCKCOUNTS <Movement or Time> <List of Counts>

Enter the count of trucks for a count interval or movement number at the current intersection.

Common TEAPAC Dialogs

There are 22 command dialogs common to all TEAPAC programs. These commands control

interactive functions, output labeling, program operation, permanent data storage and program

execution. These common TEAPAC commands are summarized in this section. All the detail

Chapter 4 ACTIONS AND ENTRY PARAMETERS

PRENETSIM - 44 - Tutorial

about these commands is found alphabetically in Appendix B of this manual with the other

commands of the program discussed previously (as well as in Appendix B of all other TEAPAC

program manuals).

Commands to Aid Interactive Input of Data

Commands to Label Output

Commands to Control Operation Of Program

Commands to Access Data Stored In Files

Commands to Control Program Execution

Commands to Aid Interactive Input of Data

The commands described below have functions related to the interactive use of the program.

These commands control on-screen help functions as well as provide the means to review

program data. Many of these commands act on a set of commands as their parameter values.

MESSAGES <Level of Messages>

Display messages concerning changes made to the program since the last printing of the

tutorial/reference manual.

HELP <List of Commands>

Display the command names, parameter descriptions, and default values for each command

listed.

ASK <List of Commands>

Produce a dialog box display for each of the listed commands.

RESET <List of Commands>

Reset the parameters of the specified commands to their default values.

DATA <List of Commands>

Display the current parameter values for the specified commands.

SUMMARISE --

Display a formatted summary of all [PARAMETERS] values. It has no parameters.

Commands to Label Output

The four commands described below control the report headings of the program. Report

headings are used to identify the conditions of an analysis. Report headings are critical when

multiple analyses are performed and documentation of various conditions analyzed is required.

PROJECT <First Title Line>

Enter the first line of information used to identify the situation being analyzed.

DESCRIPTION <Second Title Line>

Chapter 4 ACTIONS AND ENTRY PARAMETERS

PRENETSIM - 45 - Tutorial

Enter the second line of information used to identify the situation being analyzed.

NOTE <Third Title Line>

Enter the third line of information contained in the title of each report.

HEADING <Number of Lines>

Display the current title heading lines.

Commands to Control Operation of Program

The following commands control various aspects of program operation.

ECHO <Input/Output Echo Condition>

Enter the echo condition flag indicating whether or not command information should be

displayed after being input from or output to a file.

IODEVICES <Visual View> <Page #> <Lines/Pg> <Last Line #>

Set the visual view style for dialogs, as well as the page number and the size of the output

medium (i.e., paper).

NEWPAGE <Page Advance Option>

Enter a flag indicating that the next output report should begin with title headings at the top of

the next page.

Commands to Access Data Stored In Files

The following commands are used when analysis data and/or commands are to be stored in

permanent data files for later use.

FILES 5*<File Name>

Enter the names of the permanent storage file areas where information is to be LOADed and

SAVEd.

SAVE <Line Number> <File Number> <List of Commands>

Save the current parameter values of the listed commands in permanent storage locations

specified by the FILES command, for future retrieval with the LOAD command.

LOAD <Line Number> <File Number> <LOAD Type> <# Blocks>

Input commands and parameters from permanent storage locations specified by the FILES

command.

RETURN --

Return to the source of input which was being used when the last LOAD command was

encountered. It has no parameters.

NEXTLINES 5*<Next Line of File>

Chapter 4 ACTIONS AND ENTRY PARAMETERS

PRENETSIM - 46 - Tutorial

Enter the default next line to be accessed in each of the five files.

Commands to Control Program Execution

The following commands are used to direct program control. Typically, these commands are

used within "control" files to execute a series of program steps.

STOP <Next Program>

Stop running the current program and optionally run a new program.

REPEAT <Variable Name> <First Val> <Last Val> <Increment>

Initiate a loop in a control file so that the set of commands which follow will be repeated a finite

number of times.

GOTO <Destination>

Divert the input stream within a file by providing the next location to be LOADed from that file.

CALCULATE <Algebraic Expression>

Perform a calculation for the given expression and optionally assign the integer result to a user

variable.

Chapter 5 ADVANCED PROCEDURES

PRENETSIM - 47 - Tutorial

C H A P T E R 5

Advanced Procedures

Chapter 5 Topics

Chapters 1 through 4 covered the basic methods and commands required to use the PRENETSIM

program to solve most problems which will be encountered. The advanced procedures discussed

in this chapter can greatly increase efficiency in solving problems with PRENETSIM, as well as

provide insights into how to use PRENETSIM to solve unusual problems. Before beginning this

section, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the material covered in the previous

chapters, as well as in the TEAPAC Tutorial/ Reference Manual. If this is not the case, please

review this material prior to continuing. Chapter 5 of the TEAPAC Tutorial/Reference Manual

can also be used to discover advanced procedures which can be used by PRENETSIM, as well as

all TEAPAC programs.

Chapter 5 Topics

Chapter 5 Introduction

Sharing Data Files with Other TEAPAC Programs

A major element in the design of TEAPAC programs is the ability to share both input and output

data amongst any TEAPAC programs which can make valid use of the data. All TEAPAC

application programs (except NOSTOP) use the same single data file which contains all data

entries used by all programs. This includes intersection traffic and geometric data, network data,

traffic count data and traffic generator data, whether or not this data is specifically germaine to

the purpose of the specific program being used at the time. This means that all of this data can be

shared amongst all TEAPAC programs by simply opening the one data file into the program

desired, and saving the data, as appropriate, before moving to another program. The easiest way

to accomplish this is by using the LinkTo menu which automatically closes the current program

and opens the selected program with the same data file.

In the case where data changes within one program as a result of an analysis and these changes

are needed for use in another program, the user need only save the changes in the file before

opening the file in the next program. The LinkTo menu provides a simple way to transfer control

Chapter 5 ADVANCED PROCEDURES

PRENETSIM - 48 - Tutorial

of the file to that next program (after saving) by simply selecting the next program. Examples of

circumstances where this exchange of results might occur are illustrated below:

In SIGNAL2000

• Computed HCM-compliant SATURATIONFLOWS can be transferred to TEAPAC

PREprocessors for use by PASSER, TRANSYT, CORSIM, SYNCHRO or TSPPD.

• HCM-optimized SEQUENCES, GREENTIMES and YELLOWTIMES can be transferred to

TEAPAC PREprocessors for use by NOSTOP, PASSER, TRANSYT, CORSIM, SYNCHRO

or TSPPD for various forms of coordinated operation assessment and/or optimization.

In PREprocessors

• Imported optimized OFFSETS (and possibly GREENTIMES) can be transferred to

SIGNAL2000 or other TEAPAC PREprocessors for evaluation, graphical rendition,

simulation, animation or further optimization.

In TURNS/WARRANTS

• Peak 15-minute or 60-minute VOLUMES (and possibly TRUCKPERCENTS and

PEAKHOURFACTORS) can be transferred to SIGNAL2000 for HCM-compliant capacity

analysis, HCM phasing/timing optimization or intersection design.

• Peak 15-minute or 60-minute VOLUMES (and possibly TRUCKPERCENTS and

PEAKHOURFACTORS) can be transferred to TEAPAC PREprocessors for use by

PASSER, TRANSYT, CORSIM, SYNCHRO or TSPPD.

• Peak 15-minute or 60-minute VOLUMES can be transferred to SITE as background traffic

for traffic impact analysis studies.

In SITE

• Projected added volumes (VOLADDITIONALS) can be transferred to SIGNAL2000 for

HCM-compliant capacity analysis, HCM phasing/timing optimization or intersection design.

• Projected added volumes (VOLADDITIONALS) can be transferred to TEAPAC

PREprocessors for use by PASSER, TRANSYT, CORSIM, SYNCHRO or TSPPD.

Traffic volumes are an important element either determined by or used by virtually all modules

of TEAPAC, thus a discussion here of how volume information flows among all the TEAPAC

programs will be helpful. Analysis volumes in any TEAPAC program are the additive

combination of VOLUMES and VOLADDITIONALS entries. Thus, for any given movement,

the VOLUMES entry for that movement is added to the VOLADDITIONALS entry for that

movement to arrive at the analysis volume for that movement. For added flexibility, VOLUMES

entries can be factored up or down by corresponding VOLFACTORS entries (with the additional

possibility of compounded growth applied to those factors) and VOLADDITONALS entries can

be factored up or down by a separate factor. Normally, VOLUMES will be either entered by the

user or set automatically by peak period analysis in TURNS or WARRANTS (consistent with the

then-current VOLFACTORS entries). Normally, VOLADDITIONALS will be either entered by

the user or set automatically by traffic generation computations in SITE (consistent with the then-

current VOLUMES and VOLFACTORS entries). The user is directed to the specific formulas

for analysis volume determination described in detail in Appendix C.

Chapter 5 ADVANCED PROCEDURES

PRENETSIM - 49 - Tutorial

The following discussion provides further program-specific notes about data file sharing for this

program.

Sharing Data with SIGNAL2000, PRENOSTOP, PREPASSR, PRETRANSYT, PRETSPPD and

PRESYNCHRO

Input Data from TURNS, WARRANTS and SITE

Sharing Data with SIGNAL2000, PRENOSTOP, PREPASSR,

PRETRANSYT, PRETSPPD and PRESYNCHRO

SIGNAL2000 can provide a number of relevant analyses for typical arterial and network signal

timing studies with NETSIM. For existing conditions, SIGNAL2000 can provide a complete and

comprehensive capacity analysis strictly according to the methods of the 2000 Highway Capacity

Manual (HCM). When optimizing the signal timings of each signal in an system, SIGNAL2000

will consider HCM level of service, virtually every possible phasing combination, for both the

major street and the cross street, and will completely consider the effects which right turns,

clearance intervals and minimums have on the best timings. Each of these optimized conditions

can be SAVEd with SIGNAL2000, and then PRENETSIM can be run using all of these results

without any re-entry of data. This virtually eliminates any input at all to PRENETSIM, using all

of the data already entered and optimized from SIGNAL2000. As described above, the same

data can also be used by PREPASSR and PRETRANSYT in order to obtain optimal system

offsets.

Since the data inputs and file information for SIGNAL2000, PRENOSTOP, PREPASSR,

PRETRANSYT, PRETSPPD, PRESYNCHRO and PRENETSIM are identical, files which are

opened and saved with PRENETSIM can be opened directly with all the others using the File-

Open menu, allowing the immediate use of the SIGNAL2000 HCM capacity analysis and HCM

delay optimization program, the NOSTOP bandwidth optimization program, the PASSER

bandwidth optimization program, the TRANSYT simulation/optimization program, the TSPPD

time-space platoon progression diagram program, the SYNCHRO simulation/optimization

program and the NETSIM simulation and animation program for the data previously input to

PRENETSIM. The most convenient way to move among all of these programs is to use the

LinkTo menu provided in each program. This gives access to each of the SIGNAL2000,

NOSTOP, PASSER-II, TRANSYT, TSPPD, SYNCHRO and NETSIM programs from a single

data base.

