Zoning and Network Development

March 2012 Abu Dhabi Department of Transport
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Abu Dhabi New Model Consultancy Services
Working Paper No. 6A: Zoning and Network
Development Report
Zoning and Network Development Report
Abu Dhabi Strategic Transportation
Evaluation and Assessment Model

Working Paper
Zoning and Network Development Report
May 2012

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Working Paper: Zoning and Network Development Report
Prepared for
Abu Dhabi Department of Transport

Prepared by
AECOM Middle East Limited

PO Box 43266, Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates
www.aecom.com

May 2012

AECOM

The information contained in this document produced by AECOM Middle East Limited is solely for
the use of the Client identified on the cover sheet for the purpose for which it has been prepared
and AECOM Middle East Limited undertakes no duty to or accepts any responsibility to any third
party who may rely upon this document.

All rights reserved. No section or element of this document may be removed fromthis document,
reproduced, electronically stored or transmitted in any formwithout the written permission of
AECOM Middle East Limited.

AECOM Abu Dhabi New Model Consultancy Services Working Paper: Zoning and Network
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Quality Information
Document Working Paper: Zoning and Network Development Report
Ref ADR-ATM-PMJ -REP-00045-3 Date May 2012
Prepared by Brian Vaughan Reviewed by Hamzeh Al J aghbir

Revision History
Revision Revision Date Details
Authorised
Name/Position Signature
0 15/10/2009 Draft
Andrew Schmidt
Manager, Transportation
Planning Original Signed
1 01/08/2010 For DoT Review
Andrew Schmidt
2 13/06/2011 For DoT Review
Andrew Schmidt
3 11/09/2011 Including DoT Comments
Andrew Schmidt
4 04/01/2012 Final Including DoT Comments
Andrew Schmidt
5 05/02/2012 Final Including DoT Comments
Andrew Schmidt
6 17/03/2012 Final
Andrew Schmidt
7 08/05/2012 Final
Paul Beattie
Project Manager

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Contents
Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. i
1.0 Purpose of the Working Paper ................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
1.2 Purpose of the Working Paper ................................................................................................... 1
1.3 Transport Models: Zones and Networks..................................................................................... 1
1.4 Layout of the Working Paper ...................................................................................................... 2
2.0 Zoning ....................................................................................................................................... 3
2.1 General Principles ..................................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Study Area ................................................................................................................................. 3
2.3 Size ........................................................................................................................................... 8
2.4 Land Use-Current and Future .................................................................................................... 9
2.5 Zone Labelling Convention ........................................................................................................ 9
3.0 STEAM Zoning ........................................................................................................................ 13
3.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 13
3.2 Abu Dhabi Urban Region Zoning ............................................................................................. 13
3.2.1 Review of STMP Zoning.............................................................................................. 13
3.2.2 Population and Employment Density ........................................................................... 15
3.2.3 Land Use and Homogeneity ........................................................................................ 16
3.2.4 Census Boundaries ..................................................................................................... 18
3.2.5 Summary .................................................................................................................... 20
3.2.6 Refinement of Zones in Abu Dhabi Urban Region ....................................................... 20
3.2.7 Special Trip Generators .............................................................................................. 24
3.3 Abu Dhabi Rural Region Zoning .............................................................................................. 24
3.3.1 Census Boundaries ..................................................................................................... 24
3.3.2 Population Density ...................................................................................................... 27
3.4 Al Ain Urban Region Zoning ..................................................................................................... 28
3.4.1 Community Boundaries ............................................................................................... 29
3.4.2 Existing Network Layout .............................................................................................. 30
3.4.3 Existing and Proposed Population Density and Land Use ........................................... 30
3.4.4 Homogeneity ............................................................................................................... 33
3.4.5 Special Trip Generators Al Ain ................................................................................. 33
3.5 Al Ain Rural Region Zoning ...................................................................................................... 34
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3.5.1 Community Boundaries ............................................................................................... 34
3.6 Al Gharbia Region Zoning ........................................................................................................ 38
3.7 External Zones......................................................................................................................... 41
3.8 Summary ................................................................................................................................. 42
3.9 Summary of Number of Zones ................................................................................................. 42
4.0 Highway Network ..................................................................................................................... 43
4.1 General Principles ................................................................................................................... 43
4.2 Node Labelling Convention ...................................................................................................... 43
4.3 STEAM Node and Link Parameters ......................................................................................... 45
4.3.1 Node Attributes ........................................................................................................... 45
4.3.2 Link Attributes ............................................................................................................. 48
4.4 Link Volume Delay Functions ................................................................................................... 51
4.5 Definition of Highway Modes .................................................................................................... 54
4.6 Link Coding .............................................................................................................................. 55
4.6.1 Urban Links ................................................................................................................. 55
4.6.2 Rural Links .................................................................................................................. 56
4.6.3 Truck Roads and Restrictions ..................................................................................... 57
4.6.4 Multi-Lane Highways ................................................................................................... 57
4.6.5 Master Network ........................................................................................................... 58
4.7 J unction Coding ....................................................................................................................... 59
4.7.1 Extent and General Principles ..................................................................................... 59
4.7.2 Traffic Signals ............................................................................................................. 62
4.7.3 Roundabouts ............................................................................................................... 71
4.7.4 Priority J unctions ......................................................................................................... 77
4.7.5 Bus Lanes in Mixed Traffic .......................................................................................... 79
4.7.6 Treatment of Taxi Trips ............................................................................................... 80
5.0 Public Transport Network ......................................................................................................... 81
5.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 81
5.2 Public Transport Network ......................................................................................................... 81
5.2.1 General Principles ....................................................................................................... 81
5.2.2 Network Components .................................................................................................. 81
5.2.3 Public Transport Nodes ............................................................................................... 82
5.3 Links ........................................................................................................................................ 82
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5.4 Representation of Stop/Station/Parking Facility ....................................................................... 83
5.5 Public Transport Modes ........................................................................................................... 83
5.5.1 Representation of PT Routes/Lines ............................................................................. 86
5.5.2 Public Transport Fare .................................................................................................. 87
5.5.3 Transit time Functions ................................................................................................. 87
5.5.4 Other PT Assignment Parameters ............................................................................... 88
5.6 Park and Ride Modelling .......................................................................................................... 90
5.6.1 Methodology ............................................................................................................... 92
5.6.2 Park and Ride Station Catchment ............................................................................... 93
5.6.3 Parking Capacity ......................................................................................................... 96
5.7 Crowding Model ....................................................................................................................... 98
5.7.1 Description of Crowding Model ................................................................................... 98
6.0 Compatibility between Zones and Networks .......................................................................... 102
6.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 102
6.2 Zone Centroid Connectors ..................................................................................................... 102
6.2.1 Abu Dhabi Urban Region .......................................................................................... 102
6.2.2 Abu Dhabi Rural Region ........................................................................................... 103
6.2.3 Al Ain Urban Region .................................................................................................. 103
6.2.4 Al Ain Rural Region ................................................................................................... 104
6.2.5 Al Gharbia Region ..................................................................................................... 104
6.2.6 External Zones .......................................................................................................... 104
Appendix A Zone Plans ...................................................................................................................... A
Appendix B Network Plan ................................................................................................................... B
Appendix C Volume Delay Functions .................................................................................................. C

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List of Tables

Table 1 - Existing and Projected Population ................................................................................................................................. 7
Table 2 - Schedule of Zones Sizes and Number of Zones within Each Region ............................................................................ 9
Table 3 - Number of Zones within the External Region .............................................................................................................. 42
Table 4 - STEAM Zones ............................................................................................................................................................. 42
Table 5 - Node Input Attributes Included in the Master Network. ................................................................................................ 46
Table 6 - Link Input Attributes in the STEAM Master Network .................................................................................................... 49
Table 7 - Link Type Definition - STEAM ...................................................................................................................................... 53
Table 8 - Traffic Signal J unction Coding Attributes ..................................................................................................................... 70
Table 9 - Values of Entry Capacity (Ce) Based on Number of Approach Lanes and Number of Entry Lanes at the Stop Line. . 73
Table 10 - Values of A Based on Number of Approach Lanes and Entry Lanes at the Stop Line for 60m Inscribed Circle
Roundabout. .............................................................................................................................................................. 74
Table 11 - Values of A Based on Number of Approach Lanes and Entry Lanes at the Stop Line or 90m Inscribed Circle
Roundabout. .............................................................................................................................................................. 74
Table 12 - Roundabout J unction Coding Attributes .................................................................................................................... 77
Table 13 - Priority J unction Turn Delays ..................................................................................................................................... 79
Table 14 - List of Public Transport Link Types ............................................................................................................................ 83
Table 15 - List of All Transit and Access Modes ......................................................................................................................... 85
Table 16 - Public Transport Line File Information ....................................................................................................................... 86
Table 17 - Boarding Penalties and Weight factors ...................................................................................................................... 90
Table 18 - Transfer Penalties ..................................................................................................................................................... 90
Table 19 - Typical Table Specifying Catchment and Capacity for Each Park and Ride Facility .................................................. 96
Table 20 - Capacity Characteristics of Different PT Vehicles ..................................................................................................... 99
Table 21 - ATC Perceived In-Vehicle Time Factors .................................................................................................................. 100

List of Figures

Figure 1 - Location of the Study Area ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Figure 2 - Three Main Areas of Emirate of Abu Dhabi .................................................................................................................. 5
Figure 3 - Population Density According to 2009 Planning Data (No. of people/sq km) ............................................................... 6
Figure 4 - Location of Internal and External Regions .................................................................................................................... 7
Figure 5 - Definition of regions for Study Area and the Area of Influence. .................................................................................. 10
Figure 6 - Zone Labelling System ............................................................................................................................................... 12
Figure 7 - Abu Dhabi STMP Network and Zone Boundaries ...................................................................................................... 14
Figure 8 - 2009 Population Densities for Abu Dhabi Urban Region ............................................................................................ 15
Figure 9 - CBD, Abu Dhabi Island 2009 Proportion of Land Uses by Category .......................................................................... 17
Figure 10 - Abu Dhabi STEAM Zone Boundaries and Census Boundaries ................................................................................ 19
Figure 11 - New Development Zones Plan ................................................................................................................................. 21
Figure 12 - Abu Dhabi STMP Zone Boundaries and Census Boundaries .................................................................................. 22
Figure 13 - Abu Dhabi STEAM Zone Boundaries and Census Boundaries ................................................................................ 23
Figure 14 - Census Boundaries of Abu Dhabi Rural Region ....................................................................................................... 25
Figure 15 - Abu Dhabi Rural Region Zoning ............................................................................................................................... 26
Figure 16 - Abu Dhabi Rural Region with Population Density (No. of people/sq km) ................................................................. 27
Figure 17 - Al Ain STMP Zone Boundaries ................................................................................................................................. 28
Figure 18 - Compatibility between Community Boundaries and Traffic Zones in Al Ain ............................................................. 29
Figure 19 - Al Ain Zone Boundaries ............................................................................................................................................ 30
Figure 20 - Al Ain 2009 Population Density ................................................................................................................................ 31
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Figure 21 - Al Ain 2030 Urban Structure Framework Plan .......................................................................................................... 32
Figure 22 - Homogeneity Maintained within Al Ain Urban Zoning System .................................................................................. 33
Figure 23 - Al Ain Rural Region Zone Boundary ......................................................................................................................... 35
Figure 24 - Al Ain Rural Region with Population Density (no. of people / sq.km) ....................................................................... 37
Figure 25 - Al Gharbia STMP Zone Boundaries ......................................................................................................................... 38
Figure 26 - Al Gharbia STEAM Zone Boundaries ....................................................................................................................... 39
Figure 27 - Al Gharbia Region with Population Density 2009 ..................................................................................................... 40
Figure 28 - External Region Zoning ............................................................................................................................................ 41
Figure 29 - STEAM Node Labelling System ............................................................................................................................... 45
Figure 30 - Akcelik Curve Effect of J A Factors ........................................................................................................................ 52
Figure 31 - Schematic of Network Structure in Urban Areas ...................................................................................................... 56
Figure 32 - Example of a Multi-Lane Dual Carriageway in an Urban Region. ............................................................................. 58
Figure 33 - Example of the Master Network ............................................................................................................................... 59
Figure 34 - Extent of Abu Dhabi Island Where J unction Modelling is Included in 2009 Network ................................................ 60
Figure 35 - Extent of Al Ain City where J unction Modelling is Included in 2009 Network............................................................ 61
Figure 36 - Approach Nodes ....................................................................................................................................................... 63
Figure 37 - First Arm ................................................................................................................................................................... 64
Figure 38 - Phasing .................................................................................................................................................................... 65
Figure 39 - Lane Geometry ......................................................................................................................................................... 66
Figure 40 - Average Lane Width ................................................................................................................................................. 66
Figure 41 - Minimum Capacity .................................................................................................................................................... 67
Figure 42 - Randomness ............................................................................................................................................................ 68
Figure 43 - Exit Lanes ................................................................................................................................................................. 69
Figure 44 - Ban Turn ................................................................................................................................................................... 69
Figure 45 - Alternative Roundabout Models ............................................................................................................................... 71
Figure 46 - Capacity Slope ......................................................................................................................................................... 72
Figure 47 - Capacity Intercept .................................................................................................................................................... 72
Figure 48 - Definition of First Arm ............................................................................................................................................... 75
Figure 49 - Input Capacity Slope ................................................................................................................................................ 75
Figure 50 - Input Capacity Intercept............................................................................................................................................ 76
Figure 51 - Priority Arrangement at Typical Free Right Turn Lane at Signalised J unctions ........................................................ 78
Figure 52 - Priority junction at Typical Mid-Block U-Turns .......................................................................................................... 79
Figure 53 - Wait Time Curve for Bus Services ............................................................................................................................ 89
Figure 54 - Wait Time Curve for Rail Services ............................................................................................................................ 89
Figure 55 - Park and Ride Representation ................................................................................................................................. 93
Figure 56 - Example of a Park and Ride Catchment for a Station .............................................................................................. 95
Figure 57 - Park and Ride Volume to Capacity Curve ................................................................................................................ 97
Figure 58 - Crowding Factor Curves ......................................................................................................................................... 100
Figure 59 - New Model Treatment of Centroid Connectors in Abu Dhabi ................................................................................. 103
Figure 60 - New Model Treatment of Centroid Connectors in Al Ain Urban Area ..................................................................... 104

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Executive Summary
The Abu Dhabi Department of Transport (DoT) commissioned AECOM through its operating companies Cansult
Maunsell and Faber Maunsell, to develop a new computer based transport model for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The model is referred to as the Abu Dhabi Strategic Transportation Evaluation and Analysis Model (STEAM).