If optimized intersection results from SIGNAL2000 are to be used by PRENETSIM, these results

should be SAVEd after they are computed. Also, if SIGNAL2000's SATURATIONFLOWS are

to be used by PRENETSIM, they must be SAVEd after an action command such as ANALYZE

or SERVICEVOLS computes them.

Chapter 5 ADVANCED PROCEDURES

PRENETSIM - 50 - Tutorial

Input Data from TURNS, WARRANTS and SITE

TURNS (and WARRANTS) is another program which can provide useful results for

PRENETSIM (as well as SIGNAL2000). After the turning movement count summaries and

peak-period analyses of TURNS are completed, the peak-period VOLUMES entries which are

created are normally used as existing traffic volumes for the initial capacity analyses with

SIGNAL2000 and demand volumes for PRENETSIM. The VOLUMES results of the TURNS

peak-period analyses can be saved directly to the data file which can then be read by both

SIGNAL2000 and PRENETSIM for these purposes. Note also that these VOLUMES can be

easily factored by using the individual VOLFACTORS entries, as well as the global entry of

VOLFACTORS when intersection 0 (all intersections) is selected.

The SITE program can be used in exactly the same manner as TURNS, creating a set of projected

VOLADDITIONALS in the file, allowing a duplicate analysis to be performed on projected

volumes, as well as existing volumes. Note also that these VOLADDITIONALS can be easily

factored by using the individual VOLADDITIONALS factor entry, as well as the global entry of

the factor when intersection 0 (all intersections) is selected. Another use of the factor, including

its global entry, is to disable the VOLADDITIONALS by using a factor of 0.

PRENETSIM - 51 - Reference

A P P E N D I C E S

Reference Manual

The following appendices form the PRENETSIM Reference Manual. This manual is designed to

provide detailed information regarding various aspects of the PRENETSIM program. The

information in the appendices is ordered such that easy reference access is possible. Each of the

appendices is described briefly below.

Appendix A

ABBREVIATED DESCRIPTION OF ACTIONS AND ENTRIES

Appendix A lists all PRENETSIM commands by group name. This appendix is designed for

quick reference regarding group names and command hierarchy. The single line descriptions are

identical to the descriptions provided by the Help-Commands menu and the HELP command.

The descriptions identify the names and number of parameter values along with any default

values.

Appendix B

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ACTIONS AND ENTRIES

Appendix B provides complete detail regarding the PRENETSIM commands and their associated

parameter values. All PRENETSIM commands are listed in this section. Five categories of

information are provided for each command: 1) Format, 2) Function, 3) Parameters, 4) Group

Names and 5) Notes. This appendix provides specific details on how to use a PRENETSIM

command and what, if any, limitations exist on the associated parameter values. The Note

category provides useful "hints" on the use of the command.

Appendix C

ANALYSIS METHODS AND FORMULATIONS

Appendix C discusses the methods and formulae used by the PRENETSIM program to calculate

results. Using the procedures discussed in this appendix, it is possible to manually recreate the

results calculated by PRENETSIM.

PRENETSIM - 52 - Reference

Appendix D

REPORT DESCRIPTIONS AND EXAMPLES

Appendix D describes the reports generated by the PRENETSIM program. In addition, sample

output is provided for each type of report generated by the PRENETSIM program. The elements

of each report are described in detail.

Appendix E

ERROR MESSAGES AND TROUBLE SPOTS

Appendix E describes program specific error messages of the PRENETSIM program, the

potential cause of such errors and potential solutions. PRENETSIM errors are identified by the

letters "PNT" followed by a two-digit number. In addition, potential trouble spots associated

with using the PRENETSIM program are outlined. This appendix is useful for identifying

program-specific causes for certain problems in the use of PRENETSIM, as well as preventing

future errors.

Appendix F

TEAPAC SYSTEM ERROR MESSAGES

Appendix F describes error messages which are common to all TEAPAC programs. TEAPAC

error or warning messages are identified by the letters "TPC" followed by a two digit number.

This appendix discusses each TEAPAC error and potential causes and solutions. Appendix F of

each TEAPAC Manual is identical for quick reference purposes.

Appendix G

OPERATING SYSTEM MESSAGES AND INSTALLATION NOTES

Appendix G discusses the unique aspects of the installation of TEAPAC programs on a particular

operating system. Operating system dependent functions such as error messages, file

specification procedures and output control features are discussed. Special function keys, such as

control characters, are also discussed. Appendix G of each TEAPAC Manual is identical for

quick reference purposes.

Appendix H

ADDENDA

Appendix H provides a location for recent release notes and addenda which may be published

after the official release of this documentation. This appendix can also be used to store printed

copies of new release notes for updated versions of PRENETSIM, as produced by the Help-

RecentChanges menu or the MESSAGES command, for off-line reference.

PRENETSIM A-53 Reference

A P P E N D I X A

Abbreviated Description of Actions and

Entries

Appendix A Topics

Appendix A is designed as a quick reference to the PRENETSIM commands and their associated

parameter values. This appendix is also useful for identifying what specific Group Names exist

in the PRENETSIM program (Table A-1), which commands can be found in each group (Table

A-2), and an alphabetical list of commands (Table A-3). The command information contained in

this appendix can be accessed interactively using the HELP command.

In Table A-1, the column labeled "Std Name" has an "X" entered for every group name that is a

standard name found in each TEAPAC program. The name and meaning of these groups in each

TEAPAC program is identical, allowing a quick understanding of how commands are organized

in each TEAPAC program. The column labeled "Std Group" has an "X" entered for every group

which is comprised of standard TEAPAC commands. In these cases, not only is the name of the

group the same in every TEAPAC program, but the names and purposes of the commands in the

groups are also identical among TEAPAC programs, further enhancing the quick understanding

of commands in each TEAPAC program.

Group names are useful when using a command which requires a list of commands as a

parameter value. These are the RESET, ASK, DATA, HELP and SAVE commands. Group

names make it possible to list a complete set of commands using a single parameter value. In

order to use a group name as a parameter value, it is necessary to enclose the group name in

square brackets, "[XXX]", as shown in this appendix.

PRENETSIM A-54 Reference

Appendix A Topics

Appendix A Introduction

PRENETSIM Command Structure

All Commands

PRENETSIM Command Structure

Each PRENETSIM command has been classified into one or more "groups", each of which

consist of a subset of all PRENETSIM commands. Each group contains commands which share

functional similarities. The Group Name associated with each group describes the function

shared by the commands. The Group Names form a heirarchical command structure, as outlined

in Table A-1. Group names are either common names used in all TEAPAC programs, or special

names used by the PRENETSIM program, as described in the following sections.

Table A-1

Group Name Structure

Std Std

[GROUP NAME] - Types of Commands Included in Group Name Group

____________________________________________________________________________

[ALL]

- All of the PRENETSIM commands, alphabetically X

[INFO]

- help & information about updates X X

[DATAFILES]

- data and file management X X

[TITLES]

- enter the headings for report output X X

[CONTROL]

- control program execution environment X X

[RESULTS]

- perform program-specific actions X

[PARAMETERS]

- enter program-specific data X

[BASIC]

- enter essential data requirements X

[SYSTEM]

- enter system data

[INTERSECTION]

- enter intersection data

[SIGNAL2000]

- enter additional intersection data

[TURNS/WARRANTS]

- enter traffic count data

[SITE]

- enter traffic generator data

[EXPORT]

- related to export-to-NETSIM actions

[REVIEW]

- related to signal timing review actions

PRENETSIM A-55 Reference

Table A-2 provides a cross-reference between each of the commands and the group names.

Abbreviated group names appear across the top of the table and commands along the left side.

An "X" in the table indicates that the command to the left is included in the group name above.

This table allows a quick view of the relationship between group names and commands.

Common TEAPAC Group Names

Special PRENETSIM Group Names

PRENETSIM A-56 Reference

Table A-2

Cross-Reference of Commands and Groups

Groups:

Command ALL INF DAT TIT CON RES PAR BAS SYS INT SIG TUR SIT EXP REV

MESSAGES X X . . . . . . . . . . . . .

HELP X X . . . . . . . . . . . . .

RESET X . X . . . . . . . . . . . .

DATA X . X . . . . . . . . . . . .

SUMMARISE X . X . . . . . . . . . . . .

FILES X . X . . . . . . . . . . . .

NEXTLINES X . X . . . . . . . . . . . .

ECHO X . X . . . . . . . . . . . .

LOAD X . X . . . . . . . . . . . .

SAVE X . X . . . . . . . . . . . .

ASK X . X . . . . . . . . . . . .

PROJECT X . . X . . . . . . . . . . .

DESCRIPTION X . . X . . . . . . . . . . .

NOTE X . . X . . . . . . . . . . .

STOP X . . . X . . . . . . . . . .

IODEVICES X . . . X . . . . . . . . . .

NEWPAGE X . . . X . . . . . . . . . .

HEADING X . . . X . . . . . . . . . .

CALCULATE X . . . X . . . . . . . . . .

REPEAT X . . . X . . . . . . . . . .

GOTO X . . . X . . . . . . . . . .

RETURN X . . . X . . . . . . . . . .

EXPORT X . . . . X . . . . . . . X .

PLOT X . . . . X . . . . . . . . X

TIMINGS X . . . . X . . . . . . . . X

NODELIST X . . . . . X X X . . . . . .

SUBSYSTEM X . . . . . X . X . . . . X .

ROUTE X . . . . . X . X . . . . X .

MASTERNODE X . . . . . X . X . . . . X .

QUEUEMODELS X . . . . . X . X . . . . . .

SIMULATION X . . . . . X . X . . . . . .

OPTIMIZE X . . . . . X . X . . . . X .

OUTPUT X . . . . . X . X . . . . X .

LINKLIST X . . . . . X . . . . . . . .

INTERSECTION X . . . . . X X . X . . . . X

NODELOCATION X . . . . . X X . X . . . . .

NETWORK X . . . . . X X . X . . . . .

APPLABELS X . . . . . X . . X X . . . .

MOVLABELS X . . . . . X . . X X . . . .

RIGHTTURNONREDS X . . . . . X . . X . . . . .

VOLUMES X . . . . . X X . X . . . . .

VOLFACTORS X . . . . . X . . X . . . . .

VOLADDITIONALS X . . . . . X . . X . . . . .

WIDTHS X . . . . . X X . X . . . . .

LANES X . . . . . X . . X . . . . .

GROUPTYPES X . . . . . X . . X . . . . .

TRUCKPERCENTS X . . . . . X . . X . . . . .

PEAKHOURFACTORS X . . . . . X X . X . . . . .

PRENETSIM A-57 Reference

Common TEAPAC Group Names

Table A-2 (continued)

Cross-Reference of Commands and Groups

Groups:

Command ALL INF DAT TIT CON RES PAR BAS SYS INT SIG TUR SIT EXP REV

ACTUATIONS X . . . . . X . . X . . . . .