The transport model zones and the representation of the highway and public transport system are the
fundamental building blocks of the modelling process and therefore a systematic approach has been followed to
represent the supply side system of Abu Dhabi within STEAM.

Zoning System

Abu Dhabi Emirate contains varied levels of population distribution, land use densities and travel patterns. The
study area is sub divided into Abu Dhabi Urban, Abu Dhabi Rural, Al Ain Urban, Al Ain Rural, Al Gharbia and
External regions. The boundaries of these regions are congruent with administrative and planning divisions.

A data collection exercise was undertaken to gather the base and future year information on land use and
population distribution, travel patterns, planning/administrative boundaries and network layout. This provided a
basis for spatial disaggregation of the study area.

A review of the existing zoning system within Abu Dhabi Emirate Enhanced Model (ADEEM) was undertaken to
ascertain the acceptability of the current spatial level of detail for the internal zones that covers the 5 regions
within the Abu Dhabi Emirate. Whilst the review revealed that zoning within the Abu Dhabi Central Business
District (CBD) was appropriately detailed, the remaining regions including the fringes of Abu Dhabi urban region
required further refinement to reflect similar trip intensities and future year development plan proposals.

A significant zone redefinition exercise was subsequently carried out in all internal regions of Abu Dhabi Emirate,
particularly within, Abu Dhabi Urban, Abu Dhabi Rural, Al Ain urban and rural and Western Region. Whilst the
census boundaries within Abu Dhabi urban and rural and Western Region (Al Gharbia) provided a good starting
point in most regions, these were not deemed appropriate in themselves for the purposes of STEAM and
therefore and a further disaggregation was undertaken that was conducive to the to the best practice zoning
system principles of homogeneity, similar trip intensities and overlap with the census/administrative boundaries.
Within Al Ain Rural region, the community boundaries were deemed to be appropriately detailed and were
therefore adopted as zones, however, within the Al Ain Urban region, the zones were further refined but
overlapped with the community boundaries.

Certain zones within STEAM are treated as Special Zones within the model so that different functionality can be
applied to the treatment of trips to/from such zones. These zones mainly contain ports, airports or other major
recreational areas. These zones are separately identified through input files to STEAM but are included in the
relevant geographical regions. Table S1 provides a summary of STEAM zones in each region.

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Table S1 - STEAM Zones
Regions No of Zones
Al Ain Rural 138
Al Ain Urban 347
Abu Dhabi Urban 1312
Abu Dhabi Rural 66
Al Gharbia 98
External 26
Total 1987

Highway Network

A Master Network containing the base 2009 and 2030 STEAM reference case networks has been coded using
Cube GIS. To facilitate the coding of present and future highway and PT schemes into the one Master Network,
node and link attributes have been created to indicate which are year (and scenario) specific.

STEAM also includes an extensive range of node and link attributes defined and stored at each node and on each
link in the network. These attributes store input values that dictate the characteristics of the nodes and links and
also the outputs from model runs such as delays, and traffic flows by vehicle class.

STEAM adopts an area-based numbering/labelling strategy and allocates an eight-digit number for each node in
the highway network and a five digit number for the Public Transport Network. The node label provides
information on the location of the node within a sector (or sub-region), region and larger study area to discern the
highway and PT network and ease of analysis.

A detailed link type classification has been formulated within STEAM that includes all possible road types and its
respective operational characteristics like lanes, speeds and location (rural or urban). An Akcelic volume delay
function has been allocated to each link type with a specific Ja parameter based on whether the link delays are
explicitly modelled by downstream junction simulation or the travel speeds along the link takes into account
expected delays at the main downstream junction on the link.

The majority of the traffic significant junctions within Abu Dhabi Island and Al Ain City are modelled in detail for the
STEAM 2009 and 2030 road network. Where junctions are not explicitly modelled appropriate link type volume
delay functions are used, including the junction delays. STEAM uses the HCM methodology for signalised
junctions within Cube Voyager to model the fixed time signals in Abu Dhabi Island and adaptive signals in Al Ain
city. The roundabout junctions are modelled using empirical model and the priority junctions are represented by
standard turn delays that vary according to the location and type of priority junction.

STEAM adopts a multi-node approach that includes a Cube Voyager mini-roundabout annotation at each
approach arm of all dual carriageways, for explicitly modelling roundabout junctions in Abu Dhabi Island and Al
Ain City. Roundabout intersections are modelled using an empirical model where each entry is characterized by a
capacity slope and a capacity intercept.
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In STEAM standard turn delays are used to provide a reasonable representation of the average delay
encountered at each of the priority junctions in the network.

Public Transport Network

The only public transport that exists in the base year 2009 are a limited number of intra-city and inter-city buses
that operate on the highway network. A comprehensive and extensive public transport system including LRT,
metro, rail, ferry and buses is planned for the Emirate and is coded in STEAM 2030 reference case.

In STEAM, public transport networks comprise transit legs, non-transit legs and transfer legs. Separate node
series are assigned to different PT modes, so that transit legs, non-transit legs, stops and parameters such as
waiting time factors by mode are easily specified and post assignment analyses and extraction of data facilitated.

The PT modes with exclusive right of way such as rail, metro, LRT, ferry and some parts of tram have exclusive
links. A full range of link attributes are coded across all link types and classes.

The Cube Voyager PT service data inputs are provided in the following four separate data files:
Line File contains the routes and segment information for all PT modes within STEAM;
System File contains the definition of the modes, operators, wait time curves, vehicle types, and crowding
curves;
Fare File modelled as flat fare in the base year and distance based fare in the future year within STEAM;
and
Factor File parameters to specify traveller behaviour in response to the PT system, such as boarding
penalty, transfer penalty, value of time etc.

The transit time functions within STEAM are defined separately for the services with own right of way like Rail,
Metro, LRT and Ferry and street running services.

PT systems with their own right of way i.e. the Regional Rail, Metro, LRT and Ferry, or a bus service with its own
right of way, the travel time is independent of the car travel time. In such cases, travel time is calculated based on
the design operating speed of the system defined in the model by the link type information. The public transport
in-vehicle time function is defined as below:

In-vehicle Time (mins) = Segment Time (mins) + Dwell times (at actual stops)

The actual operating time for each transit segment is calculated based on the default speed of the mode.
For a bus or tram service operating on the road system, its operating speed is dependent on the travel speed of
the general traffic. Therefore, for a normal bus service operating on the same road as other traffic, a general
transit time function is represented as below:

Bus Time (mins) = A x Car Time (mins) + B x di stance (km)

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Where:
A is a factor more than one representing the travel conditions where a bus generally runs slower
than a car. This factor may vary by road type; and
B represents an average dwelling time (min) per km. It reflects the frequency of stops and average
time spent at each stop.

These parameters are pre-defined in the model during the public transport initialisation stage as part of the model
development.

STEAM includes a detailed Park and Ride modelling and has appropriate controls in place for the passenger
demand in station through PT sub-mode choice, network coding to represent parking facility, access mode
network and parking facilities. Assignment procedures incorporate additional delay to Park and Ride trips,
representitive of parking search time.

Compatibility between Network and Zones

STEAM contains a detailed representation of the minor local roads within the urban regions that allows a realistic
routeing for the trips to access the major roads at multiple locations and therefore in majority of the cases, the
connector loads onto the minor roads that joins all the possible major roads thereby providing ample route choice.
The exception to this is in rural regions of Al Ain and Al Gharbia where, as there are already minimal road
networks, the connectors may occasionally load traveldemands onto major highways.
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1.0 Purpose of the Working Paper
1.1 Introduction

The Abu Dhabi Department of Transport (DoT) commissioned AECOM through its operating companies Cansult
Maunsell and Faber Maunsell, to develop a new computer based transport model for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The model is referred to as the Abu Dhabi Strategic Transportation Evaluation and Analysis Model (STEAM).

All transport models consist of three main elements, namely, a representation of the network supply, travel
demand behavioural relationships to predict travel demand by time of day, and a means of assigning the demand
to the network. The travel demand is generally a function of population, employment and land use and exists
within the model in the form of travel demand matrices between pre-specified geographic areas, i.e. zones. The
supply side of the equation is the roadway and public transport systems on which travel occurs and the network
attributes within the model describe the characteristics of these systems.

The transport model zones and the representation of the highway and public transport system are the
fundamental building blocks of the modelling process and establishing the level of spatial detail of the zones and
the principles to be adopted in the development of the transport network is critical to any model development
process.

1.2 Purpose of the Working Paper

This working paper describes the principles and assumptions utilised to define the zoning system and determine
the extent and the operational characteristics of the highway and public transport network for inclusion in STEAM.
The output of the working paper is 2009 zone plans for use in model development and calibration, and a set of
2030 zones covering all the major development areas as provided by the Department of Transport. The 2030
zones in the development areas will inevitably be subject to refinement as development plans change over time
and as such, some flexibility in the zonal definitions has been provided by allowing for additional zones to be
defined in STEAM.

1.3 Transport Models: Zones and Networks

Transport modelling involves aggregating spatial information into defined geographic areas generally referred to
as zones and determining the relevant highway and public transport networks to be included within the model.
This aggregation takes place as trips in the study area can begin and end at any address, and travellers can
choose from all roads, streets and other transport options. Due to the immense volume of data involved, however,
it is not practical to collate and analyse data based on individual dwelling/employment unit information. Therefore,
a model represents reality by introducing the following elements:
Zones: the study area is divided into a number of small but manageable zones and the trips from and to
these zones are defined. All trips begin and end at an imaginary point inside this zone, defined as the centroid
of that zone. It is accepted practice that each of these zones should, as far as practical, contain homogenous
land uses in order to facilitate the definition of travel demand parameters; and
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Networks: the transport system consists of links and junctions that represent the available highway and
public transport network and in the case of public transport the bus and rail services that operate on the
network. The network is an abstraction of reality and the extent of representation depends on the purpose of,
and the degree of detail adopted in, the study.

This working paper details the principles adopted and sources utilised to disaggregate the study area and its
surroundings into appropriate traffic zones and to the principles that are applied in STEAM for the coding of the
network representations.

1.4 Layout of the Working Paper

Following this introduction:
Chapter 2 presents the principles behind the definition of the zoning system;
Chapter 3 describes the actual zoning system proposed;
Chapter 4 describes the extent and the characteristics of the modelled highway network;
Chapter 5 presents an overview of the modelling of the public transport network; and
Chapter 6 describes the principles of zone and network compatibility.

In addition, Appendix A includes the detailed STEAM zone plans, and Appendix B examples of the network plans
exhibiting the range of coding principles defined in the main text of the working paper.
This working paper is based on STEAM version 20 Run N.

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2.0 Zoning
2.1 General Principles

A systematic approach to transport planning studies requires the study area be delineated and subdivided into
discrete traffic zones that allow for spatial aggregation of trip origins and destinations within the study area.

The Zoning of a study area consists of two phases:
Defining the spatial aggregation level of socio economic characteristics (determination of type and number of
zones); and
Determining shape, dimension and size of the zones respecting the spatial aggregation level determined and
the transport network to which the zones have to relate.

The number of zones, and their spatial dimension, depends on the nature and scale of the study and the level of
analysis proposed. Within the core study area zones are usually defined to a fine level of spatial detail, and
become coarser towards the boundaries of the detailed model area, which in the case of STEAM is the external
areas outside Abu Dhabi Emirate.

The spatial resolution of the zoning system is often a key decision point and there is a conflict to be resolved
between dividing the zoning system into many small zones, or a coarser version of larger zones. General
principles when designing zones are to use as many zones as possible, maximising the internal homogeneity of
the zones, the difference between zones, and the statistical validity of data applied to zones. However, the
number of zones often has a disproportional impact upon model run times, which often limits the number of zones
that are achievable for a practical working tool.

The principles adopted in developing the STEAM zone system were that:
Zones should be homogeneous with respect to the socio economic characteristics and land uses;
Zones should be compact to enable suitable loading positions to be determined;
Administrative areas such as census boundaries, municipal borders and jurisdictional boundaries should be
respected. Typical zone boundaries are census area and UPC sectors to provide compatibility with planning
sector data; and
Special land uses such as the airport, recreational facilities, major hospitals and education centres should be
separately defined due to the specific characteristics of the users of such land uses.

2.2 Study Area

The Emirate of Abu Dhabi adjoins the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Sultanate of Oman. The Emirate borders the
Emirates of Dubai and Sharjah to its north. Figure 1 shows the location of Abu Dhabi Emirate.

The primary study area is the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates but STEAM also reflects movement
between this area and the adjacent Emirates, Oman and Saudi Arabia in particular.

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Figure 1 - Location of the Study Area

There are three main regions in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (see Figure 2):
Greater Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area (city of Abu Dhabi);
Eastern Region (including Al Ain urban and Al Ain rural areas); and
Western Region (also called Al Gharbia including Liwa, Madinat Zayed and Ruwais).

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Figure 2 - Three Main Areas of Emirate of Abu Dhabi

Based on the 2005 Census data high and medium population densities are prevalent in town centres, and core
areas while the villages and sub-urban areas on the urban fringe have low-density development patterns.

Figure 3 shows the population density within the study area based the 2009 planning data provided by UPC. The
highest densities are within the city urban cores. Rural and desert areas are sparsely populated and any
settlements within the desert region are located along the major road corridors.

The study area and the area of influence are formed into six regions on the basis of administrative and planning
boundaries as follows:
Abu Dhabi Urban region;
Abu Dhabi Rural region;
Al Ain Urban region;
Al Ain Rural region;
Al Gharbia region; and
External region.

The external region, or the area of influence, is identified by the level of interaction between the external area and
study area. The external area is that area for which demand is not fully modelled and is just there to provide the
route choice for trips to and from Abu Dhabi.

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Figure 3 - Population Density According to 2009 Planning Data (No. of people/sq km)

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These internal regions reflect different levels of:
Population distribution;
Concentrations of employment and retail centres;
Expected trip patterns based on the socio-economic characteristics;
Availability of demographic information; and
Administrative and planning boundaries.

Figure 4 shows the five internal regions and external region.

Figure 4 - Location of Internal and External Regions

Table 1 shows the existing and projected population for each internal region.
Table 1 - Existing and Projected Population
Regions Population 2009 Population 2030
Abu Dhabi Urban region 1,035,665 2,972,800
Abu Dhabi Rural region 14,485 285,621
Al Ain Urban region 173,662 266,357
Al Ain Rural region 365,912 620,901
Al Gharbia region 98,335 193,387
Total 1,688,059 4,339,066
Source: UPC official data for 2009 and 2030 based on data provided in July 2010.
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Table 1 shows that the Abu Dhabi Urban region currently contains the majority of the existing population and that
this is projected to increase almost threefold by 2030. There is also substantial growth projected for Al Ain (both
urban and rural combined) with a 160% increase in population by 2030. By 2030 the population of Al Gharbia will
almost double to 193,000. Large forecast growths are based on planned investment and economic developments
within the rural regions. This requires consideration of the level of zonal detail from the base year onwards to
accommodate these projections.

The development of the STEAM zoning system used separate methodologies as described below:
Internal zones- these are located within the main study area and disaggregated to a detailed level with each
zone representing a similar level of trip making and a set of homogenous land uses. This enables detailed trip
analysis, an understanding of the short distance trip patterns, and the investigation of traffic flows to and from
each zone. All the zones within the Abu Dhabi Emirate are internal zones and therefore all regions within the
Emirate, including Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbia, are disaggregated to a similar level of spatial detail; and
External zones- these mainly cover the area of influence outside of Abu Dhabi Emirate. The external zones
are generally at a coarser level of detail. They are disaggregated to facilitate representation of the crossing
points into Abu Dhabi Emirate. External zones include the other emirates within UAE and the countries
bordering the UAE including Saudi Arabia and Oman.

2.3 Size

Traffic zones are homogenous activity centres, to aid rational understanding of trip productions and attractions.
They reflect similar levels of development and demographic intensity. The zones must not be too large as this
may result in a sizeable part of the traffic not appearing on the network due to excessive numbers of intra zonal
trips that will not be assigned to the network when in reality they are observed to use the main road system.

At the same time, the zones should not be too small as disaggregate zones require refined data, can hamper
interpretation of results and result in excessive model run times. In determining the size of internal zones within
Abu Dhabi Emirate, careful consideration of the existing and proposed densities and location of activity centres
took place with the intention that each zone should reasonably represent a similar level of trip making. However,
when zoning outer areas of the model it is usual to increase the size of the zones as a function of the distance
from the core areas of interest in the model.

Table 2 presents a summary of the zone sizes and number of zones within each region for STEAM. The zones
have been classified as small, medium, large and very large on the basis of their area in square kilometres.

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Table 2 - Schedule of Zones Sizes and Number of Zones within Each Region
Zone Size
Area Ranges
(sq Km)
Regions
Abu
Dhabi
Urban
Abu
Dhabi
Rural
Al Ain
Rural
Al Ain
Urban
Al
Gharbia External Total
Small 0-20 1306 25 55 339 33

1758
Medium 20-100 6 20 58 8 7 8 107
Large 100-500

16 19

21 5 61
Very
Large
>500

5 6

37 13 61
Total 1312 66 138 347 98 26 1987

2.4 Land Use-Current and Future

Transport and land use form a symbiotic relationship. Land use and demographics such as population density,
income, employment and activity centres create travel patterns including shopping, recreation and institutional
uses. Whilst the intensity of travel and short distance trips are much greater in a condensed land use pattern, a
dispersed land use pattern can facilitate long distance trips. Most local and regional land use plans record the
existing land use and propose changes to future use and intensity. Therefore, in delineating the STEAM zones,
full consideration was given to existing and future land use plans and activity areas.

2.5 Zone Labelling Convention

Within the transport model, each zone is allocated a unique individual identifier zone label in the form of
numerical digits, in addition to the standard zone node number which is linked to the zone label through a
correspondence list. A systematic approach to zone labeling provides for the identifier or zone label to be
assigned such that it includes information on the location of a zone within a sector (or sub-region), region, and the
larger study area. In practice, all zones within a specific region have a unique identifier in the form of a prefix
number. This system assists trip analysis at both local and regional scale by simplifying the aggregation of zones
into sectors. A seven-digit number has been allocated to each zone through a zone labeling attribute as follows:
Zone Label: RXXZZZZ;
Zone Serial number: ZZZZ; and
Sector identifier: XX.

Zone Label: RXXZZZZ

R- Region identifier. The six regions are: Abu Dhabi urban; Abu Dhabi rural; Al Ain urban; Al Ain rural; Al
Gharbia; and external. The numbering system for region is from 1 to 6 where:
Region 1- Abu Dhabi Urban;
Region 2- Abu Dhabi Rural;
Region 3- Al Ain Rural;
Region 4- Al Ain Urban;
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Region 5- Al Gharbia; and
Region 6- External Region.

Figure 5 shows the geographical extent of each region.

Figure 5 - Definition of regions for Study Area and the Area of Influence.

Sector identifier: XX

Each region is divided into sectors, the boundaries of which were defined according to:
Geographic location;
Administrative boundaries;
Development District boundaries;
Homogeneous Land Uses;
Road Layout and the alignment of major roads; and
Major activity centres of high trip intensity such as airport, port, and large shopping malls.

The area outside of the study area has four sectors as follows: Rest of emirates; Oman; Saudi
Arabia/Bahrain/Kuwait; and Qatar. The zone numbering system allows for up to 99 sectors to be defined.
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Zone Serial number: ZZZZ

This is a unique number allocated to each zone within each sector. The numbering of the zones is undertaken in
an ascending order starting from the centre of the sector and increasing with distance from the centre. The
numbering of the existing zones starts from 0010 and continues in increasing order. If any further disaggregation
of zones is undertaken to accommodate future year developments in future year models then numbering for the
new zones can start from 7000 and continue in decreasing order. This method provides for a clear segregation of
existing and future year zones, together with indicative location of the zones within the sector.

It should be noted here that the last digit of the zone number in the base year model is zero for all the zones in
order to enable identification of the parent zone if any disaggregation of zones is carried out in the future. This
methodology allows up to 9 sub zones to be added to every parent zone in the model. E.g. Zone number 6378890
can be further split in the future with the new zones numbered sequentially as 6378891, 6378892, 6378893,
6378899.

The external zones are all in region 6 and the sector numbers are:
01 Dubai;
02 Sharjah;
03 Ajman;
04 Umm al-Auwain;
05 Ras al-Khamah;
06 Al Fujayrah;
07 Fujairah and Sharjah;
08 Oma and Ajman;
09 Oman;
10 Saudi Arabia; and
11 Qatar.

The seven digit numbering system described above can therefore accommodate 9 regions, 99 sectors within each
region and 999 zones within each sector.

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Figure 6 - Zone Labelling System

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3.0 STEAM Zoning
3.1 Introduction

This section describes the derivation of the STEAM zoning system for each of the six regions. It explains how the
existing Surface Transport Master Plan (STMP) model, the road layout, census boundaries, activity centres and
population densities were used to determine the zoning system.

There was a defined zoning system for Abu Dhabi Municipality within the Abu Dhabi Enhanced EMME Model
(ADEEM). The STMP model covers the whole of Abu Dhabi Municipality region, including the urban and rural area
in some detail but has a coarse representation of Al Ain and the western regions.

While the zoning system for STEAM was constructed to conform to the principles defined in chapter 2, it was
considered appropriate to review the nature of the STMP model zoning system in the context of the criteria for
zonal definition being used for STEAM. There were benefits in this as a significant amount of work had been
undertaken in preparing data sources for ADEEM and in undertaking scenario testing with the STMP. The
retention of some degree of compatibility with existing zone systems is desirable and there was little point in
making changes where the current zone structure conformed to the defined STEAM criteria.

In the following sections, therefore, our discussions commence with the STMP zones and proceed to undertake a
thorough review of them in the context of the needs of STEAM. A preliminary review of the STMP model zone
system clearly showed it to be far too coarse in Al Ain and Al Gharbia but detailed in much of the Abu Dhabi
Municipality area.

It was clear that significant changes needed to take place in certain areas of the existing zoning. But it was less
clear as to the degree of change required in Abu Dhabi city and its surrounds. A detailed review of the STMP
zones in relation to planning and demographics was undertaken to ascertain the acceptability of the current
spatial level of detail in the Abu Dhabi Municipality region.

3.2 Abu Dhabi Urban Region Zoning

The Abu Dhabi Urban region mainly comprises Abu Dhabi city with a population of 833,188 in 2008. The city of
Abu Dhabi has witnessed extensive economic growth in recent yearsConsequently, the population density within
the Central Business District (CBD) and surrounding areas is generally high.

3.2.1 Review of STMP Zoning

The zoning system within STMP for the Abu Dhabi Municipality area reflects the existing road layout and is dense
in the city centre containing 266 zones. Each zone represents a block bounded by either minor or major streets
depending on the location and population density of the zone. Figure 7 shows the zone boundaries and network
layout within the city centre of Abu Dhabi.

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Figure 7 - Abu Dhabi STMP Network and Zone Boundaries
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3.2.2 Population and Employment Density

A review of the STMP planning data information for each zone took place to determine whether the delineation of
the STMP zones was satisfactory in relation to the criteria for STEAM. This included population, population
density, number of households and workers An assessment of the size and number of zones took place to verify
that the zoning system adequately represents the existing density and thus reflects similar levels of trip intensity in
each zone as far as is practical. Figure 8 shows the population density for Abu Dhabi Urban Region in 2009.

Figure 8 - 2009 Population Densities for Abu Dhabi Urban Region
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3.2.3 Land Use and Homogenei ty

The STEAM zoning principles provide for the specification of zones such that each zone, as far as practicably
possible, contains similar or homogeneous land uses. A review of the existing and proposed land use patterns
was undertaken to establish whether the existing STMP zoning system in Abu Dhabi Municipality satisfies the
requirement of homogeneity and was suitable as a base for the proposed STEAM zoning system in this area.

Homogeneity is noticed within the dense CBD of Abu Dhabi. Figure 9 shows that within the CBD, where mixed
use prevails, the employment, retail and residential areas, as far as possible, have been included in separate
zones.

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Figure 9 - CBD, Abu Dhabi Island 2009 Proportion of Land Uses by Category

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3.2.4 Census Boundaries

Census boundaries were reviewed in relation to the proposed zoning system to ensure compatibility between the
census and STEAM zone boundaries, which were based on STMP zones in this area. Figure 10 shows that the
STEAM zones are either a disaggregation of a larger census area, or census zones are aggregated to and
satisfactorily follow the STEAM zone boundaries.

AECOM Abu Dhabi NewModel ConsultancyServices Working Paper: Zoning and Network
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Figure 10 - Abu Dhabi STEAM Zone Boundaries and Census Boundaries

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3.2.5 Summary

It was concluded that within Abu Dhabi urban region, the review of the STMP zoning revealed that the zoning
within areas in the CBD:
is appropriately detailed;
respects the existing land use and population density;
respects the census/administrative boundaries; and
gives due consideration to homogeneity in land uses.