MINIMUMS X . . . . . X . . X . . . . .

STARTUPLOST X . . . . . X . . X . . . . .

ENDGAIN X . . . . . X . . X . . . . .

STORAGE X . . . . . X X . X . . . . .

SATURATIONFLOWS X . . . . . X X . X . . . . .

SEQUENCES X . . . . . X X . X . . . . X

PERMISSIVES X . . . . . X . . X . . . . .

OVERLAPS X . . . . . X . . X . . . . .

LEADLAGS X . . . . . X . . X . . . . X

CYCLES X . . . . . X X . X . . . . X

GREENTIMES X . . . . . X X . X . . . . X

YELLOWTIMES X . . . . . X X . X . . . . X

OFFSET X . . . . . X X . X . . . . X

PHASEMOVEMENTS X . . . . . X . . X . . . . .

METROAREA

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

LEVELOFSERVICE

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

EXCESS

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

GRADES

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

PEDLEVELS

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

BIKEVOLUMES

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

PARKINGSIDES

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

PARKVOLUMES

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

BUSVOLUMES

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

UPSTREAMVC

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

UTILIZATIONS

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

ARRIVALTYPES

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

REQCLEARANCES

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

INITIALQUEUE

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

IDEALSATFLOWS

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

FACTORS

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

DELAYFACTORS

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

NSTOPFACTORS

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

CRITICALS

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

PEDTIME

X . . . . . X . . . X . . . .

COUNTTYPE X . . . . . X . . . . X . . .

PERIODS X . . . . . X . . . . X . . .

CONDITIONS X . . . . . X . . . . X . . .

ADTFACTOR X . . . . . X . . . . X . . .

VEHICLECOUNTS X . . . . . X . . . . X . . .

TRUCKCOUNTS X . . . . . X . . . . X . . .

SITESIZE X . . . . . X . . . . . X . .

ROUND X . . . . . X . . . . . X . .

BASE X . . . . . X . . . . . X . .

GENERATION X . . . . . X . . . . . X . .

PATHDISTRIBUTION X . . . . . X . . . . . X . .

PATHASSIGNMENT X . . . . . X . . . . . X . .

ASSIGNMENT X . . . . . X . . . . . X . .

PRENETSIM A-58 Reference

The group name [ALL] contains every possible PRENETSIM command. This group is

organized in alphabetical order. The [ALL] group is divided into six sub-groups, all of which

have standard group names used in every TEAPAC program. These are [INFO], [DATAFILES],

[TITLES], [CONTROL], [RESULTS], and [PARAMETERS]. The first four encompass the 22

standard TEAPAC commands found in every TEAPAC program. These are used primarily for

the basic housekeeping chores needed for program manipulation, such as on-screen help, data

manipulation, file handling, output labeling, printer control, and control file actions. The last two

sub-groups contain commands specific to the PRENETSIM program. The first, [RESULTS],

consists of active commands which produce specific PRENETSIM results. The other,

[PARAMETERS], consists of all of the commands which can be used to enter the data values

which describe the scenarios to be analyzed by the [RESULTS] commands.

The [PARAMETERS] group has another standard TEAPAC group name as its sub-set. This is

the [BASIC] group, which consists of those important and necessary [PARAMETERS]

commands needed as a minimum to describe the data for an analysis. In the PRENETSIM

program, since the [PARAMETERS] group is quite large, it is further sub-divided into additional

special groups as described below.

Special PRENETSIM Group Names

The PRENETSIM program contains seven special group names, five of which are subsets of the

[PARAMETERS] group. The subset groups are [SYSTEM], [INTERSECTION],

[SIGNAL2000], [TURNS/WARRANTS] and [SITE]. The [SYSTEM] commands are used to

enter those parameters which set up the network to be studied, while the [INTERSECTION]

commands are used to input those parameters which affect each individual intersection. The

[SIGNAL2000], [TURNS/WARRANTS] and [SITE] commands are used to enter those

parameters which are needed only by SIGNAL2000, TURNS, WARRANTS and SITE -- these

are present for seamless data file compatibility with these programs using the LinkTo menu.

The other two special group names are for actions which relate to exporting PRENETSIM data to

NETSIM and to reviewing the signal timings used by NETSIM. These are called [EXPORT] and

[REVIEW], respectively. These special group names are best used with the ASK command from

the Manual Mode to generate helpful sequences of command dialogs for the activities described

above.

PRENETSIM A-59 Reference

All Commands

Table A-3

All Commands Listed Alphabetically

Command Parameter Values Defaults

ACTUATIONS 12*<Actuated Phase - NO/YES> 12*NO

ADTFACTOR <Factor to Expand Counts to 24 Hour Volumes> 0.0

APPLABELS 4*<1-character Approach Label> N,E,S,W

ARRIVALTYPES 12*<Arrival Type - 1/2/3/4/5/6; PVG; or RP> 12*3

ASK <List of Commands> [PARAM]

ASSIGNMENT <Type#> <Int#> 12*<<Mov#> <Asgn Fctr (%)>> - - - 12*0

BASE <Dev Size> <LL X,Y Coord> <UR X,Y Coord> 0 0 0 0 0

BIKEVOLUMES 4*<Conflicting Bicycles (bikes/hr)> 4*0

BUSVOLUMES 4*<Stopping Bus Volume (bus/hr)> 4*0

CALCULATE <Algebraic Expression> -

CONDITIONS <MjDr> <LnNS> <LnEW> <SPD> <POP> <PRG> <REM> 2*<<Acc> <Dly>>

COUNTTYPE <Count Type - CUM/RED> <Truck Type - INC/SEP> RED INC

CRITICALS 6*<Critical Movement Number> 6*0

CYCLES <Cycle Length (sec)> <Cycle Max> <Cycle Inc> 60 120 30

DATA <List of Commands> [PARAM]

DELAYFACTORS 12*<Delay Adjustment Factor> 12*1.00

DESCRIPTION <Second Title Line> blanks

ECHO <Input/Output Echo Condition - NO/YES> NO

ENDGAIN 12*<End Gain Time (sec)> 12*2.0

EXCESS <List of Priority Movement #'s> 0

EXPORT <File>/AUTO/STACK <NO/YES> <VIEW/ANIMA/BOTH> AUTO NO ANI

FACTORS 12*<Capacity Adjustment Factor> 12*1.00

FILES 5*<File Name> 5*blanks

GENERATION <IN/OUT/BOTH> <Gen Rate> 10*<Node-Dir> - 0.0 10*(0-)

GOTO <Line #>/<Repeat Variable> next

GRADES 4*<Grade of Approach (%)> 4*0.0

GREENTIMES 6*<Phase Green Time (sec or sec/sec)> 6*0.0

GROUPTYPES 12*<Lane Group - NORM/FREEFL/DUALOPT/STP/YLD> 12*NORMAL

HEADING <Number of Lines> 3

HELP <List of Commands> [PARAM]

IDEALSATFLOWS 12*<Ideal Saturation Flow Rate (pcphgpl)> 12*1900

INITIALQUEUE 12*<Initial Queue (veh)> 12*0

INTERSECTION <Node #> <Intersection Description> 0 blanks

IODEVICES <View - NORM/TABL> <Page #> <Ln/Pg> <Lst Ln> Norm 0 66 63

LANES 12*<Number of Lanes> 12*0

LEADLAGS 2*<Lead-Lag Phasing - NONE/LEAD/LAG> 2*NONE

LEVELOFSERVICE <Delay1> <Delay2> <Delay3> <vc1> <vc2> <vc3> C E 5 90 100 5

LINKLIST 500*<<Node #> N/E/S/W> 500*0

LOAD <Line #> <File #> <PROCESS/SHARE/IGNORE> <#> next next P 1

MASTERNODE <Master Node #> 0

MESSAGES <Level - 0/1/2/3> 3

METROAREA <Location - CBD/NON-CBD> NON-CBD

MINIMUMS 12*<Minimum Green Time (sec)> 12*5.0

MOVLABELS 12*<2-character Movement Label> RT,TH,LT

NETWORK N/E/S/W <Dist> <Speed> <Node #> 4*<Mov #> -

NEWPAGE <Page Advance - NO/YES> YES

NEXTLINES 5*<Next Line of File> 5*0

NODELIST 100*<Node # in Optimization Order> 100*0

NODELOCATION <X Coordinate> <Y Coordinate> 0 0

NOTE <Third Title Line> blanks

PRENETSIM A-60 Reference

Table A-3 (continued)

All Commands Listed Alphabetically

Command Parameter Values Defaults

NSTOPFACTORS 12*<Stops Adjustment Factor> 12*1.00

OFFSET <Phase Offset (sec/sec)> <Phase #> 0.0 1

OPTIMIZE NONE 15*<Steps> NONE 15*0

OUTPUT <Prog> 4.2/5.0/CORSIM PNT CORSIM

OVERLAPS 4*<Rt Turn Overlap - NO/YES> 4*YES

PARKINGSIDES 4*<Location - NONE/RIGHT/LEFT/BOTH> 4*NONE

PARKVOLUMES 4*<Parking Volume (manuv/hr)> 4*20

PATHASSIGNMENT <Path # (1-5)> <Asg %> <Node List - 16 max> - - -

PATHDISTRIBUTION <Typ #> <Distr %> <Node #> <Dir-N/E/S/W> <Desc> - 0 0 - -

PEAKHOURFACTORS 12*<Peak Hour Factor> 12*0.90

PEDLEVELS 4*<Pedestrian Interference (ped/hr)> 4*0

PEDTIME <Exclusive Ped-phase Time (sec)> <Phase #> 0.0 0

PERIODS <Count Interval> 5*<<Start Time> <Stop Time>> 15 - -

PERMISSIVES 4*<Permissive Left - NO/YES> 4*NO

PHASEMOVEMENTS <Phase #> <List of Movements> -

PLOT <Scale (ft/line)> <Node List> 0 nodelist

PROJECT <First Title Line> blanks

QUEUEMODELS <Model #> <Percentile> <Auto (ft)> <Trk (ft)> 1 90 25 40

REPEAT <Variable> <Start> <End> <Increment> - 1 1 1

REQCLEARANCES 12*<Required Clearance (sec)> 12*4.0

RESET <List of Commands> [PARAM]

RETURN - -

RIGHTTURNONREDS 4*<Right Turn on Red Volume (vph)> 4*0

ROUND <Precision of Totals (Veh)> 1

ROUTE <Route #> <List of Node #s> - 25*0

SATURATIONFLOWS 12*<Lane Group Saturation Flow (vphg)> 12*0

SAVE <Line #> <File #> <List of Commands> nxt nxt [P]