3.2.6 Refinement of Zones in Abu Dhabi Urban Region

Whilst the STMP model review showed the CBD area to contain a detailed zone structure, analysis of the fringe
areas revealed a lack of detailed definition of zoning. The zoning in and around the capital district of Abu Dhabi
that lies in the outskirts of the city for example, did not satisfy the criteria of similar population size for each zone.

The zoning in the islands and undeveloped areas, was investigated further. Detailed definitions of the zoning
within these locations were provided from the development plans for these areas. This was incorporated in the
ADEEM zoning system. Figure 11 shows the areas within Abu Dhabi that have been subject to detailed zoning to
incorporate future year developments or growth areas.
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Figure 11 - New Development Zones Plan

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Inspection of STMP zoning within the fringe areas that includes the Capital District reveals that several census
zones had been aggregated to form traffic zones. Figure 12 show that the census area boundaries and the STMP
zone boundaries are consistent with the census area boundaries aggregating to STMP boundaries.

Figure 12 - Abu Dhabi STMP Zone Boundaries and Census Boundaries

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A further refinement of Abu Dhabi urban zones in the fringe areas took place to make them appropriate for
STEAM. The STEAM zones follow the census boundaries and the road layout. Figure 13 shows that further
disaggregation has been undertaken in the fringe areas in order to represent the zoning at a suitable level of
detail.

Figure 13 - Abu Dhabi STEAM Zone Boundaries and Census Boundaries

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3.2.7 Speci al Trip Generators

STEAM has been established with the capability to identify certain zones as Special Zones so that planning inputs
can be separately defined, and also so that different functionality can be applied to the treatment of trips to/from
such zones. Special zones in STEAM in Abu Dhabi include:
Al Mina Port;
Abu Dhabi International Airport;
Corniche Area;
Museum Area (in the future year): Guggenheim, Louvre, AD National Museum; and
Ferrari World.

Further special zones can be defined as required and the process for this is described in the STEAM Applier
Manual.

3.3 Abu Dhabi Rural Region Zoning

Abu Dhabi rural region lies towards the east of Abu Dhabi city, as shown in Figure 14. The rural area is thinly
populated and has a mix of small residential settlements, farming and desert land.

3.3.1 Census Boundaries

The only existing population and land use information within the Abu Dhabi rural area is in the form of census data
and zones. The census zones provided a starting point to define a zoning system that adequately reflects the
appropriate spatial detail required for internal zones within STEAM.

Figure 14 shows that the sizes of the census zones are inconsistent and do not cover the whole of the Abu Dhabi
rural region.

The census zones present severe limitations and were deemed inadequate in themselves to represent the study
area to the appropriate level of detail. The limitations with the census boundaries are as follows:
Boundaries are either too small or too large;
The census zones are very dispersed depending on the location and size of settlements; and
Boundaries do not cover the whole of Abu Dhabi rural region due to the absence of any existing population or
settlements in the desert area.

The information within the census zones and visual assessment of the land use and settlement location enabled
the definition of an appropriate zoning system for Abu Dhabi rural area. The zoning system was undertaken such
that the area not covered by the census boundary is also a part of the traffic zone structure.

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Figure 14 - Census Boundaries of Abu Dhabi Rural Region

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Figure 15 shows that the Abu Dhabi Rural zoning system in STEAM respects the census boundaries. Census
zones were either aggregated into one study area zone, or disaggregated further, depending on the distance from
the dense urban area and the population size within the census zones.

Figure 15 - Abu Dhabi Rural Region Zoning

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3.3.2 Population Density

An objective of the zoning system is that each zone represents a similar population size and therefore will contain
a similar number of trip ends or level of trip intensity. However, there were a number of zones defined within the
Abu Dhabi rural area that do not currently contain any population or have very low population density. Some of
these zones were disaggregated to accommodate future year developments that may occur in the rural area.
Figure 16 shows the population density and the STEAM zoning system for Abu Dhabi rural area.

Figure 16 - Abu Dhabi Rural Region with Population Density (No. of people/sq km)

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3.4 Al Ain Urban Region Zoning

Al Ain urban region covers the city of Al Ain. The extent of the region is shown in Figure 4 in Chapter 2.

The zoning system for Al Ain region within the STMP model is very coarse and covers the whole Al Ain region in
11 zones. Figure 17 shows the Al Ain zoning system within STMP model.

Figure 17 - Al Ain STMP Zone Boundaries

Al Ain is an important urban centre and should be represented to a similar level of spatial detail as Abu Dhabi
Municipality. This required a significant increase in the number of zones in Al Ain. Consequently, a detailed zoning
system was built from first principles for Al Ain that incorporated the general conventions in Section 2.1 of this
working paper and was based on the following:
Community Boundaries;
Existing network layout;
Population density;
Land use;
Homogeneity; and
Special trip generators.
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3.4.1 Community Boundari es

Al Ain urban region is spatially sub-divided into communities and the planning authorities use community
boundaries to collect and forecast the Land Use and Planning Data for Al Ain. Therefore, correspondence
between STEAM traffic zone boundaries and the community boundaries has been maintained in order to
accurately ascertain the base year trips and the future growth in trips by using the land use and demographic data
for the base year and the forecast years respectively. Figure 18 shows the compatibility between the community
boundaries and STEAM.

However, the spatial detail of community boundaries was too coarse at some locations and therefore not deemed
satisfactory for traffic zone definition. The traffic zones at these locations were refined using the road network
layout and 2030 structure plan.

Figure 18 - Compatibility between Community Boundaries and Traffic Zones in Al Ain

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3.4.2 Existing Network Layout

The STEAM zones in Al Ain urban area were drawn in accordance to the existing road layout within the city of Al
Ain. Therefore, within the city centre where there is a dense road network the zones are smaller. Conversely, the
zones are larger in the suburbs where the network is less dense. Figure 19 shows the compatibility between the
STEAM zoning system and the street layout.

Figure 19 - Al Ain Zone Boundaries

3.4.3 Existing and Proposed Population Density and Land Use

A detailed analysis of the existing Al Ain population and land use pattern was undertaken. The zoning system is
based on the principle that each zone should represent a similar level of trip intensity or number of trip ends.
Figure 20 shows zones have been disaggregated according to the 2009 population density with coarser
representation within low density areas and a refined zone definition within the high density areas. Further
disaggregation of zones to incorporate the future year development proposals laid out in the structure plan is
shown in Figure 21.
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Figure 20 - Al Ain 2009 Population Density
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Figure 21 - Al Ain 2030 Urban Structure Framework Plan
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3.4.4 Homogeneity

As far as possible, the STEAM zones are based on homogenous land uses. This is desirable to analyse trips with
similar trip ends and purpose. Figure 22 shows an example of the homogeneity of land uses in the STEAM zoning
system.

Figure 22 - Homogeneity Maintained within Al Ain Urban Zoning System

3.4.5 Speci al Trip Generators Al Ain

The specification of the STEAM zoning system has taken account of the location of the special generators and the
zoning defined such that the access to/from these generators is clearly represented and the trips generated can
be separately defined. The special generators that have initially been identified for the Al Ain area are:
Al Ain Oasis;
Al Ain Deer Park;
Al Qattara;
Hili Archaeological Park;
J abel Hafeet; and
Al Ain Zoo.

Residential Industrial
Hospital
University
Residential
Residential
Public/Semi
Public
School
Park
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3.5 Al Ain Rural Region Zoning

Al Ain rural region lies towards the east of Abu Dhabi Emirate and straddles Al Ain city. Figure 23 shows the
location of Al Ain rural region in the context of the study area and the census zones contained therein.

3.5.1 Community Boundari es

Similar to Al Ain Urban region, community boundaries have been used as a base to define the zoning system
within the Al Ain rural region. The existing land use and population distribution within the Al Ain rural region has
been studied in detail together with the spatial disaggregation exhibited within the definition of the community
boundaries.

As future land use and demographic changes will be projected at the community level, the zone definition with the
Al Ain rural region should match the community boundaries and shall be disaggregated at the same spatial level
of detail.

As the rural area primarily contains desert, vast stretches of land do not have any settlements, therefore the zone
definition that follows the boundaries of the communities was deemed fit to be adopted for STEAM.

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Figure 23 - Al Ain Rural Region Zone Boundary

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The population distribution, based on the 2009 planning data provided by the Department of Transport, was
analysed to determine density, Figure 24 shows the population density and the zoning definition for Al Ain rural
region. The zoning system within Al Ain rural area contains zones of similar population size and therefore similar
trip intensity.

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Figure 24 - Al Ain Rural Region with Population Density (no. of people / sq.km)

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3.6 Al Gharbia Region Zoning

Al Gharbia forms the western region of Abu Dhabi Emirate, bordering Saudi Arabia. It covers 60,000 square
kilometres; 71% of the total land mass of the UAE. It is comprised of seven main cities; Madinat Zayed, Mirfa,
Liwa, Ghayathi, Sila, Ruwais and Dalma Island. The location of Al Gharbia region is shown in Figure 4 in Chapter
2.

The STMP model has a very coarse representation of Al Gharbia with only nine zones covering the whole region.
Therefore, the zones have been disaggregated to fit the purpose and goal of STEAM. Figures 25 and 26 show the
representation of Al Gharbia within the STMP model and STEAM respectively.

Figure 25 - Al Gharbia STMP Zone Boundaries

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Figure 26 - Al Gharbia STEAM Zone Boundaries


Al Gharbia mainly comprises of vast stretches of desert with limited population concentrations in urban areas.

Figure 27 shows that the zones with higher concentration of population are mainly along the key corridors or along
the coast .The area towards the north- east of the region contains a large population concentration and therefore
has been disaggregated into smaller zones. On the other hand, the areas that lie within the desert and western
area of the region are very thinly populated and therefore have large zones. The zoning system also recognises
the potential growth in the future years and is therefore disaggregated into manageable sizes to accommodate
future developments.
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Figure 27 - Al Gharbia Region with Population Density 2009

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3.7 External Zones

External zones represent the areas beyond the detailed study area, in this case outside Abu Dhabi Emirate. This
constitutes the other six emirates within UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The number of external zones
within each emirate (outside of Abu Dhabi) and other countries depends on their current and anticipated future
level of interaction with Abu Dhabi Emirate. The Emirate of Dubai, for example, will witness high growth in specific
areas, and undergo an increase in the intensity of interaction. Therefore, the Emirate of Dubai has been
disaggregated into a greater level of detail than other emirates based on the availability of future year
development plans. The district/region boundaries used for planning purposes in Dubai, available from the
Planning Council of Dubai, were used to develop zones within Dubai. Figure 28 shows all the external traffic
zones.

The zoning system within the Emirate of Dubai must also be appropriate to accommodate the proposals for Union
Railway. The proposals and plans for the alignment and service configuration of Union Railway were used to
refine the zoning system to incorporate the potential trip generators such as stations, stops and other public
transport nodes.

Figure 28 - External Region Zoning

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Table 3 shows a summary of zones within the external region.

Table 3 - Number of Zones within the External Region
Emirates/Countries No. of Zones
Saudi Arabia 1
Qatar 1
Oman 4
Dubai 6
Ajman 2
Al Fujairah 3
Sharjah 4
Ras al-Khaimah 2
Umm al-Quwain 1
Fujairah and Sharjah 1
Oman and Ajman 1
Total 26

3.8 Summary

The final STEAM zone plans resulting from the detailed examination of the land use and existing and proposed
transport networks are presented in Appendix A. In terms of the development of the base year model the zones of
current activity are considered to be fixed. However, the zone system in the future development areas can be
adjusted and refined to suit emerging development plans.

STEAM has been structured so that changes to the zone system can be readily accommodated and new travel
demands derived automatically, provided that the appropriate input data can be compiled.

3.9 Summary of Number of Zones

Table 4 provides a summary of the STEAM zones in each region.

Table 4 - STEAM Zones
Regions No of Zones
Al Ain Rural 138
Al Ain Urban 347
Abu Dhabi Urban 1312
Abu Dhabi Rural 66
Al Gharbia 98
External 26
Total 1,987
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4.0 Highway Network
4.1 General Principles

The STEAM network consists of a system of nodes and links. Nodes predominantly represent junctions with some
points also defined as locations where highway standards change or major changes in horizontal alignment take
place. Links represent homogenous stretches of roads between the nodes.

STEAM predicts traffic conditions at different times of the day including the morning peak, afternoon peak,
evening peak, and inter peak. STEAM modelled time periods are:
AM Peak Period (06:00-10:00);
Inter-peak Period (10:00-14:0);
PM Peak Period (14:00-19:00);
Evening Peak Period (19:00-22:00); and
Night Period (22:00-06:00).

The key difference between these periods is the magnitude and pattern of travel demand and trip purpose
composition. However, there are also differences in traffic signal timings and priorities affecting network
capacities. There are also variations in network restrictions, e.g. truck bans for certain times of the day or bus
priority measures that only apply in the peak periods. Public transport service patterns and frequency may also
differ by time of day. These differences are applicable both in the base year and in future years.

The aim of this section of the working paper is to set out the principles that are applied in the construction and
refinement of the STEAM highway network, covering all aspects of the network development.

4.2 Node Labelling Convention

To provide a logical network structure and to facilitate future model update it is important to have a structured
node labelling system that also facilitates the visual location of nodes and junctions, and sub-area analyses.
STEAM therefore adopts an area-based numbering/labelling strategy.

Each node has its own individual identifier in the form of numerical digits. A systematic approach to node labelling
provides information on the location of the node within a sector (or sub-region), region and larger study area. In
principle, all nodes within a region can have some sort of identifier that may be in the form of a number that
always forms a prefix to all nodes within the respective region. In the case of STEAM an eight-digit number is
allocated to each node in the highway network and a five digit number for the Public Transport Network, the
format of which is as follows:

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Highway network- Node Label: RXXZZZZZ

R- Region identifier. The numbering system for region begins with 1 and ranges from 1 to 6 where:
Region 1 - Abu Dhabi Urban;
Region 2 - Abu Dhabi Rural;
Region 3 - Al Ain Rural;
Region 4 - Al Ain Urban;
Region 5 - Al Gharbia; and
Region 6 - External Region.

XX- Sector identifier. Each region within the wider Abu Dhabi model study area is divided into a number of sectors
the boundaries of which are defined according to:
Geographic location;
Administrative Boundaries;
Homogeneous land uses;
Road layout and the alignment of major roads; and
Major activity centres of high trip intensity such as airports, ports.

The area outside of the wider Abu Dhabi model study area is formed of four sectors: Rest of Emirates, Oman,
Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

ZZZZZ- Node serial number. This is a unique number allocated to each node within each sector and is
numbered sequentially within the sector. The nodes are numbered in an ascending order starting from the centre
of the sector increasing with distance from the centre. The numbering of the existing nodes starts from 00001 and
continues in increasing order. This method provides an indicative location of the nodes within the sector. Nodes
required for future year network changes may start at a higher number to aid identification.

The eight digit numbering system described above can accommodate 9 regions, 99 sectors within each region
and 99999 nodes within each sector. Given the size and the purpose of the model, the node numbering system
adopted can easily accommodate the base year network and any additional nodes arising from the proposed
infrastructure in future year scenarios.

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Figure 29 presents a graphical example of node labelling system.

Figure 29 - STEAM Node Labelling System

4.3 STEAM Node and Link Parameters

Cube Voyager allows a wide range of node and link attributes to be defined and stored for each node and link in
the network. These attributes are used to retain inputs that dictate the characteristics of the nodes and links and
also outputs from model runs such as delays, and traffic flows by vehicle class.

4.3.1 Node Attributes

Node attributes define the characteristics of a node. They can be used to hold information regarding the location
and study specific characteristics as input parameters and can also provide node specific post-assignment
information like delays etc.

The nodes in the model have the following standard attributes:

N - Node number;
X - X Coordinate (automatically generated); and
Y - Y Coordinate (automatically generated).

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Table 5 shows the core node attributes that are included in the base year and future year nodes within STEAM.

Table 5 - Node Input Attributes Included in the Master Network.
Column Data Type Description Comments
N Integer Node number, default by Cube Voyager
X Decimal (6) X Coordinate, default by Cube Voyager The co-ordinate system for
STEAM is
WGS_1984_UTM_Zone_40N Y Decimal (6) Y Coordinate, default by Cube Voyager
Region Integer
Region Identifier:
1 for "Abu Dhabi Urban",
2 for "Abu Dhabi Rural ",
3 for "Al Ain Rural",
4 for "Al Ain Urban ",
5 for "Al Gharbia",
6 for "Others"
As referenced above. Can be
used as identifier for area type
analyses.
Sector_Name Character(20)
Sector Identifier:
For example "Abu Dhabi Island West"
,"Lulu_Island" etc.
Sector_ID Integer Two digit number for sectors
As referenced above, this is a
user allocated number to define
the specified sector system
Node_Label Integer
Node Label: for zones, RSSZZZZZ,
R for region, SS for sector, ZZZZZ for zone
number in the sector (the last digit Z=0 for
base year as an identifier of parent zones if
the zones are further disaggregated).
For regular nodes: RSSZZZZZ
As referenced above, this is the
node label and can be used as
an indicator to extract data from
the model.
Node_Type Integer 1 for Centroid, 0 for Regular node
A centroid defines the location
of the centre of gravity of a zone
and is the point at which all
travel to/from a zone is
assumed to start and finish.
Area_Type Character(20)
Type of area that the link is located within: 1-
Urban Core, 2-Urban, 3-Rural, 4 - External
Within the current model the
urban core is represented by the
CBD. The rest of ADM and Al
Ain City are coded as urban,
and the other nodes within Abu
Dhabi Emirate as rural. Can be
used for the selection and
aggregation of data for
reporting.
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Zone_Type Character(20) "Internal","External","Park_Ride","Parking"
It should be noted that these
characteristics can be defined
for regular nodes as well as
zones.
J cttype_2009 Character
Signalised",
"Priority",
"Roundabout"
Can be used as identifier for
junction type analyses.
J ctype_2009_id Integer
1- Signalised J unction
2- Roundabout,
3- Priority (Free Right Turn at signalized
junction).
4- Priority (Mid-Block U-Turn)
5- Priority (Minor/Major junction)
J cttype_2030 Character
Signalised",
"Priority",
"Roundabout"
J cttype_2030_id Integer
1- Signalised J unction
2- Roundabout,
3- Priority (Free Right Turn at signalized
junction).
4- Priority (Mid-Block U-Turn)
5- Priority (Minor/Major junction)
J unction_ID Character(10) "IP49A" for signalised etc
Available as a general junction
description. Currently used to
reference to the traffic signal
identifier from the ADM control
system e.g. IP49A.
Node_AD Integer 0 or 1
Required to indicate nodes for
inclusion in abstracted Abu
Dhabi sub-region model
Node_AA Integer 0 or 1
inclusion in abstracted Al Ain
sub-region model
Node_AG Integer 0 or 1
inclusion in abstracted Al
Gharbia sub-region model
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Geometry_source Character
Text to describe the source of the node
geometry.
Navteq 2009 base 2009 network node
locations derived from Navteq data
ADEEM 2030 2030 node locations derived
from ADEEM 2030.
This attribute is to be populated
with the name of the electronic
drawing file & its date from
which the data was
georeferenced. Used to enable
source of network to be
identified and checked if
necessary.

4.3.2 Link Attributes
The core information required to construct the basic network are:
A - A node;
B - B node;
AX - X coordinate of the A node;
AY - Y coordinate of the A node;
BX - X coordinate of the B node;
BY - Y coordinate of the B node; and
Distance - Length of the link in the defined units.

Cube Voyager offers flexibility to define many more attributes for the purposes of modelling. The above attributes
are essential in any Cube Voyager model environment and the following sections discuss the link attributes that
are included in STEAM.

Link type classification within STEAM includes the following:
A link type library that includes all possible road types available in the model so that the end user will not need
to create new link types in the model. The travel time (volume delay) functions used in the model for each
different link type are provided as a model input file;
Each link has been allocated with a specific road classification, free flow speed, and lane capacity. These
attributes are included in the travel time function input file;
User defined link attributes created by year and scenario including the link type. This provides a single master
network file from which different years and scenarios can be defined. A specific year and scenario network is
automatically created from the master network within the initialization phase of a model run; and
The model assigns the user defined link attributes to the link type to create a scenario for each design year.

Table 6 shows the link attributes included in the master highway network.

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Table 6 - Link Input Attributes in the STEAM Master Network

Column Data Type Description
ANODE Integer Link start node
BNODE Integer Link end node
SHAPE_Length Float
Link polyline distance, generated by Cube Voyager. Any files used to help
define the shape of a network link should be in
WGS_1984_UTM_Zone_40N coordinates.
LINK_{2009} Integer
A value of 1 if the link is in the base 2009 network, 0 if not. Defines which
links to be included in the modelled scenario.
LINK_{2030} Integer
A value of 1 if the link is in the 2009 network , 0 if not. Defines which links
to be included in the modelled scenario.
LANE_{2009} Integer
Number of lanes in the 2009 network, 0 if the link is not in the 2009
network. Used to define link cpacity in conjunction with selected vdf
function.
LANE_{2030} Integer
Number of lanes in the 2030 network, 0 if the link is not in the 2030
network. Used to define link cpacity in conjunction with selected vdf
function.
LTYPE_{2009} Integer
Link type from the link type table, Table 6, appropriate to the speed,
capacity, lanes and the physical environment of the link at 2009. If a link is
not in the current year the link type should be set to 0, however it will be
assumed to be 0 if LINK_{2009}is 0 and will not be included in the
highway and PT network for the assignment process. Used to identify the
correct vdf function to be allocated to the link and also for analyses by link
type.
LTYPE_{2030} Integer As for LTYPE_{2009}but applied for 2030
REGION Integer
Region Identifier: 1 for "Abu Dhabi Urban", 2 for "Abu Dhabi Rural ", 3 for
"Al Ain Rural", 4 for "Al Ain Urban ", 5 for "Al Gharbia", 6 for "Others" . Can
be used for regional analyses of model outputs.
AREA_TYPE Integer
Type of area that the link is located within: 1- Urban Core, 2-Urban, 3-
Rural, 4 External. Within the current model the urban core is represented
by the CBD. The rest of ADM and Al Ain City are coded as urban, and the
other nodes within Abu Dhabi Emirate as rural. Can be used for area type
analyses of model outputs.
RTYPE_{2009} Character(40)
Road type of the link for 2009: "Divided", "Undivided", "Ramp",
"Loop_Ramp", "Freeway_Merge", Connectors. The RTYPE link attribute
is obtained from google map and survey sources. Can be used for road
type analyses of model outputs.
RTYPE_{2030} Character(40)
Road type of the link for 2030: "Divided", "Undivided", "Ramp",
"Loop_Ramp", "Freeway_Merge", Connectors. The RTYPE link attribute
is obtained from google map and survey sources. Can be used for road
type analyses of model outputs
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Column Data Type Description
HY_{2009} Character(40)
Functional classification of the link for 2009; "Motorway", Major Arterial,
"Arterial", "Sub_Arterial", Major collector, "Collector", "Local", Access
Road, "Other" . The HY link attribute is based on the Highway Capacity
Manual. Can be used for road classification analyses of model outputs
HY_{2030} Character(40)
Functional classification of the link for 2030: "Motorway", Major Arterial,
"Arterial", "Sub_Arterial", Major collector, "Collector", "Local", Access
Road,"Other". The HY link attribute is based on the Highway Capacity
Manual. Can be used for road classification analyses of model outputs
TBAN_{2009} Integer
Truck ban flag of the link for 2009: Example 11111 if truck ban is for all
day, 10100 for AM & PM peak only or 00011 for evening peak & night
time. Each binary digit represents a successive model time period.
TBAN_{2030} Integer
Truck ban flag of the link for 2030: Example =11111 if truck ban is for all
day, 10100 for AM & PM peak only or 00011 for evening peak & night
time. Each binary digit represents a successive model time period.
LINK_ID Character
Link ID generated by Cube Voyager and comprised of anode-bnode
UTURN_{2009}{Period} Real
The capacity of the U-turn dummy link at the signalised junction for the
base year where the key Period is AM, IP, PM, EV, Night time. 0 if the link
does not exist in the base year.
UTURN_{2030}{Period} Real
The capacity of the U-turn dummy link at the signalised junction for the
future year where the key Period is AM, IP, PM, EV, Night time.
0 if the link does not exist in the future year.
BUSL_{2009} Integer
Coded 1 if bus lane present in 2009, zero if not. The treatment of bus
lanes is discussed in Section 4.7.5.
BUSL_{2030} Integer
Coded 1 if bus lane present in 2030, zero if not. The treatment of bus
lanes is discussed in Section 4.7.5.
Link_AD Integer
A value of 1 if the link is in the Abu Dhabi abstracted model network, 0 if
not
Link_AA Integer A value of 1 if the link is in the Al Ain abstracted model network, 0 if not
Link_AG Integer
A value of 1 if the link is in the Al Gharbia abstracted model network, 0 if
not
Geometry_source Character
Text to describe the source of the node geometry. This attribute is to be
populated with the name of the electronic drawing file & its date from
which the data was georeferenced.
Navteq 2009 base 2009 network link geometry derived from Navteq data
ADEEM 2030 2030 link geometry derived from ADEEM 2030.
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4.4 Link Volume Delay Functions

A volume-delay function (VDF) defines the relationship between delay and traffic volume for a road segment.
During the iteration process of traffic assignment, the model uses the curve to calculate link travel time based on
the assigned volume and the link capacity. The travel time for routes between a trip origin and trip destination are
updated until equilibrium is achieved, which occurs when no individual trip maker can reduce their path costs by
switching routes.

In STEAM two separate cases are defined with regard to the application of VDF functions.
The first relates to the situation where the delays at the downstream junction on the link are explicitly
modelled through Cube Voyagers intersection module. In this case the volume delay function represents
travel time on the approach link based on the link capacity and assigned volume, without any allowance for
delays at the junction; and
The second is where junctions are not modelled in detail so the VDF includes not only the travel time along
the link but also the delay at the junctions along the link(s) in response to traffic flow.