SEQUENCES <Sequence Code> 0

SIMULATION <Steps/Cycle> <Min Simul> <Stop Pen> <Links> 60 15 -1 TEAPC

SITESIZE <# Distribution Types> <# Inbound Types> 0 0

STARTUPLOST 12*<Startup Lost Time (sec)> 12*2.0

STOP <Program Name> -

STORAGE 12*<Storage Distance (feet)> 12*0

SUBSYSTEM 100*<Node # of Subsystem> 100*0

SUMMARISE - -

TIMINGS <Node List> nodelist

TRUCKCOUNTS <Movement #>/<Time> <List of Counts> 0

TRUCKPERCENTS 12*<Truck-Thru Bus Percentage (%)> 12*2.0

UPSTREAMVC 4*<Upstream v/c Ratio> 4*0.0

UTILIZATIONS 12*<Lane Utilization Factor> 12*0.0

VEHICLECOUNTS <Movement #>/<Time> <List of Counts> 0

VOLADDITIONALS <Factor> 12*<Additional Volume> 1.0 12*0

VOLFACTORS <# Years> 12*<Count Adjustment Factor> 1 12*1.00

VOLUMES 12*<Design Hour Volume (veh/hr)> 12*0

WIDTHS 12*<Lane Group Width (feet)> 12*0

YELLOWTIMES 6*<Phase Yellow Time (sec or sec/sec)> 6*0.0

PRENETSIM B-61 Reference

A P P E N D I X B

Detailed Description of Actions and

Entries

Appendix B Topics

Appendix B provides detailed information on each PRENETSIM command and any associated

parameter values. The commands are listed in alphabetical order. This appendix includes the 22

basic TEAPAC commands as well as the unique PRENETSIM commands. Five specific

categories of information are provided for each command, as described below:

COMMAND <Parameter Name> 5*<Another Parameter>

Defaults: [default for <Parameter Name>] 5*[default for <Another Parameter>]

Menus/Groups: [<menu/group name>]

This section shows the proper usage format of the command, including the parameter values and

their order of input. The command is in capital letters and parameter names are in angle

brackets, "< " and ">". An integer followed by an asterisk, "*", indicates that the parameter can

be repeated the specified number of times (five times in the example).

Below the command line, each of the default values for each parameter is shown, followed by a

list of any menu/group names to which the command belongs, other than [ALL]. This is

followed by a description of the purpose of the command.

For each parameter listed, a separate paragraph provides a complete description of the parameter,

its allowed values and its default value.

All of the parameters descriptions are followed by a section of Notes which describe any special

information, warnings and other "hints" to insure the proper use of the command.

Appendix B Topics

Appendix B Introduction

Alphabetical List of Commands

PRENETSIM B-62 Reference

Alphabetical List of Commands

Commands:

ACTUATIONS

ADTFACTOR

APPLABELS

ARRIVALTYPES

ASK

ASSIGNMENT

BASE

BIKEVOLUMES

BUSVOLUMES

CALCULATE

CONDITIONS

COUNTTYPE

CRITICALS

CYCLES

DATA

DELAYFACTORS

DESCRIPTION

ECHO

ENDGAIN

EXCESS

EXPORT

FACTORS

FILES

GENERATION

GOTO

GRADES

GREENTIMES

GROUPTYPES

HEADING

HELP

IDEALSATFLOWS

INITIALQUEUE

INTERSECTION

IODEVICES

LANES

LEADLAGS

LEVELOFSERVICE

LINKLIST

LOAD

MASTERNODE

MESSAGES

METROAREA

PRENETSIM B-63 Reference

MINIMUMS

MOVLABELS

NETWORK

NEWPAGE

NEXTLINES

NODELIST

NODELOCATION

NOTE

NSTOPFACTORS

OFFSET

OPTIMIZE

OUTPUT

OVERLAPS

PARKINGSIDES

PARKVOLUMES

PATHASSIGNMENT

PATHDISTRIBUTION

PEAKHOURFACTORS

PEDLEVELS

PEDTIME

PERIODS

PERMISSIVES

PHASEMOVEMENTS

PLOT

PROJECT

QUEUEMODELS

REPEAT

REQCLEARANCES

RESET

RETURN

RIGHTTURNONREDS

ROUND

ROUTE

SATURATIONFLOWS

SAVE

SEQUENCES

SIMULATION

SITESIZE

STARTUPLOST

STOP

STORAGE

SUBSYSTEM

SUMMARISE

TIMINGS

TRUCKCOUNTS

PRENETSIM B-64 Reference

TRUCKPERCENTS

UPSTREAMVC

UTILIZATIONS

VEHICLECOUNTS

VOLADDITIONALS

VOLFACTORS

VOLUMES

WIDTHS

YELLOWTIMES

ACTUATIONS ACTUATIONS

PRENETSIM B-65 Reference

ACTUATIONS 12*<Actuated Movement>

Defaults: 12*NO

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [INTERSECTION]

The purpose of this command is to enter the type of phase module present, actuated or non-

actuated, for each movement of the current intersection. This command is not presently used in

PRENETSIM.

<Actuated Movement> is a keyword describing whether or not the movement is part of an

actuated phase, as described below:

NO the movement is not part of an actuated phase (default).

YES the movement is part of an actuated phase.

Notes

• Specifying YES for all non-zero lane groups indicates a fully actuated signal.

Specifying NO for all non-zero lane groups indicates a pretimed signal.

Specifying YES for some, but not all, non-zero lane groups indicates a

semiactuated signal.

ADTFACTOR ADTFACTOR

PRENETSIM B-66 Reference

ADTFACTOR <Factor to Expand Counts to 24 Hour Volumes>

Defaults: 0.0

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [TURNS/WARRANTS]

The purpose of this command is to enter a factor which will be used to estimate 24-hour volumes

from partial day's counts.

<Factor to Expand Counts to 24 Hour Volumes> is a factor which, when multiplied by

the entire counted traffic, will produce a reasonable estimate of 24-hour traffic volumes, or

average daily traffic (ADT). It can be any decimal number from 0.0 to 100.0. Its default value is

0.0.

Notes

• The single factor entered on the ADTFACTOR command is used in Usage Level

2 of WARRANTS to multiply the total counted volume of each movement to

estimate the 24-hour volume of each movement. This 24-Hour Volume Estimates

report is produced at the end of the ANALYZE outputs when the default

ANALYZE command is used. It is not produced if a specific time range is

selected for the ANALYZE command. The REPORTS command can also be

used to produce the 24-Hour report using the ADT option in the list of reports.

• When the ADTFACTOR is zero, the default value, the 24-Hour Volume

Estimates report is omitted under all conditions.

APPLABELS APPLABELS

PRENETSIM B-67 Reference

APPLABELS 4*<Approach Label>

Defaults: N E S W

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [INTERSECTION] [SIGNAL2000]

The purpose of this command is to enter labels for each approach of the current intersection.

<Approach Label> is a two-character abbreviation for each of the four approaches at the

intersection, and can be any two characters. Its default value is N, E, S, & W for each of the

approaches, respectively.

Notes

• Alternate labels could be, for example, SB, WB, NB, & EB, respectively, or A, B,

C, & D.

• Use of APPLABELS does not change the order of entry -- this order is always

clockwise starting with the north approach. APPLABELS merely allows each

approach to be labeled with the user’s choice of characters.

ARRIVALTYPES ARRIVALTYPES

PRENETSIM B-68 Reference

ARRIVALTYPES 12*<Quality of Progression>

Defaults: 12*3

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [SIGNAL2000]

The purpose of this command is to enter the quality of progression for each movement of the

current intersection (for SIGNAL2000 file compatibility only).

<Quality of Progression> specifies various types of parameters related to the quality of

progression for use in the determination of the Delay Adjustment Factor, and can take on values

in the ranges described below:

0 <= Value <= 6 indicates the actual Arrival Type.

7 <= Value <= 300 indicates the value entered is the percentage of platoon ratio (RP).

-100 <= Value <= -1 indicates the value entered is the negative of the percentage of all

vehicles in the movement arriving during the green phase (PVG).

Its default value is 3 for all movements.

Notes

• ARRIVALTYPES is used for computing the Progression Adjustment Factor

according to Exhibit 16-12 of the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual.

• For RP values less than or equal to 6%, use Arrival Type 1.

• If the value is entered as either PVG or RP, the program will determine the arrival

type based on the method outlined in the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual.

Values 1 through 6 are defined as in Exhibit 16-11 of the manual.

• An ARRIVALTYPE value other than 3 may be used for a movement with

ACTUATIONS set to something other than NO, but only where it is clear that the

coordinated movement is truly actuated when it is also coordinated.

• Note that although many intersections in a network may be entered into

SIGNAL2000, the arrival type is a user entry and is not determined by the

program based on flows from other intersections in the network.

ASK ASK

PRENETSIM B-69 Reference

ASK <List of Commands>

Defaults: [PARAMETERS]

Menus/Groups: [DATAFILES]

The purpose of this command is to produce a dialog box display for each of the listed commands.

<List of Commands> is a set of commands and/or group names, and can be any valid

commands or group names of the program. Its default value is [PARAMETERS] - all nonactive

commands for entry of parameters related to the analysis procedures.

Notes

• The ASK command will prompt the user for entry of parameter values for each of

the commands in the list. An input dialog for each command (Normal View) or

the entire list (Tabular View) will be initiated showing the current DATA values

and a line of HELP at the bottom of the dialog.

• When a correctable error is detected in the parameter list of any command entered

from the Manual Mode, the ASK command is automatically performed for that

command in order to allow re-entry of the parameter(s) in error.

• ASK may only be used from the Manual Mode. It is a powerful way to review

current data values and to allow any necessary changes to be made

simultaneously. It can also be used to create custom input and action sequence

displays.

ASSIGNMENT ASSIGNMENT

PRENETSIM B-70 Reference

ASSIGNMENT <Type #> <Intersection #>

12*<<Movement #> <Assignment Factor>>

Defaults: - -

12*<0 0>

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [SITE]

The purpose of this command is to enter the percentage of a distribution type to be assigned to

the movements at an intersection. This is only used to define special assignment situations, and

is not normally used for typical site traffic assignment situations.

<Type #> is the number of the distribution type being assigned, and can be 1-150 (see note

below). It has no default value, it must be entered.

<Intersection #> is the number of the intersection to which traffic is being assigned as defined

on the INTERSECTION command, and can be 1-999 (see note below). It has no default value; it

must be entered.

<Movement #> is the movement number to which the traffic is being assigned, and can be any

integer from 0 to 12, as described below:

1-12 - one of the turning movements.

0 - designates that a list of assignments for all 12 movements will follow.

It has no default value; it must be entered.

<Assignment Factor> is the percentage of the traffic of the distribution type being assigned

that is assigned to the specified movement, and can be 0-100 percent. Its default value is 0.

Notes

• The purpose of this command is to give the greatest degree of freedom in

assigning traffic for a given distribution type to a given intersection. When this

technique is used, SITE cannot check that the entered values are consistent with

upstream and downstream assignments, as is the case when using the

PATHASSIGNMENT command. As such, ASSIGNMENT should only be used

in those rare instances when the PATHASSIGNMENT command cannot achieve

the desired special-purpose assignment. It can also be used when using old SITE

data files which were created before the PATHASSIGNMENT command was

available.

• <Type#> may not exceed the limit previously set with the SITESIZE command,

and <Intersection #> must represent a node included in the NODELIST command.

• Movement numbers begin with the north leg right-turn as movement number 1,

and proceed clockwise around the intersection to movement number 12.

ASSIGNMENT ASSIGNMENT

PRENETSIM B-71 Reference

• Multiple pairs of movement numbers and their associated assignment factors may

be entered on one ASSIGNMENT command. They should be entered one after

the other at the end of the ASSIGNMENT command.

BASE BASE

PRENETSIM B-72 Reference

BASE <Generation Base> <X-Y Coord LL> <X-Y Coord UR>

Defaults: 0 0 0 0 0

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [SITE]

The purpose of this command is to enter the base development size for generating trips as it

relates to the generation rates used for the development.

<Generation Base> is the base development size to which the traffic generation rates are

applied, and can be any integer from -9999 to 32767. Its default value is 0.

<X-Y Coord LL> are the X and Y coordinates of the lower-left (southwest) corner of the site for

display in the schematic diagram, and can be any common coordinate system value, as an integer

from -2,147,483,647 to 2,147,483,647. Its default value is 0,0.

<X-Y Coord UR> are the X and Y coordinates of the upper-right (northeast) corner of the site

for display in the schematic diagram, and can be any common coordinate system value, as an

integer from -2,147,483,647 to 2,147,483,647. Its default value is 0,0.

Notes

• The coordinate system used for BASE should match that used by each

NODELOCATION command.

BIKEVOLUMES BIKEVOLUMES

PRENETSIM B-73 Reference

BIKEVOLUMES 4*<Conflicting Bicycles>

Defaults: 4*0

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [SIGNAL2000]

The purpose of this command is to enter the volume of conflicting bicycles for right turns on

each approach of the current intersection (for SIGNAL2000 file compatibility only).

<Conflicting Bicycles> is the volume of conflicting bicycles, in bikes per hour, for right turns

on the approach, and can be any integer from 0 to 2000. Its default value is 0.

Notes

• Entries for bicycle interference should be made for the approach from which the

conflicting right turn is made. For example, bicycles crossing the east leg of the

intersection interfere with right turns made from the south approach, so the

<Conflicting Bicycles> value for that right turn should be input for the south

approach.

BUSVOLUMES BUSVOLUMES

PRENETSIM B-74 Reference

BUSVOLUMES 4*<Stopping Bus Volume>

Defaults: 4*0

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [SIGNAL2000]

The purpose of this command is to enter the volumes of stopping buses which stop on each

approach of the current intersection (for SIGNAL2000 file compatibility only).

<Stopping Bus Volume> is the hourly volume of local buses which stop at the bus stop

designated for the approach, and can be any integer from 0 to 250. Its default value is 0, no

stopping bus volume.

Notes

CALCULATE CALCULATE

PRENETSIM B-75 Reference

CALCULATE <Algebraic Expression>

Defaults: none

Menus/Groups: [CONTROL]

The purpose of this command is to perform a calculation for the given expression and optionally

assign the integer result to a user variable.

<Algebraic Expression> is an expression in the form of an algebraic formula or equation, and

can be any valid expression containing numeric constants, user variables and valid operators, as

described below. It has no default value; it must be entered.

Notes

• The expression entered must be of the form of a normal algebraic expression

using any of the four operators +, -, * and / (addition, subtraction, multiplication

and division). This means that each operator must have two operands, one on

either side of the operator. An operand may be either a numeric constant or one of

the 26 1-character user variables A - Z. User variables must have had values

assigned to them by a previous CALCULATE command or with a REPEAT

command. A minus sign may also be used as a single operand operator to reverse

the sign of the following constant or variable.

• Expressions are evaluated from left to right, except that multiplication and

division operations always precede addition and subtraction. This order of

precedence can be altered by surrounding parts of the expression which should be

evaluated first with parentheses.

• If the result of the calculation is to be saved as the value of a user variable (A - Z),

the single-character variable name should precede the expression and be separated

from the expression with an equal sign, representing a normal algebraic equation.

The value assigned to the variable will be rounded to the nearest integer, as

described below.

• All internal calculations for the expression are made using 32-bit decimal

arithmetic. The result is displayed in a format with four decimal places that can

handle numbers less than 10 billion (1 x 10^10) and greater than -1 billion (-1 x

10^9). Regardless of the number of digits shown in the result, only 6-7 digits of

accuracy exist; any other digits that are shown may be random.

• When a result is assigned to a user variable, the result is rounded to the nearest

integer value. Results assigned to user variables must be less than or equal to

32,767 and greater than or equal to -32,768.

CALCULATE CALCULATE

PRENETSIM B-76 Reference

• If a variable is used in a calculation before its value has been assigned by a

CALCULATE or REPEAT command, its value will be zero.

CONDITIONS CONDITIONS

PRENETSIM B-77 Reference

CONDITIONS <Major Direction> <# N-S Lanes> <# E-W Lanes>

<# Accidents for Signal> <Stop Sign Delay>

<# Accidents for Stop> <Minor Street Delay>

Defaults: NORTHSOUTH 1 1 NO NO NO NO 0 0 0 0

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [TURNS/WARRANTS]

The purpose of this command is to enter intersection conditions which affect the conduct of a

Warrant Analysis at the current intersection.

<Major Direction> is a keyword which describes whether the major street is counted on the

North-South approaches or East-West approaches. It can be any of the following:

NORTHSOUTH - major street counted on North & South approaches (default).

EASTWEST - major street counted on East & West approaches.

<# N-S Lanes> is the number of lanes for moving traffic on each of the North and South

approaches. It can be any integer from 1 to 4. Its default value is 1.

<# E-W Lanes> is the number of lanes for moving traffic on each of the East and West

approaches. It can be any integer from 1 to 4. Its default value is 1.

<High Speed> is a keyword which describes whether the 85th percentile speed of major street

traffic exceeds 40 mph. It can be any of the following:

NO - major st. speeds don't exceed 40 (default).

YES - major street speeds exceed 40 mph.

<Low Population> is a keyword which describes whether the intersection is in an isolated

community with a population less than 10,000. It can be any of the following:

NO - population is not less than 10,000 (default).

YES - population is less than 10,000.

<Progression Impact> is a keyword which describes whether a signal installation will not

seriously disrupt progressive traffic flow. It can be any of the following:

NO - signal will disrupt progression (default).

YES - signal will not disrupt progression.

<Remedial Actions Failed> is a keyword which describes whether trials of less restrictive

remedies have failed. It can be any of the following:

NO - other remedies have not failed (default).

CONDITIONS CONDITIONS

PRENETSIM B-78 Reference

YES - other remedies have failed.

<# Accidents for Signal> is the number of reported accidents, correctable by traffic signal

control, within a 12-month period. It can be any integer number from 0 to 20. Its default value is

<Stop Sign Delay> is the number of vehicle-hours of peak hour stop sign delay experienced

by traffic on one minor approach of the intersection. It can be any integer from 0 to 20. Its

default value is 0.

<# Accidents for Stop> is the number of reported accidents, correctable by multi-way stop

control, within a 12-month period. It can be any integer number from 0 to 20. Its default value is

<Minor Street Delay> is the average peak hour delay experienced by traffic on all minor

approaches of the intersection in seconds/vehicle. It can be any integer from 0 to 300. Its default

value is 0.

Notes

• The data entered for the CONDITIONS command are used by the WARRANTS

command in WARRANTS and Usage Level 2 of TURNS to describe intersection

conditions which affect the warrant levels and conditions which must be met to

satisfy the warrants.

• <# N-S Lanes> and <# E-W Lanes> is the number of lanes for moving traffic on

each of the North-South and East-West approaches, respectively, and normally

does not include exclusive turn lanes. It is the number of lanes on each approach,

not the total number of lanes on the street. If the actual number of lanes exceeds

the maximum allowed entry of 4, enter 4 (the MUTCD only considers whether

there is 1 lane or more than 1 lane).

COUNTTYPE COUNTTYPE

PRENETSIM B-79 Reference

COUNTTYPE <Type of Data> <Type of Truck Counts>

Defaults: REDUCED INCLUDED

40 blanks

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [TURNS/WARRANTS]

The purpose of this command is to enter the type of count data which is to be supplied to the

program at the current intersection, and to provide a description of the count.

<Type of Data> is a keyword which defines the type of count data which will be entered on the

VEHICLECOUNTS and TRUCKCOUNTS commands, and can be any of the following:

CUMULATIVE The count data entered is the cumulation of traffic counted from

the start of the survey.

REDUCED The data entered is the actual volume counted for the count interval

(default).

<Type of Truck Counts> is a keyword which defines the type of truck count data which will

be entered on the VEHICLECOUNTS and TRUCKCOUNTS commands, and can be any of the

following:

INCLUDED VEHICLECOUNTS data includes truck counts entered with the

TRUCKCOUNTS command (default).

SEPARATE VEHICLECOUNT data does not include truck counts entered with

the TRUCKCOUNTS command.

<Count Description> is a 40-character description of the count that was conducted, to include

such things as the date, weather, count station, etc. The default value is all blanks.

Notes

• If entered data is declared CUMULATIVE, the data entered is the cumulation of

traffic counted from the start of the survey, starting at an arbitrary value

(sometimes 0). The actual volume will be the subtraction of successive

cumulative entries. For REDUCED counts, the data entered is the actual volume

counted for the count interval.

• When truck counts are INCLUDED, the truck counts entered with the

TRUCKCOUNTS commands are also included in the VEHICLECOUNT data

values and no adjustments are made by the program. When truck counts are

declared SEPARATE, the truck counts entered with the TRUCKCOUNTS

commands are not included in the VEHICLECOUNTS data values, so must be

added to VEHICLECOUNTS by the program to get total traffic numbers.

CRITICALS CRITICALS

PRENETSIM B-80 Reference

CRITICALS 6*<Critical Movement Number>

Defaults: 6*0

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [SIGNAL2000]

The purpose of this command is to enter the movement which is critical for each phase of the

phase sequence of operation of the current intersection (for SIGNAL2000 file compatibility

only).

<Critical Movement Number> is the movement number designating the movement which

controls the design of the signal phase, and can be 0-12. Its default value is 0, no critical

movement.

Notes

• Designation of a critical movement in any phase will result in that movement

appearing with asterisks in the phase movement diagram. This is normally used

to represent movements which were used to control a DESIGN. This diagram

appears as part of the DIAGRAMS, ANALYZE, EVALUATE and

QUEUECALCS reports. If a movement is designated as critical in any phase, the

line for that movement in the ANALYZE report is flagged with an asterisk in the

LOS column.

• The TIMINGS command automatically implements a CRITICAL command for

the phases of the specified sequence which have been DESIGNed.

CYCLES CYCLES

PRENETSIM B-81 Reference

CYCLES <Minimum Cycle> <Maximum Cycle> <Cycle Increment>

Defaults: 60 60 0

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [BASIC] [INTERSECTION] [EXPORT] [REVIEW]

The purpose of this command is to enter the cycle length for the current intersection to be used

for NETSIM's simulation, as well as a time-space plot or timing diagram.