Volume delay relationships are represented using the Akcelik function. The function is time dependent, and offers
flexibility in setting the rate of speed reduction and the speed at capacity using the J
A
parameter. The J
A
values
are allocated to each link type in the model.

The form of the function is shown below:

For a given capacity, the shape of the curve is governed by J
A
parameters.

The delay parameter J
A
is a function of the number of delay causing elements in the section of road and the
variability of the demand. Akcelic suggests lower values of J
A
for freeways and coordinated signal systems. Higher
values apply to secondary roads and isolated intersections.

A study by Sinclair Knight McKenzie in 1998 recommended the following parameters J
A
values:
J
A
=0.1 for freeway (equivalent to motorway);
J
A
=0.2- 0.3 for highway; and
( ) ( )
parameter delay the
(veh/hr) capacity
(vol/cap) saturation of degree the
(hours) period flow the
(kph) distance unit per time travel flow free
(hrs/km) distance unit per time travel average
:
8 1 1 25 . 0
0
2
0
=
=
=
=
=
=
+ + + =
A
A
J
Q
x
T
t
t
Where
x
QT
J
x x T t t
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J
A
=0.6 to 1.6 for arterial and local roads.

Figure 30 shows a typical set of Akcelik curves for speeds on freeways at differing volume/capacity ratios with
alternative J
A
factors defined.

The effect of altering the J
A
factors is to adjust the profile of speeds between free flow and at capacity conditions.
Low values of J
A
represent minimal friction effects and imply the absence of junctions along the route. This results
in traffic speeds remaining close to free flow speeds almost up to around 85% of the capacity and then decreasing
dramatically as the link reaches and exceeds capacity.

Increasing the J
A
factors reflects the increased presence of junctions and other friction factors along the link
whereby traffic speeds begin to decrease even at low flow volumes. By the time 85% of the capacity flow has
been reached speeds have decreased by a third.

Figure 30 - Akcelik Curve Effect of J A Factors

The Akcelik curve has the advantage of providing a continuous monotonic function and demonstrating the
property of a steep rise in delays at and above capacity, which is a reflection of reality as flow breakdown occurs
and queuing becomes commonplace with resultant long delays.

The determination of appropriate J
A
factors is paramount, Coefficients should be chosen to best reflect local
operating conditions and represent friction effects such as frontage access, parking, pedestrian crossings, bus
stops, and junctions. The profiles of the curves between free flow and 90% of capacity have a significant influence
on traffic assignment.

The link type definition for STEAM and the corresponding J
A
parameter for each link type are shown in Table 7.
These definitions are to be used when adding new links to the master network file or making changes to link
standards on existing roads.
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Table 7 - Link Type Definition - STEAM
Index Road Type Attribute
Link
Type
Lane
Capacity
Speed
(kph)
JA
Factor
1 Expressway Link only 1 2000 120 0.1
4 Major Arterial Link only 4 1800 120 0.3
5 Major Arterial Link delay only 5 1800 100 0.3
8 Major Arterial Link +junction delay 8 1200 100 0.3
11 Tunnel Link delay only 11 1800 80 0.5
12 Arterial Link delay only 12 1800 60 0.6
13 Arterial - high friction Link delay only 13 1800 60 0.8
14 Arterial (interrupted) Link +junction delay 14 900 60 0.6
15 Major Collector Link delay only 20 1000 60 1
16 Major Collector Link delay only 21 1000 50 1
17 Major Collector Link +junction delay 22 700 60 1
18 Major Collector Link +junction delay 23 700 50 1
19 Collector Link delay only 24 800 50 1.3
20 Collector Link delay only 25 800 40 1.3
21 Collector Link +junction delay 26 500 50 1.6
22 Collector Link +junction delay 27 500 40 1.6
23 Local Road Link +junction delay 28 500 40 1.6
24 Access Road Link +junction delay 29 400 30 2
25 Ramp (Expressway-straight) Link delay only 30 1500 80 0.8
26 Ramp (Expressway - clover) Link delay only 31 1200 60 0.8
27 Ramp (Local) Link delay only 32 1200 40 0.8
28 Turn Lane Link delay only 33 1200 80 1
31 Roadworks Link delay only 36 1500 60 1.2
34 Truck Road Link delay only 39 1400 80 0.6
35 Signalised J n Approach Link delay only 40 1800 50 0.1
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Index Road Type Attribute
Link
Type
Lane
Capacity
Speed
(kph)
JA
Factor
36 Signalised J n RT Slip Road Link delay only 41 1200 50 0.1
37 Signalised J n U Turn Link Link +junction delay 42 300 50 0.6
38 Dummy Link for 5 Arm Link Link delay only 43 99999 50 0.1
39 Mid Block U Turn Link delay only 44 1000 50 1.6
40 Bus Only Link Segregated travel 60 99999 60 0
41 Regional Train Link Segregated travel 61 99999 160 0
42 Metro Train Link Segregated travel 62 99999 50 0
43 LRT Only Link Segregated travel 63 99999 45 0
44 Tram Only Link Segregated travel 64 99999 40 0
45 Ferry Segregated travel 65 99999 35 0
46 Personal Rapid Transit Segregated travel 66 99999 40 0
47 Walk Link - Non Highway Walk Only Link 70 99999 4.0 0
48 Walk Link Park N Ride
Between Park and Ride &
Gate 71 99999 4.0 0
49 Walk Link PT Access Between Gate & PT node 72 99999 4.0 0
50 Walk Link - Assisted E.g. Travellator 73 99999 4.0 0
51 Zone Centroid Connector Vehicles,+Peds at 4.0kph 99 99999 40 0

The link types highlighted in yellow all relate to segregated public transport links. Pedestrians are also able to
traverse the highway network links, with the exception of the grade separated expressway links, as walk links to
and from the public transport system.

In selecting the link type for allocation to new links to be included in the model the link +junction delay link
definitions should be used when the junction at the end of the link is not being explicitly modelled. Where the
downstream junction is explicitly modelled then the "link delay only link types should be used.

4.5 Definition of Highway Modes

Highway modes are represented separately in the assignment model where differences in behavioural
characteristics, or in the availability of certain classes of roads, cause distinct routeing effects, such as HGV bans.
In order to reflect these differences STEAM incorporates the following auto modes:
Car;
LGV;
HGV;
Scheduled public transport bus;
Company bus;
School bus; and
Taxi.
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At present, there is a limited scheduled bus service within Abu Dhabi. However, there are future plans to
significantly increase the number of routes and their frequency. Buses follow fixed routes and a fixed timetable,
however, as they operate on public roads they are subjected to delays in the same manner as other road vehicles.
The actual transit time in STEAM is derived from a function linking bus speeds to general traffic speeds. In terms
of impact on other road vehicles, buses are transferred from the public transport transit line definitions converted
to passenger car equivalent unit (PCU) using appropriate factors and modelled as a fixed demand, preloaded to
the network.

Company and school buses are not restricted to fixed routes and are assigned in the same manner as other
vehicles in the model, with different generalised costs in the path building process.

For the most part, the characteristics of taxis in terms of speed etc. are the same as those of cars, but they are
represented as aseparate demand and a different user class within STEAM. Taxi matrices contain both loaded
and empty taxi trips. Empty taxi trips are derived from the observed relationship between loaded and empty taxis
in the base year. An empty taxi trip is defined as a taxi trip between the location where a taxi drops off the
passenger(s) on board, and the location where it picks up the next passenger(s). This includes both taxi cruising
and stationary, since the information in observed taxi data does not show a clear distinction between the two.
However, a minimum taxi distance of 50 metres was adopted, and any record with a journey less than this
minimum distance was discarded and excluded from the base year empty taxi matrix. For the future year, empty
taxi trips are calculated through first transposing the loaded (with passengers) taxi matrix and then multiplying the
transposed taxi matrix by a factor. The factor takes account of the fact that some taxis will be able to pick up next
passenger(s) immediately as soon as they drop off the passenger(s) on board.

4.6 Link Coding

4.6.1 Urban Links

Figure 31 shows a schematic layout of a typical street block junction within the Abu Dhabi urban area. This is
used to demonstrate some of the important modelling aspects within the urban areas.

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Figure 31 - Schematic of Network Structure in Urban Areas

The major determinant of travel delay in urban areas is the impact of junctions on traffic flow, leading to queuing
and increased journey times. The interaction between queued traffic and the capacity of upstream junctions is
also important. In short junctions, rather than the links, usually create delays and restrict capacities. It is therefore,
common practice for modellers to focus purely on the junction related elements when link lengths are short and in
this case link based delay can be ignored. Capacity available at the stop-line of a junction is generally less than
that on the upstream link due to the constraints of junction conflicts.

On multi-lane highways, characteristic of Abu Dhabi city, there is no parking and no frontage access, except via
service roads. Extensive flaring at many of the junctions in Abu Dhabi increases junction capacity with up to 10
lanes observed at the stop line. In such cases, entry capacity at the junction could approach that of the link
capacity and, as such, the simplification that link speeds remain unchanged is no longer necessarily valid. Hence
volume delay functions can be used on the urban links. The significant size of Abu Dhabi super blocks also
leads to lengthy links, further reinforcing the need to have separate VDFs on the links regardless of whether the
downstream junction is modelled or not.

4.6.2 Rural Links

In rural areas, due to the spacing between junctions, junction delay and interaction is less important. Delay tends
to occur due to the volume of traffic on the links and variations in traffic mix restricting passing opportunities and
hence the ability to maintain desired speed. These links have VDFs with a greater level of increased delay in
relation to volume to reflect the road standard and interactions.

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4.6.3 Truck Roads and Restri ctions

Links have parameters to indicate the vehicle types that can make use of them, and times when they are closed to
some or all types of vehicles. The assignment procedure then excludes links banned to the vehicle type, or in the
period, that it is currently assigning.

The truck restrictions at links have been applied by including link attributes TBAN_{2009}and TBAN_{2030}. A
nine digit integer value is to be entered on links that discerns the links at which the restrictions are placed. Each of
the integers represents, in sequence the discrete time periods considered within the model as follows:

TBAN_{year}=111111111 if truck ban is for all day, 010001000 for AM and PM peak only or 000000011 for
Evening Peak and Night Time. Each binary digit corresponds to a consecutive modelled time period throughout
the day.

4.6.4 Multi-Lane Highways

In the STEAM 2009 network, all the multi lane dual carriageways within the urban regions, where the junctions
have been modelled explicitly, have been coded as separate one-way links as shown in Figure 32.

This method of coding allows movements at junctions which include U-turns to be modelled explicitly. This is
necessary since Cube Voyager does not allow U-turn on the same approach arm (irrespective of whether this
comprises of two one way links). The dual carriageway network can also be coded to include midblock U-turns.

Roads that lie within the fringe and rural areas and where junctions have not been modelled explicitly are coded
as 2-way links.

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Figure 32 - Example of a Multi-Lane Dual Carriageway in an Urban Region.

4.6.5 Master Network

A Master Network containing the base 2009 and 2030 STEAM reference case networks has been coded using
Cube GIS. Figure 33 shows an example of the Master Network for the STEAM. To facilitate the coding of present
and future highway and PT schemes into the one Master Network node and link attributes have been created to
indicate which are year (and scenario) specific.

The year (and scenario) specific attributes for the links and nodes within the Master Network facilitate flexibility to
test new highway and public transport infrastructure schemes and upgrades both individually and collectively.

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Figure 33 - Example of the Master Network

4.7 Junction Coding

4.7.1 Extent and General Princi ples

Abu Dhabi Emirate is characterised by a dense urban network with low junction spacing within the urban regions
and a sparse network with long junction spacing within the rural regions of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbia.

The majority of traffic junctions within Abu Dhabi Island and Al Ain City are modelled in detail for the STEAM 2009
and 2030 road network. Where junctions are not explicitly modelled appropriate link type volume delay functions
are used that include the junction delays. Link delay dominates on rural routes.

There are mainly three types of junctions that exist in Abu Dhabi Island and Al Ain City:
Signalised J unctions;
Roundabouts; and
Priority J unctions - located where the turning traffic merges with the mainstream oncoming traffic. These are
separately represented for urban area connectors and expressway slip roads.

Figure 34 and Figure 35 show the areas of junction detail for Abu Dhabi Island and Al Ain City respectively in the
2009 base year.

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Figure 34 - Extent of Abu Dhabi Island Where J unction Modelling is Included in 2009 Network

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Figure 35 - Extent of Al Ain City where J unction Modelling is Included in 2009 Network

In the 2030 reference case junction modelling extends to cover all new development areas. The modelling
methodology used for each type of intersection is subsequently described and should be adhered to in model
coding.

An important point to note is if a signalised intersection is to be modelled, then the link type of the approaching
links need to be changed to an appropriate link type with link delay only, avoiding double counting of delay with
some of the link type (constrained) that incorporate both the link and junction.

J unction modelling has been included on all main roads to avoid any potential bias in route choice is eliminated. It
is important that this principle is adopted in any further expansion of the area covered by junction modelling with
isolated junctions excluded from the coding.

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4.7.2 Traffic Signals

Signalised junctions within the Abu Dhabi Emirate are mainly located in the urban regions that include Abu Dhabi
Island and Al Ain City.

Type of Operation

Signalised junctions on Abu Dhabi Island operate as fixed time signals with different cycle times, green times and
phasing/staging at different times of the day. The cycle times are generally higher during the peak hours with
more green time allocated to the phases with higher traffic flows.

Signalised junctions in Al Ain Municipality operate as fully adaptive/demand responsive signals and therefore
react to changes in traffic conditions. Although, signal timing, phasing/staging remains the same throughout the
day, the green time for each stage is continually adjusted in response to the changes in traffic demand. At every
junction maximum and minimum green times for each stage are preset.

The fixed and adaptive signal timings are included in both the 2009 and 2030 reference case models with a
separate intersection file containing signal settings for each of the nine highway assignments. The adaptive signal
settings for Al Ain in 2009 have been checked and result in stable traffic assignments.

Junction Geometry (HCM) Method

Future year modelled intersections are modelled in STEAM using the junction geometry (HCM) technique. The
HCM technique refers to the methodology for traffic signal capacity that is set out in the US Highway Capacity
Manual. This is based on the geometric characteristics of the junction and these are covered in the following
sections. Traffic signal intersections are coded as a single node with all approach arms (mainly dual
carriageways) joining the node through short links.
Inputs to the junction geometry (HCM) method when using a single node approach is shown in detail in Figures 36
to 44.

In the base 2009 model some traffic signal settings use the saturation flow method whereby the lane saturation
flows are directly entered by the user rather than being internally calculated within Cube Voyager from the
geometric characteristics. However future scenario testing using the base 2009 year model is unlikely. Also the
2015, 2020 and 2025 and beyond 2030 year models will be developed using the 2030 model structure and will
include the junction geometry (HCM) technique throughout.

Treatment of U-Turns within Single Node Approach

Cube Voyager does not allow a U-Turn phase or movement at the signalised junction when using the single node
methodology, even with separate approach and departure legs. In STEAM the U-turn is provided for by using a
dummy link immediately prior to the junction. The dummy link is assumed to have a capacity of 300 pcu/hr. This is
an approximation based on the average approach green time ratio of the majority of junctions from field
observations. The dummy link is assigned to the appropriate volume delay function so that it responds to traffic
demand, limiting the number of U-turners that would be able to pass through the signalised junction in an hour. As
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the u-turn numbers approach 300 pcus then the modelled delays become very high and in the next iteration the
u-turns are deterred. In addition a fixed turn penalty delay of 40 seconds (0.67 minutes) is added to the dummy U
turn to represent the average delay that arises due to random arrivals at the signals.

Figure 36 - Approach Nodes

Cube Voyager does not allow more than 4 arms to a node to be modelled at a signalised junction. Consequently,
it is necessary to combine the nodes of each dual carriageway approach and departure in the intersection editor
as shown in Figure 36. In Figure 37, The first arm usually represents the major or busier road and this can
normally be adopted as the approach with the greatest proportion of green time.

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Figure 37 - First Arm

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Figure 38 - Phasing

The signals for Abu Dhabi & Al Gharbia are entered as fixed time signals. The signalised junctions in Al Ain City
are input as adaptive signal system. The inputs include actual, minimum and maximum green times for each
phase along with the total cycle times as shown in Figure 38. In Figure 39 the geometry of the lanes is input next.
The input includes the number of exclusive and shared lanes for each turning movement. For the 2030 reference
case model actual or proposed lane markings at every junction should be used to determine the lane geometry
inputs. In STEAM an average lane width of 3.6m is assumed.

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Figure 39 - Lane Geometry

Figure 40 - Average Lane Width

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An average lane width of 3.6m is used as a default for coding the approach links at the signalised intersections,
shown in Figure 40. The minimum capacity for each arm permits a specific volume of traffic to pass the constraint,
preventing excessive delay being estimated when in reality some vehicles will always force their way into the
traffic stream. A value of 500 is adopted for each signalized junction as shown in Figure 41.

Figure 41 - Minimum Capacity

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Figure 42 - Randomness

Randomness is used to enhance the synchronisation between two adjacent intersections. A value of 0.01
(equivalent to perfect coordination between signals) would be used for perfect coordination. In the absence of
detailed information on the co-ordination of the signal systems the recommended default value of 0.55 is coded
for all signals in this strategic model. The 0.55 default value reflects random arrivals at the stop line as shown in
Figure 42.

In Figure 43, the exit lanes parameter defines the number of lanes on the specified exit arm for the traffic heading
away from the junction.

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Figure 43 - Exit Lanes

Figure 44 - Ban Turn

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Ban Turns restrict any movement that is either not allowed from the junction or is illogical. In most cases, the
availability of a free right turn lane prior to the junction would mean that the right turns would not be modelled as a
part of the junction and are therefore banned. Pedestrian signals on right turns and mid block are not modelled in
STEAM.

Table 8 summarises the input attributes for traffic signal junction coding and their respective values used in
STEAM.

Table 8 - Traffic Signal J unction Coding Attributes
Junction Geometry (HCM) Method Intersection Attributes Input Value
Approach Nodes As Appropriate
First Arm As Appropriate
Phases As Appropriate
Lane Geometry As Appropriate
Central Business District - Checking the box reduces the capacity of
intersections located in CBD by 10%
Unchecked.
Average Lane Width 3.6m
Grade - % grade approaching from each leg of the intersection.
Negative values indicate downhill / Positive values indicate uphill
0
Exit Lanes As Appropriate
Minimum Capacity 500 PCU / hour
Randomness 0.55
Parking Manoeuvres No of Parking Manoeuvres per hour for Kerb
Side and Other Side. Presence indicate parking allowed
None
Bus Blockage No. of Buses stopping per hour for Ker Side and Other
Side.
0
Unit Extension Minimum gap for a semi-actuated signal controller to
terminate green (sec)
0 representing signal that is not semi actuated
controller
Conflicting Bike No of bicycles an hour in the near most lane per hour None
Pedestrian Flow No. of pedestrians crossing the approach per hour. 0
Estimated Delay (Mins) Time to make the movement. This is used in
the initial iteration of the assignment.
0
Initial Queue (PCU) No. of Vehicles in queue by approach. This is
used in the initial iteration of the assignment.
0

Ban Turn As Appropriate

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2030 Reference Case Network

For the 2030 network where the detailed signal timings are not known, fixed signal timings with a standard cycle
time of 120 seconds is assumed. The number of phases/stages is assumed to be three/four (depending on the
approach arms) with the following green times input:
For a 3 arm junction- Actual Green for each phase 35 seconds
(3 phases - total green =105 seconds, total lost time =15 seconds); and
For a 4 arm junction- Actual Green for each phase 25 seconds
(4 phases - total green =100 seconds, total lost time =20 seconds).

The base year intersection signal timings have been retained where the base and future year network structure
are congruent. Any base year junctions using the saturation flow method are however recoded in the 2030
reference case model using the junction geometry (HCM) methodology as it is assumed that the lane enforcement
would be introduced in the future and drivers would follow the lane markings at the intersections.

4.7.3 Roundabouts

The capacity of a roundabout approach is primarily influenced by the conflicting flow on the circulating
carriageway, the number of lanes on the entry approach itself, and the inscribed circle diameter of the roundabout.
In STEAM, roundabouts are represented in two ways:
A single node; or
A node for each approach arm, with the circulating arm explicitly represented in the network coding.

This is also illustrated in Figure 45.

Figure 45 - Alternative Roundabout Models
Single Node One Node for Each Approach Arm

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STEAM adopts a multi-node approach for all dual carriageways, explicitly modelling roundabout junction arms in
Abu Dhabi Island and Al Ain City.

A single node methodology is applied for roundabouts that are located on single two-way links.

Roundabout intersections are modelled using an empirical model where each entry is characterized by a capacity
slope and a capacity intercept. The capacity slope is the marginal decrease in entry capacity on an approach
when the circulating flow is increased by one PCU per hour and capacity intercept is the entry capacity on the
approach when there is no conflicting flow.

Figures 46 and 47 below show the entry capacity on the approach and circulating flow concept used within the
Empirical Model method.

Figure 46 - Capacity Slope

Figure 47 - Capacity Intercept

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The capacity of the roundabouts in the empirical method uses a defined entry (approach) capacity for an
approach that assumes a relationship based on zero circulating traffic and a reduction in the entry (approach)
capacity as circulating traffic increases based on the slope of the demand curve.

C
e
= C
z
A*V
c

Where

V
c
=circulating volume upstream of approach;
C
e
=entry capacity on the approach at V
c;

C
z
=entry capacity on the approach when V
c
is zero; and
A =slope of demand relationship.

The entry capacity on the approach at V
c
=0 is dictated by the geometric parameters of the approach and in the
case of STEAM the values of C
e
shown in Table 9 are used in STEAM. They are based on a matrix of approach
lanes and entry lanes at the stop line,

Table 9 - Values of Entry Capacity (Ce) Based on Number of Approach Lanes and Number of Entry Lanes at the Stop Line.
Approach Lanes
Upstream of
Junction
Number of Entry Lanes from Approach
1 2 3 4
Single (3.5m) 1125 1830 2160 -
Single (5.0m) 1540 2060 2480 2710
Dual 2 lane 2250 2960 3290
Dual 3 lane 3370 3460
Dual 4 lane 4495
Source: Capacity calculated based on geometric parameters for approach using TRL/Kimber relationships as used in
ARCADY (TRL) all values are in PCU.

In STEAM two default roundabout sizes are adopted for use in the model; 60m and 90m inscribed circle diameters
to represent two different standards of roundabout in terms of capacity. The 60m values should be used for links
up to arterial/collector intersections category, whereas the 90m values should be used for all arterial/arterial
intersections and above.

Table 10 shows corresponding slope values based on number of approach lanes and number of entry lanes at the
stop line for roundabouts with an inscribed circle diameter of 60m.

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Table 10 - Values of A Based on Number of Approach Lanes and Entry Lanes at the Stop Line for 60m Inscribed Circle
Roundabout.
Approach Lanes
Number of Entry Lanes
1 2 3 4
Single (3.5m) 0.45 0.58 0.63 -
Single (5.0m) 0.53 0.61 0.69 0.72
Dual 2 lane 0.65 0.77 0.82
Dual 3 lane 0.84 0.85
Dual 4 lane 1.03
Source: Slope calculated based on geometric parameters for approach using TRL/Kimber relationships as used in ARCADY
(TRL)

Table 11 shows corresponding slope values based on number of approach lanes and number of entry lanes at the
stop line for roundabouts with an inscribed circle diameter of 90m.

Table 11 - Values of A Based on Number of Approach Lanes and Entry Lanes at the Stop Line or 90m Inscribed Circle
Roundabout.
Approach Lanes
Number of Entry Lanes
1 2 3 4
Single (3.5m) 0.37 0.47 0.52 -
Single (5.0m) 0.43 0.50 0.56 0.59
Dual 2 lane 0.53 0.63 0.67
Dual 3 lane 0.69 0.70
Dual 4 lane 0.84
Source: Slope calculated based on geometric parameters for approach using TRL/Kimber relationships as used in ARCADY
(TRL)

For a roundabout with 3 lanes on the approach and 3 lanes at entry a slope=0.69 and intercept=3370 are used on
the entry arm, and for the circulating arm a value of slope=0.01 and intercept=9999 (this means an unlimited
capacity because circulating link is a road with priority) is input.

Figure 48 to Figure 50 show how the input parameters required within the empirical method should be entered in
the model.

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Figure 48 - Definition of First Arm

The circulatory arm should be defined as the first arm.

Figure 49 - Input Capacity Slope

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Figure 50 - Input Capacity Intercept

As shown in Figures 49 and 50 the capacity slope and capacity intercept for the circulatory arm is set as 0.01 and
9999 respectively to provide an unlimited capacity to the arm that has the priority and the capacity and delay on
this arm remains unresponsive to the amount of approaching traffic.

In contrast the approach arm is given a value of 0.69 and 3370 for the slope and intercept respectively to reflect
the capacity of a 3 lane approach arm at a larger roundabout. The actual values for the slope and intercept for
each approach is selected from Tables 9, 10 and 11. None of the other data fields in the roundabout intersection
file need to be coded. The full list of roundabout junction coding attributes is covered in Table 12.

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Table 12 - Roundabout J unction Coding Attributes
Roundabout Merge Empirical Intersection Attributes Input Value
First Arm As Appropriate
Capacity Slope
Selected from Tables 6.3 and 6.4 and dependent on
approach and entry lane combination.
Capacity Intercept
Selected from Table 6.2 and dependent on
approach and entry lane combination.
Entry Width Not used leave blank
Approach Width Not used leave blank
Flare Length Not used leave blank
Inscribed Diameter Leave as default of 60
Entry Radius Not used and left blank
Entry Angle Not used and left blank
Minimum Capacity 250 PCU / hour
Randomness To be coded as 1.00 for all roundabouts
Pedestrian Flow No. of pedestrians crossing the
approach per hour.
0
Crossing Length Not used leave blank
Crossing to Exit Not used leave blank
Crossing to Entry Not used leave blank
Estimated Delay Not used leave as 0.0
Initial Queue (PCU) No. of Vehicles in queue by
approach.
0

4.7.4 Priority Junctions

Priority junctions are unsignalised intersections between a major road and a minor road. Traffic on the minor road
gives way at the junction to traffic on the major road via a give way control, stop control, or road rule when the
junction is unmarked.