<Minimum Cycle> is the length of the cycle, in seconds, or the minimum cycle of an

optimization range, and can be any integer from 0 to 900. Its default value is 60 seconds.

<Maximum Cycle> is the largest cycle length, in seconds, which should be tested by a cycle

optimization, and can be any positive integer equal to or larger than <Minimum Cycle>, from 0-

900. Its default value is 120 seconds.

<Cycle Increment> is the precision to which the specified cycle length range will be

optimized, i.e., the increment of cycle length which will be added to <Minimum Cycle> until

<Maximum Cycle> is exceeded, and can be any positive integer from 0-900. Its default value is

30 seconds.

Notes

• <Minimum Cycle> is the cycle length which is used for PLOT and TIMINGS, and

for NETSIM simulations.

• If signals at minor intersections in the system will be run at cycle lengths which

are half that of the major intersections, commonly called "double-cycling", the

system cycle length entered by the CYCLES entry for the MASTERNODE should

be the longer cycle length used at the major intersections. The GREENTIMES

and YELLOWTIMES for the double-cycled minor intersections should be entered

in seconds (not sec/sec) and add up to half of the system cycle and the half-cycle

should be entered for the minor intersections. OFFSETS should also be entered in

seconds (not sec/sec).

• The system cycle length for coordinated systems will be equal to <Minimum

Cycle> for the intersection referenced by MASTERNODE. If MASTERNODE is

0, <Minimum Cycle> for the first node in the NODELIST will be used as the

system cycle.

DATA DATA

PRENETSIM B-82 Reference

DATA <List of Commands>

Defaults: [PARAMETERS]

Menus/Groups: [DATAFILES]

The purpose of this command is to display the current parameter values for the specified

commands.

<List of Commands> is a set of commands and/or groups names, and can be any valid

commands or group names of the program. It default value is [PARAMETERS] - all non-active

commands for entry of parameters related to the analysis procedures.

Notes

• DATA will tabulate a list of the current parameter values of the listed commands.

To obtain a formatted list of all data values with column headings and labels, etc.,

use the SUMMARISE command.

• In the Manual Mode of menu versions of TEAPAC programs, use of ASK for the

same list of commands will display the current data values, as well as allow any

input editing which may be needed, all in a single step.

DELAYFACTORS DELAYFACTORS

PRENETSIM B-83 Reference

DELAYFACTORS 12*<Delay Adjustment Factor>

Defaults: 12*1.00

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [SIGNAL2000]

The purpose of this command is to enter factors for each movement of the current intersection

used to adjust the delay calculations, for example, to match delays obtained from a network

simulation model (for SIGNAL2000 file compatibility only).

<Delay Adjustment Factor> is the factor to adjust delay calculated for each movement, and

can be any number from 0.01 to 9.99. Its default value is 1.00, no adjustment.

Notes

• If delay values have been simulated with a network model such as TRANSYT-7F

or NETSIM/CORSIM which does a better job of modeling delay between

coordinated signals than the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual allows,

DELAYFACTORS may be used to force the calculations of delay in

SIGNAL2000 to the same values. For example, if SIGNAL2000 calculates delay

of 20 seconds, but TRANSYT7F estimates 16 seconds, use a DELAYFACTOR of

0.80.

DESCRIPTION DESCRIPTION

PRENETSIM B-84 Reference

DESCRIPTION <Second Title Line>

Defaults: 80 blanks

Menus/Groups: [TITLES]

The purpose of this command is to enter the second line of information used to identify the

situation being analyzed.

<Second Title Line> is the second of three lines of information displayed at the top of every

output report, and can be up to 80 characters of alphabetic or numeric information. Its default

value is 80 blanks.

Notes

• If the first character of the DESCRIPTION parameter is a plus sign, "+", the

characters entered on this command will be overlaid over those of the previously

entered DESCRIPTION command. This overlay will begin at the character

position identified by the digits of the first two characters which follow the "+",

and will end after the last non-blank character which is entered. See Chapter 5 of

the TEAPAC Tutorial/Reference Manual for further explanation and examples of

this feature.

• Entries on this command may be enclosed in 'single quotes' or "double quotes".

This option provides the capability to include leading blanks in the entry, which is

otherwise not possible. This option can also be used to enter a single blank as the

title line using a ' ' or " " entry, thereby blanking out the entire prior contents of the

title line.

• The name of the current open file can be inserted anywhere in the title line by

placing %F at the desired location of the title line. The file name can be placed at

a specific column location in a title line by using the +XX form of a title entry

noted above.

ECHO ECHO

PRENETSIM B-85 Reference

ECHO <Input/Output Echo Condition>

Defaults: NO

Menus/Groups: [DATAFILES]

The purpose of this command is to enter the echo condition flag indicating whether or not

command information should be displayed after being input from or output to a file.

<Input/Output Echo Condition> is a keyword describing whether or not file input and output

should be echoed, and can be either of the keywords described below.

NO File I/O will not be echoed (default).

YES File I/O will be echoed.

Notes

• When data is LOADed from or SAVEd to data files, listings of the actual data

lines being transferred can be obtained by first setting the ECHO parameter to

YES. This is a convenient way to visualize what is happening during LOADs and

SAVEs. As such, it is also a powerful tool for debugging complicated batch

control file sequences.

• ECHO can also be used to view some other file data transfer functions such as

outputting volumes to files from TURNS and SITE for use by SIGNAL2000, etc.

ENDGAIN ENDGAIN

PRENETSIM B-86 Reference

ENDGAIN 12*<End Gain Time>

Defaults: 12*2.0

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [MOVEMENT]

The purpose of this command is to enter the length of time that vehicles effectively extend the

green period into the yellow and all-red period for each of the twelve movements of the current

intersection.

<End Gain Time> is the number of seconds during the yellow and all-red period which is

effectively used as green time, and can be any number from 0.0 to 30.0. Its default value is 2.0.

Notes

• The usage of the system-wide LOSTTIMES entry has been discontinued, now

being replaced by the more detailed, movement-specific STARTUPLOST and

ENDGAIN entries described above. LOSTTIMES entries were never used in

PRENETSIM, since they represent total lost time, so such entries found in prior

data files will be ignored without message and in these cases default values of

STARTUPLOST will be used unless otherwise changed by the user. The user

should note, however, that the startup lost time used in RT 11 was previously 2.5

seconds, where now the default STARTUPLOST value is 2.0 seconds, so a slight

difference in startup modeling will occur if the STARTUPLOST value is not

entered.

EXCESS EXCESS

PRENETSIM B-87 Reference

EXCESS <List of Priority Movement Numbers>

Defaults: 0

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [SIGNAL2000]

The purpose of this command is to enter the movements to which the TIMINGS command will

assign available excess portions of the cycle length for the current intersection (for SIGNAL2000

file compatibility only).

<List of Priority Movement Numbers> is the movement numbers for the movements which

should receive available excess time, and can be 0-12. Its default value is 0, no priority

movements.

Notes

1. For DESIGN, the <Target Delay/LOS> entry of the LEVELOFSERVICE

command sets the target delay (or level of service) which is to be achieved for all

critical movements of the intersection. If this target level is achieved with excess

time still available at the intersection, then the excess time is assigned to the

phases according to the entries on the EXCESS command. If no EXCESS entries

have been made, time is allocated proportionally to all phases. However, if

EXCESS is used, this provides a means to designate a worst-case delay/LOS

performance level for all critical movements and to assign all additional time to

the priority movements of the EXCESS command. This is the preferred

optimization scheme for the DESIGN function of SIGNAL2000 (see Appendix C

for more details).

•

2. The excess time will be allocated to the phases in which the specified movements

occur. If the movements specified occur in more than one phase, the excess time

will be allocated to each in proportion to the g/C required by each.

•

3. If a specified movement occurs in more than one phase, its excess time phase will

be designated as the single phase serving the movement (i.e., if movement 2 is

specified with sequence 21, the excess will go to the north-south through phase).

EXPORT EXPORT

PRENETSIM B-88 Reference

EXPORT <File/AUTO/STACK> <Display Output> <Auto Option>

Defaults: AUTO NO BOTH

Menus/Groups: [RESULTS] [EXPORT]

The purpose of this command is to create a NETSIM-compatible input data file from the current

data values, with an optional automatic link to NETSIM.

<File/AUTO/STACK> is the name of the NETSIM input data file to EXPORT to, and can be

any valid file name or the keywords AUTO or STACK. Its default value is AUTO.

<Display Output> is a keyword which describes if the EXPORTed data is to be displayed

during the EXPORT process, and can be either NO or YES. Its default value is NO.

<Auto Option> is a keyword which describes what action should follow an automatic link to

NETSIM. It can be any of the keywords listed below:

NONE - no further action.

VIEW - view NETSIM results onscreen.

ANIMATE - view NETSIM animation.

BOTH - view and animate results (default).

Notes

• The default file name extension is .TRF.

• A direct linkage to and from NETSIM can be created which handles the export

file naming, running of NETSIM, and optional review of NETSIM's results. This

option is selected by entering AUTO as the EXPORT file name. When AUTO is

selected, a third parameter can be entered to define what actions should be taken

after the automatic export. The third parameter is ignored if AUTO is not

selected. AUTO may not be abbreviated, nor may any file name used start with

the four letters A-U-T-O. When the AUTO option is selected, the export file

name used is TMPTRF.TRF and the NETSIM results are stored in the file

TMPTRF.OUT.

• In order for the AUTO option of EXPORT to function properly, the

PRENETSI.CFG file must be configured to properly represent the folders where

the TEAPAC, PRENETSIM, data and NETSIM files are stored (see Options-

Setup menu for on-screen editing of the PRENETSI.CFG file).

• The output of the EXPORT command normally starts at the beginning of the file

named. It can also be stacked behind a previous EXPORT to the same file used

by the previous EXPORT so that multiple runs of NETSIM can be made from a

single input data file. This function is performed by using STACK for

<File/AUTO/STACK> on the EXPORT command after having previously used a

EXPORT EXPORT

PRENETSIM B-89 Reference

specified file name for an EXPORT. STACK may not be abbreviated, nor may

any file name used start with the five letters S-T-A-C-K. Further user edits of the

STACKed file will normally be required before a multi-period run of NETSIM

can be made.

• If no NODELIST exists, no EXPORT is attempted. This option can be used to

establish the name of the export file for subsequent EXPORT STACK commands,

particularly if they are in a REPEAT loop where each EXPORT is to be stacked

one after the other.

FACTORS FACTORS

PRENETSIM B-90 Reference

FACTORS 12*<Satflow Adjustment Factor>

Defaults: 12*1.00

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [SIGNAL2000]

The purpose of this command is to enter satflow adjustment factors for each movement of the

current intersection to adjust 2000 Highway Capacity Manual satflow computations (for

SIGNAL2000 file compatibility only).

<Satflow Adjustment Factor> is an adjustment factor which, when multiplied by satflows

obtained from the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual, produce satflows that more accurately reflect

conditions known to exist in the study area. It can be any number from 0.01 to 9.99. Its default

value is 1.00, no adjustment.

Notes

• FACTORS are useful in adjusting 2000 Highway Capacity Manual computations

to match surveyed satflows (i.e., calibration).

• FACTORS may also be useful in estimation of special-use lane satflows (i.e.,

dual-optional turn lanes - see Chapter 5).

FILES FILES

PRENETSIM B-91 Reference

FILES 5*<File Name>

Defaults: 5*nul

Menus/Groups: [DATAFILES]

The purpose of this command is to enter the names of the permanent storage file areas where

information is to be LOADed and SAVEd.

<File Name> is the name of the file to be used, and can be any valid file name (see Appendix

G). Its default value is no defined file.

Notes

• FILES can be used so that the program remembers the name of the file to be used

by subsequent LOAD and SAVE commands, thus avoiding the file name entry for

each LOAD and SAVE.

• The file numbers referenced by the file access commands are determined by the

order of the file names in the FILES command. For example, the third file name

specified on the FILES command is designated as file #3 for LOAD and SAVE.

• Each time a new file name is specified by a FILES command, the associated "next

line" and "last line" values of the file are both reset to point to line 1.

• Appendix G describes details about specifying file names, etc. for your specific

operating system. For example, new files that don't presently exist may use the /N

suffix to the file name in order to allow the program to create a new file

automatically, preventing accidental use of pre-existing files thought not to exist.

• If the /N suffix (switch) described above is not used to indicate the desire to create

a New file, but the file named is not found, a message to this effect will be issued.

At this point the user will be given the opportunity to say that the file should be

created anyway. This action is presented in the form of a warning message, but is

a valid way of creating new files without using the /N switch.

• If the /N switch is used, but the file named already exists, a message to this effect

is issued and the user is given an option to use the existing file anyway, if desired.

• The default location for user data files is defined in the dialog opened by the

Options-Setup menu. The Options-Setup dialog changes dynamically as the user

navigates through the File-Open and File-SaveAs dialogs, and the current contents

of the dialog can be saved at any time in the program’s .CFG file by pressing the

Save button in the Options-Setup dialog. This will cause this saved location to be

the default file location the next and subsequent times the program is run, until a

FILES FILES

PRENETSIM B-92 Reference

new location is saved. See the detailed discussion of program installation and

CFG files in Appendix G.

GENERATION GENERATION

PRENETSIM B-93 Reference

GENERATION <Direction> <Generation Rate> 10*<Node-Dir>

Defaults: - 0.000 10*<0->

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [BASIC] [GENERATOR]

The purpose of this command is to enter the traffic generation rates and access points and access

directions for the development.

<Direction> is a keyword which describes whether the following information applies to

inbound, outbound or both directions of trip generation, and can be any keyword, as described

below:

IN - data applies to inbound trips only.

OUT - data applies to outbound trips only.

BOTH - data applies to inbound & outbound trips (Manual Mode only).

It has no default value; it must be entered.

<Generation Rate> is the trip generation rate to be applied to the generation base, and can be

any number, which when multiplied by the BASE development size, yields the total vehicle trips

generated, from -9.99 to 99.99. Its default value is 0.000.

<Node-Dir> is the node number and leg direction providing the access to the development site.

For example, a 1N entry means the north leg of node 1 provides access to the site. The Node part

of the entry can be 0-999 (see note below) and its default value is 0 - at least one access node is

required. The Dir part of the entry is a character which describes the leg of the intersection

which provides access to the site, can be either N, E, S, or W, and has no default value; it must be

entered for every non-zero Node entry.

Notes

• The Node part of <Node-Dir> must be included in the list of intersections

previously established with the NODELIST command.

• If a previously entered list of access nodes must be shortened, the entry of Node

number 0 anywhere in the list will erase all nodes and directions from that point to

the end of the list.

GOTO GOTO

PRENETSIM B-94 Reference

GOTO <Destination>

Defaults: next

Menus/Groups: [CONTROL]

The purpose of this command is to divert the input stream within a file by providing the next

location to be LOADed from that file.

<Destination> is a number which defines the next line number which will be LOADed from

the current file, or a variable name associated with a REPEAT loop, and can be any valid line

number of the current file less than or equal to 32767 (positive, negative or zero), or any

REPEAT loop variable name that is currently in use. Its default value is the line number which

follows the line which contains the GOTO command.

Notes

• A REPEAT loop variable name can be used with GOTO if the same variable

name is in active use by a REPEAT command. In addition, the GOTO command

can only be encountered when its associated REPEAT command is the most

active REPEAT command. This means that REPEAT loops must not partially

overlap one another - i.e., one must be entirely contained within the other, or they

must be completely separate from each other.

• A negative line number of -n will divert input to a point in the current file n lines

before the line which follows the GOTO command - i.e., GOTO -5 sets up a loop

which will continue to LOAD the four lines prior to the GOTO.

GRADES GRADES

PRENETSIM B-95 Reference

GRADES 4*<Grade of Approach>

Defaults: 4*0.0

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [SIGNAL2000]

The purpose of this command is to enter the grade of each approach of the current intersection

(for SIGNAL2000 file compatibility only).

<Grade of Approach> is the grade of the approach, in percent, either positive or negative, and

can be any number from -10 to 10. Its default value is 0.

Notes

• Approaches that run uphill into the intersection have a positive grade for this

input. Downhill approaches have a negative grade.

GREENTIMES GREENTIMES

PRENETSIM B-96 Reference

GREENTIMES 6*<Phase Green Time>

Defaults: 6*0.0

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [BASIC] [INTERSECTION] [REVIEW]

The purpose of this command is to enter the duration of green for each of the phases of a

specified phase sequence, or optionally for each of the movements, of the current intersection.

<Phase Green Time> is the duration of green for the phase or movement, given in either

seconds or seconds/second, and can be any number from 0 to 900. Its default value is 0.0

seconds.

Notes

• If the list of GREENTIMES is preceded by the keyword 'Movmt', then each of the

entered values will be interpreted as timings for individual through and left turn

movements, clockwise around the intersection. If not, or the optional keyword

'Phase' is used, each value is for the phases defined by the SEQUENCE code.

• When entering or viewing controller timings, a Convert button appears on the

GREENTIMES dialog which allows the user to select the style of entry or view,

either 'By Phase' which is the traditional HCM method, or 'By Movement' which

is more similar to the way timings are used on NEMA and other dual-ring

controllers. If any timings are present, they will be converted to the other format

at the same time, including YELLOWTIMES if the GREENTIMES dialog is

displayed, and vice versa. When timings are Converted, the conversion will also

include reviewing the allowed SEQUENCES list and moving the appropriate

sequence code to the top of the list according to the timings present.

• It is important to make sure that YELLOWTIMES and REQCLEARANCES

entries are always kept consistent with each other, especially when converting

Timings by Phase to Timings by Movement and when exporting to third-party,

ring-based software.

• Allowing timings 'By Movement' makes it apparent that for certain overlap

phases, phase lengths which are apparently negative in the 'By Phase' method are,

in fact, perfectly valid timings for dual-ring controllers, as long as the negative

value of the overlap phase greentime does not exceed the yellowtime of that same

phase. This permits a wider range of timings to be represented by the traditional

'By Phase' (HCM) methodology.

• 'By Movement' timings are not allowed when special phasings represented by

negative SEQUENCE codes are used.

GREENTIMES GREENTIMES

PRENETSIM B-97 Reference

• If green times are entered in seconds/second, the first cycle length of the CYCLES

command will be used to convert the phase times to seconds.

• If all entries are greater than or equal to 1.0, they are assumed to be seconds; if all

entries are less than 1.0, they are assumed to be seconds/second.

• If entering GREENTIMES by phase, they must be entered in the order of the

phases as specified by the SEQUENCES code and the LEADLAGS command.

• To prevent division by zero errors in NETSIM, all phases except overlap phases

must have non-zero GREENTIMES. To analyze a phase with an effective

greentime of zero, use 0.01 seconds. This will display as zero, but prevent

division by zero errors.

• If a signal is to be double-cycled, GREENTIMES, YELLOWTIMES (and

OFFSETS) must be entered in seconds (not sec/sec) which sum to 1/2 the system

cycle.

GROUPTYPES GROUPTYPES

PRENETSIM B-98 Reference

GROUPTYPES 12*<Lane Group Type>

Defaults: 12*NORMAL

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [MOVEMENT]

The purpose of this command is to enter the special lane group type for each possible lane group,

such as dual-optional lanes, free-flow lanes and sign-controlled lanes for the current intersection.

<Lane Group Type> is a keyword describing the type of lane group being used, and can be

any of the following:

NORMAL - normal lane group (default).

FREEFLOW - free-flow lane group not controlled by the signal.

DUALOPTIONAL - dual-optional lane group.

STOP - stop sign controlled lane group

YIELD - yield sign controlled lane group

Notes

• Free-flow movements can be defined by selecting FreeFlow for any lane groups

not under signal control and not impaired in their movement through the

intersection by other movements (Yield). If selected, the movement is defined as

protected in every phase of RT 36 and is displayed in the phasing diagram of

TIMINGS. A SATURATIONFLOW entry can be entered to control the free-flow

discharge rate, or it can be left zero (as will be the case in SIGNAL2000). It must

be recognized that CORSIM cannot exactly represent free-flow conditions at a

signalized intersection, so the best possible representation allowed by CORSIM is

used.

• Dual-optional is a lane configuration where an exclusive turn lane exists and the

adjacent lane group can be optionally used for turns as well (a shared lane group).

This input condition is defined by flagging the exclusive turn lane group as a

DUALOPTIONAL lane group. When this lane usage is defined, entered volumes

are transferred between the lane groups in order to achieve balanced v/c, as

performed in SIGNAL2000. This means that GROUPTYPE and SATFLOW

entries from SIGNAL2000 are directly useable in PRENETSIM without

modification in order to model dual-optional lane usage.

• Stop and Yield sign-controlled movements can be defined by selecting Stop or

Yield for any lane groups controlled by these signs. When this is selected, RT 35

and 36 are adjusted to show the designated sign control.

HEADING HEADING

PRENETSIM B-99 Reference

HEADING <Number of Lines>

Defaults: 3

Menus/Groups: [CONTROL]

The purpose of this command is to display the current title heading lines.

<Number of Lines> is the number of lines of the three-line heading which are to be displayed,

and can be any number from 0 to 3, either positive or negative. Its default value is 3.

Notes

• The lines which will be displayed are identified by counting the number of lines

requested starting at the last line of the heading, i.e., an entry of 1 will display

only the last line of the heading -- the NOTE.

• In an appended output window, or within a script/control file, use of HEADING 0

will force a page break at that point in the output stream.

• HEADING -1 in a script/control file will force the update of the output window so

that progressive results can be observed before the control file completes.

HELP HELP

PRENETSIM B-100 Reference

HELP <List of Commands>

Defaults: [PARAMETERS]

Menus/Groups: [INFO]

The purpose of this command is to display the command names, parameter descriptions, and

default values for each command listed.

<List of Commands> is a set of commands and/or group names, and can be any valid

commands or group names of the program. Its default value is [PARAMETERS] - all non-active

commands for entry of parameters related to the analysis procedures.

Notes

• HELP provides a brief, 1-line summary for each of the listed commands,

including the parameters and values expected and their default values.

• The Help-Commands menu produces the same result as using HELP [ALL], an

alphabetical list of all commands, as found in Appendix A. The Manual Mode

must be used for any of the other HELP command options.

• If HELP is requested for one command, the detailed help of the Help button or the

F1 key found in any Visual Mode dialog is displayed, as found in Appendix B.

IDEALSATFLOWS IDEALSATFLOWS

PRENETSIM B-101 Reference

IDEALSATFLOWS 12*<Ideal Saturation Flow Rate>

Defaults: 12*1900

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [SIGNAL2000]

The purpose of this command is to enter the base (ideal) saturation flow rate for each movement

of the current intersection (for SIGNAL2000 file compatibility only).

<Ideal Saturation Flow Rate> is the base saturation flow rate of a single lane under ideal

conditions, in pcphgpl, and can be any integer value from 0 to 3000. Its default value is 1900.

Notes

INITIALQUEUE INITIALQUEUE

PRENETSIM B-102 Reference

INITIALQUEUE 12*<Initial Queue Size>

Defaults: 12*0

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [SIGNAL2000]

The purpose of this command is to enter the number of vehicles queued at the intersection at the

start of the analysis period for each of the twelve movements of the current intersection (for

SIGNAL2000 file compatibility only).

<Initial Queue Size> is the number of vehicles queued at the start of the analysis period due to

unsatisfied demand in the previous analysis period, and can be any integer from 0 to 999. Its

default value is 0.

Notes

• If the initial queue is observed in the field, it should be the queue observed at the

end of a green phase at the start of the analysis period. This observation will

reflect unsatisfied demand. The queue should not be observed at the end of a red

phase, since this would be a queue which also included the significant effects of

cyclical queueing, not just unsatisfied demand. The observer should also take

care that the observed queue is typical of other cycles at the end of green and near

the start of the analysis period, and not unduly influenced by random fluctuations

in demand.

• If a non-zero initial queue value is entered, SIGNAL2000 will compute the

additional d

delay term and adjust the d

term as appropriate according to the

methods of the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual. The analyst should be aware

that an analysis period with an initial queue value may generate more delay per

vehicle than another analysis period which has higher volume but no initial queue.

Thus, it may be appropriate to investigate any time periods which follow over-

saturated periods (and thus have initial queue values) to see if the delay in these

periods exceeds the over-saturated time period(s).

• If an initial queue cannot be observed where it is known (by observation or

analysis) that a given time period is over-saturated, it is possible to estimate the

initial queue for a given period by assessing the unsatisfied demand of a previous

time period. This unsatisfied demand is displayed near the bottom of the Level of

Service Worksheet, as well as the Initial Queue Delay Worksheet, and is labelled

Final Queue. If this method of estimating the initial queue value is used, care

should be exercised in recognition of the accumulated error which might exist

each time an estimated Final Queue value is transferred to the next analysis period

as an Initial Queue.

INTERSECTION INTERSECTION

PRENETSIM B-103 Reference

INTERSECTION <Node Number> <Description>

Defaults: 0 --

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [BASIC] [INTERSECTION] [REVIEW]

The purpose of this command is to enter the node number of the current intersection (and an

optional description) as defined in the network.

<Node Number> is a unique intersection number assigned to the intersection, and can be any

integer from 0 to 999. Its default value is 0, no intersection is specified.

<Description> is information describing the intersection, and can be up to 30 alphanumeric

characters. Its default value is all blanks.

Notes

• This is one of several entries (including NODELIST, SUBSYSTEM,

INTERSECTION, NODELOCATION and NETWORK) which can be made or

might be altered when using the drag-and-drop network creation/editing functions

in the main window. Entries made from a dialog will change the values created in

the main window, and vice-versa.

• The node number entry made on the INTERSECTION command defines which

intersection the following [INTERSECTION] entry commands will apply to. The

INTERSECTION command must be issued prior to any other [INTERSECTION]

commands. The node number used must be a number already listed in the

NODELIST.

• The common convention used for describing the intersection name is to place the

North-South street name first, followed by the East-West name, both separated by

an ampersand, "&". Use of this convention is strongly suggested.

• If INTERSECTION 0 is specified and RESET is used, the commands which are

RESET will be reset for all intersections. For example, INTERSECTION 0

followed by RESET VOLUMES will reset the VOLUMES to zero for all

intersections in the NODELIST.

• In a Visual Mode dialog that includes INTERSECTION or intersection data, the

"+" button, "-" button, ^Page-Up key and ^Page-Down key can be used to, in

effect, dynamically issue an INTERSECTION command for the next and previous

intersection in the NODELIST. If data values are changed on a screen display, the

^Page keys should not be used before the data is first entered with the TAB key.

IODEVICES IODEVICES

PRENETSIM B-104 Reference

IODEVICES <Visual View> <Page #> <Lines/Pg> <Last Line #>

Defaults: NORMAL 0 66 63

Menus/Groups: [CONTROL]

The purpose of this command is to set the visual view style for dialogs, as well as the page

number and the size of the output medium (i.e., paper).

<Visual View> is a keyword representing view of the Visual Mode which will be used, and can

be either keyword described below.

NORMAL the normal view of the Visual Mode (default).

TABULAR the tabular view of the Visual Mode.

<Page #> is the number of the next page to be printed, and can be zero, -1, or any positive

integer up to 32767. Its default value is 0 - do not display page number on output.

<Lines/Pg> is the number of printable lines on each page of output, and can be zero, or any

positive integer up to 32767. Its default value is 66, the typical size of printed output on 8-1/2 x

11 paper at 6 lines per inch.

<Last Line #> is the number of lines, counting from the top of the page, which are to be used

for printing, and can be zero, or any positive integer less-than or equal to <Lines/Pg>. Its default

value is 63, which normally allows a half-inch margin at the bottom of a 66-line page.

Notes

• Printers normally print 6 lines per inch, thus an 11-inch page is 66 lines and an 8

1/2-inch page is 51 lines. Normally <Last Line #> is 3 less than <Lines/Pg> to

allow a 1/2-inch margin.

• Every time a <Line/Pg> entry is made, <Last Line #> is re-calculated as 3 lines

less than <Lines/Pg>. This usually provides a 1/2" margin at the bottom of each

page of output. As a result, unless a different bottom margin is desired, <Last

Line #> need not be entered.

• Use of <Lines/Pg> and <Last Line #> are primarily for the purposes of batch

operations or any commands which generate multiple pages of output.

• If the <Page #> entry is greater than zero, this number will used to label the page

number of the next printed page of output. Every time this occurs, the <Page #>

is incremented so that the next printed page will be automatically numbered with

the page number. If <Page #> is zero, no page number will be displayed on the

printed output. If <Page #> is -1, the date and time will also be omitted from the

the output.

LANES LANES

PRENETSIM B-105 Reference

LANES 12*<Number of Lanes>

Defaults: 12*0

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [BASIC] [MOVEMENT]

The purpose of this command is to enter the number of lanes which are assigned for use by each

of the twelve movements at the current intersection.

<Number of Lanes> is the number of lanes which are allocated for use by each movement,

and can be any integer from 0 to 10. Its default value is 0.

Notes

• Values for this command are automatically generated each time a new lane width

is given on a WIDTHS command. The number of lanes generated is defined by

the tens digit of the approach width (in feet). Approach widths of less than ten

feet and greater than zero are assumed to have one lane. Thus, usage of the

LANES command is necessary only for those lanes where this assumption of

number of lanes is not appropriate.

• Turning movements which turn from both exclusive turn lanes and shared through

lanes should make use of the GROUPTYPES entry to define this condition which

PRENETSIM calls dual optional lane usage

LEADLAGS LEADLAGS

PRENETSIM B-106 Reference

LEADLAGS 2*<Lead-Lag Phasing>

Defaults: 2*NONE

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [INTERSECTION] [REVIEW]

The purpose of this command is to enter the order of the phases, particularly in multiphase

operation, of the current intersection.

<Lead-Lag Phasing> is the keyword which, in multi-phase operation, specifies whether the

exclusive phase(s) (usually turning phase) precede(s) or follow(s) the through phase, and can be

any of the following:

NONE no exclusive turn phase(s) exist, or if they do, they LEAD (default).

LEAD exclusive turn phase(s) precede(s) the through phase.

LAG exclusive turn phase(s) follow(s) the through phase.

Notes

• The first <Lead-Lag Phasing> is used for the north-south movements, the second

for east-west movements.

• In split phase operation NONE or LEAD indicates the north (east) movement

precedes the south (west) movement. LAG indicates the south (west) precedes the

north (east).

LEVELOFSERVICE LEVELOFSERVICE

PRENETSIM B-107 Reference

LEVELOFSERVICE <Target Delay/LOS> <Max Delay/LOS> <Delay Incr>

Defaults: 35:C 80:E 5

90 100 5

Menus/Groups: [PARAMETERS] [SIGNAL2000]

The purpose of this command is to enter the range of delay (or level of service) and v/c which

should be tested by a DESIGN optimization and GOVERCS for the current intersection (for

SIGNAL2000 file compatibility only).

<Target Delay/LOS> is the desired or target delay (or level of service) of operation of the

critical movements, and can be any integer delay from 0 to 300 seconds, or a level of service

grade A, B, C, D, or E. Its default value is 35 seconds of delay (LOS C).

<Max Delay/LOS> is the worst amount of delay (or level of service) to be considered before a

v/c optimization is attempted, and can be any integer delay from 0 to 300 seconds, or a level of

service grade A, B, C, D, or E. Its default value is 80 seconds of delay (LOS E).

<Delay Incr> is the increment of delay which should be used to reach the <Max Delay/LOS> if

the <Target Delay/LOS> cannot be achieved by a DESIGN, and can be any integer delay from 1

to 100 seconds. Its default value is 5 seconds.

<Target v/c> is the desired or target v/c of operation of the critical movements, and can be any

integer v/c from 0 to 300 percent. Its default value is 90 percent (v/c = 0.90).

<Max v/c> is the worst amount of v/c to be considered before an optimization is abandoned and

a solution is forced, and can be any integer v/c from 0 to 300 percent. Its default value is 100

percent (v/c = 1.00).

<v/c Incr> is the increment of v/c which should be used to reach the <Max v/c> if the <Target

v/c> cannot be achieved by a DESIGN. Its default value is 5 percent.

Notes

• For DESIGN, the <Target Delay/LOS> entry of the LEVELOFSERVICE