There are four distinct types of priority junction included in STEAM:
Where the minor road joins the major road as a point of access from development blocks onto the main
arterial network;
Where the free right turn traffic at a signalised junction merges with the traffic on the main carriageway;
On a U turn dummy link at traffic signals to reflect the delay to U turning traffic as a result of the signal
phasing; and
Where mid-block U-turning traffic merge with the main carriageway traffic.

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These are opposed movements in the sense that they have to yield priority to other traffic, but in all cases they are
essentially merging movements.

Delays due to the merging of ramp flows and highway traffic are not explicitly modelled as priority junctions. The
delays are estimated through the link type volume delay functions on the ramp and highway.

Figures 51 and 52 show typical locations where priority junctions are represented in STEAM.

Figure 51 - Priority Arrangement at Typical Free Right Turn Lane at Signalised J unctions

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Figure 52 - Priority junction at Typical Mid-Block U-Turns

In STEAM standard turn delays are used to provide a reasonable representation of the average delay
encountered at each of the priority junctions in the network. Table 13 shows the turn delays used for each priority
junction within the urban regions.

Table 13 - Priority J unction Turn Delays
Junction Type Standard Turn Delay (in minutes)
Major/Minor 0.33
Right Turn Merge at Signalised J unction 0.33
U turn at traffic signals 0.67
Mid-Block U-Turn 0.42
Source: Consultants estimates

STEAM uses one single turn penalty file for all time periods.

4.7.5 Bus Lanes in Mixed Traffic

Where bus lanes are to be provided within the existing carriageway then they are coded using the BUSL_{year}
attribute as previously set out. If the bus lane is exclusive, e.g. no taxis allowed, then the number of highway lanes
should be reduced by 1, unless the road is to be widened to accommodate the bus lane. Bus only links are coded
by restricting the vehicle types that can use individual links. Links can be restricted to taxi use in the same way.

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4.7.6 Treatment of Taxi Trips

For the most part, the characteristics of taxis are the same as those of cars. However, there are two potential
differences. First, taxis may be permitted to use priority routes (e.g. bus lanes). Secondly, taxis may be able to
drop off in places where cars would not be allowed to park, which may influence the origin destination pattern.
Hence, these are a separate demand and assignment class within the model. The former is modelled in STEAM
by defining the vehicle types that can use individual links in the model. The latter is not currently modelled in
STEAM.

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5.0 Public Transport Network
5.1 Introduction

The aim of this section is to describe the following components of the STEAM public transport module.
Public transport network;
Public transport sub-mode choice;
Park and Ride module; and
Crowding module.

5.2 Public Transport Network

5.2.1 General Principl es

Each component of a public transport trip is called a transit leg, with journeys typically including components such
as walk legs, Park and Ride legs (both commonly referenced as non-transit legs), transit legs and transfer legs.

In Cube Voyager, a public transport network comprises transit legs overlain onto a network structure. These are
connected to non-transit legs linking zones to the transit network and transfer legs linking transit lines together.

5.2.2 Network Components

The public transport system is described in terms of the following components:
The physical network:
o Nodes;
o Links; and
o Interchanges.
The public transport services:
o Public transport modes;
o Representation of public transport routes (ex time table information);
Routeing;
Service frequency; and
Stopping pattern.
o Public transport fares;
o Representation of PT generalised cost;
o Linkage with highway speed; and
o Treatment of future year proposals.
Treatment of new modes; and
Interaction with public transport sub mode choice model.
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The following sections discuss the main principles used in the development of the STEAM public transport
network model.

5.2.3 Public Transport Nodes

Separate node series are assigned to different PT modes, so that transit legs, non-transit legs, stops and
coefficients such as waiting time weight at node level associated with a mode are easily specified and post
assignment analyses and extraction of data by mode facilitated.

The following node numbering system is adopted for STEAM in relation to the physical node numbers coded in
the network. It should be noted that this is not the node labelling system referred to in Section 4.2. The node
attributes enable the node numbers and label to be linked.
100000-999999: for bus nodes (using the highway network nodes);
50000-54999: for regional (intercity) rail and freight services;
55000-59999: for metro;
60000-64999: for tram/LRT/BRT;
65000-69999: for ferry;
70000-74999: for rail/metro station access/egress nodes or gates; and
75000-79999: for Park and Ride stations.

Note that the same set of nodes is used for both on road bus services and the highway network, since bus routes
normally share the roads with other highway modes. Some nodes in the highway network have been explicitly
included to represent bus stops at mid-block locations.

5.3 Links

A link represents a segment of the public transport system. The PT routes that have their own right of way (such
as rail, metro, LRT, ferry and some parts of tram) have exclusive links. All of the input public transport links have
the same input link attributes as the highway links. The public transport link type definitions are shown in Table 14.

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Table 14 - List of Public Transport Link Types
LINK TYPE Description
60 Bus only
61 Regional Rail
62 Metro
63 LRT/BRT
64 Tram
65 Ferry
66 Personal Rapid Transit
70 Walk Link only
71 Walk Link from Park and Ride to station gate
72 Walk Link from station gate to PT Node
73
Auxiliary Walk Link only. To be used to specify
assisted walk links such as travellators.

5.4 Representation of Stop/Station/Parking Facility

Nodes are used to represent bus stops, rail stations and parking facilities (at Park and Ride stations).

All highway nodes, with the exception of zone centroids, can be used as bus stops. Non-stop nodes that are not
are indicated by a negative - sign before the nodes in the Public Transport Line file providinginformation for each
PT line. It is important that non-stop nodes are assigned a negative sign to avoid spurious walk link building from
adjacent zones or nodes and to avoid inappropriate interchange points between transit routes passing through a
specific node.

Stations on the transit modes are separately identified and have a separate gate node to represent the station
entry/exit points. The gate node is then connected to the adjacent road network by a walk link.

5.5 Public Transport Modes

The Cube Voyager PT service data inputs are provided in the following four separate data files:
Line File- containing the transit line route definitions;
System File- which contains the definition of the modes, operators, wait time curves, vehicle types, and
crowding curves;
Fare File- which contains the various fare structures; and
Factor File- The public transport modes are specified as part of the PT system file required for PT assignment.
PT mode is used to specify traveller behaviour in response to the PT system such as:
o Boarding penalty by mode;
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o Transfer penalty between modes;
o Run time factors by mode; and
o Value of time by mode and fare system by mode.

Generally, a PT system includes three types of mode; transit mode, non-transit mode and transfer mode. Table 15
shows the transit and non-transit (access) modes defined in STEAM.

Cube Voyager has the ability to separate a PT trip into a walking access trip and a Park and Ride access trip in
the PT assignment by splitting and assigning the demand into separate modes of access by excluding the
appropriate mode.

The reason for using separate mode numbers for walking access and walking egress is to allow for appropriate
combinations of mode to be used during the assignment. For example, the assignment of walking only access
demand is performed by excluding Mode 70 (Drive access) and Mode 71 (Drive egress). The deletion of
access/egress modes is specified in the Factor file.

In addition, another benefit of the use of a different access mode for different transit modes is the ability to specify
different penalty weights. For example, walking to a metro station could be perceived as preferable to walking to a
bus stop, hence a lower penalty can be applied. Note that these public transport modes are pre-defined, as part of
the model development.
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Table 15 - List of All Transit and Access Modes
Mode Number Mode Description Transit / Non Transit
1 Train (Regional Rail Passenger) Transit
2 Metro Transit
3 LRT Transit
4 Tram Transit
5 Ferry Transit
6 Buses All Stops Transit
7 Buses Express Local Transit
8 Buses Express Inter-Urban Transit
9 Bus Rapid Transit Transit
10 Personal Rapid Transit Transit
11 Rail Freight Transit
14 Transfer Links between all modes Non Transit
15 Walk Access Links to Train Non Transit
16 Walk Egress Links from Train Non Transit
20 Walk Access Links to Metro Non Transit
21 Walk Egress Links from Metro Non Transit
30 Walk Access Links to Tram/LRT Non Transit
31 Walk Egress Links from Tram/LRT Non Transit
40 Walk Access Links to Ferry Non Transit
41 Walk Egress Links from Ferry Non Transit
50 Walk Access Links to Bus Non Transit
51 Walk Egress Links from Bus Non Transit
60 Walking-in in CBD Area Non Transit
61 Walking-out in CBD Area Non Transit
70 Park and Ride Access Non Transit
71 Park and Ride Egress Non Transit
72 Road Freight Access to Rail Non Transit
73 Road Freight Egress from Rail Non Transit

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5.5.1 Representation of PT Routes/Lines

The line file defines the public transport routes/lines as input to the public transport assignment. The line file
requires the data shown in Table 16.

Table 16 - Public Transport Line File Information
Item Description
Name Text identifier for the line
Long Name Detailed text description of the service
Mode In STEAM this ranges from 1 to 11 for Transit lines as specified in Table 5.2.
Operator
Code for operator of the line. Used if a list of operators has been defined in the Public
Transport System File
One way Indicator whether it is a one way or two way service
Circular
Indicator whether it is a circular service. A circular service is one that starts and finishes
at the same point without a layover period on route. Where a service travels from one
terminus to another and then waits there for a period of time for a crew break or
change then an end layover time is coded and the service is considered as linear.
Headway The interval between successive services coded in minutes
Vehicle type
Code for vehicle type operating on the service. The vehicle types are as defined in the
Public Transport System File and shown in Table 7.4.
Seat and Crush Capacities
These are not required in the line file as the seat capacity and crush capacity default
values are already defined in the vehicle type data within the PT System File
Routeing information
A list of nodes through which the line traverses. The node can be specified as non-stop
(with a - sign) or stop node. Associated dwelling time can be specified for a group of
nodes or a single node. The dwell times to be used in STEAM are 20 secs for bus
services, 40 seconds for MRT/LRT/Tram/BRT, and 90 seconds for Regional Rail
Services

The following protocols are used in STEAM coding for public transport services:
Stopping pattern. Cube Voyager allows the flexibility to specify the stop pattern of a transit service. For a
Train/Metro/LRT/BRT/PRT running on its own right of way, every stop/station in the network is to be coded
and the link is to include the fixed travel speed along the link as an attribute of the link. For a bus using the
roadway, a highway node near an actual bus stop should be used as a bus stop, while other highway nodes
in between are specified as non-stop. In some instances bus stops have been represented at one of the
nodes at an intersection where there are bus stops located immediately before the junction, generally within
50m; and
The PT lines should be coded in the geodatabase environment. Within the geodatabase, a PT line is broken
up into three layers:
o PT line layer contains name, mode, operator, headway, and capacity information;
o PT link layer contains segment data between A node and B node such as speed and travel time data; and
o PT node layer contains data on stop node and dwelling time.

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The advantage of using the geodatabase format is that if a node/link is added to or deleted from the network, the
affected PT lines would also be updated accordingly. Cube Voyager does not automatically do this in older
network display mode and hence all coding changes are to be undertaken in the geodatabase environment or
through manual editing of the text based PT files.

5.5.2 Public Transport Fare

The current fares for the PT services in Abu Dhabi include:
Single ride: Dh1;
Day pass: Dh3;
Monthly pass: Dh40; and
People over 60/people with special needs: Free.

A flat fare structure has been adopted for the 2009 base year model with fare being the weighted average fare,
based on the proportion of bus passengers by ticket type derived from the bus passenger surveys, for the base
year model. For the 2030 reference case model, as a default, a distance based fare system has been adopted,
taking account of proposed expansion of the metro and rail system. This can be specified during the PT
assignment through:
The fare system file to specify fare structure and level;
The factor files to specify transit modes which would be subject to a specific fare system; and
The line file to specify a fare system which may override those specified in the factor file.

During the PT assignment, the PT program considers the fare as part of generalised cost determining route
choice. In STEAM it skims the average fare for each origin-destination zone pair by time using VOT to convert
fares to time units.

In the future, with the expansion of the metro and rail system, the fare structure could be revised to a distance
based fare or a zone based fare, and the fares charged could be expanded to several different values. Cube
Voyager has the capability to represent realistically these fares.

5.5.3 Transit time Functions

The end to end travel time for a stopping or express service is simply the sum of the calculated segment times
plus the estimated dwell times at stops/stations along the route. The determination of the link times is dependent
on whether the public transport service has its own right of way, or has to share roadspace with general traffic.
The calculation of the link times is described below.

Services with Own Right of Way

PT systems with their own right of way such as the Regional Passenger Rail, Metro, LRT and Ferry, or a bus
service with its own right of way, the travel time is independent of the car travel time. In such cases, travel time is
calculated based on the proposed design operating speed of the system, which is usually available from runtime
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modelling undertaken by system promoters and defined in the model by the link type information. The public
transport in-vehicle time function is defined as below:

In-vehicle Time (mins) = Segment Time (mins) + Dwell times (at actual stops)

The actual operating time for each transit segment is calculated based on the default speed of the mode.

Street Running Services
For a bus or tram service operating on the road system, its operating speed is dependent on the travel speed of
the general traffic. Therefore, for a normal bus service operating on the same road as other traffic, a general
transit time function is represented as below:

Bus Time (mins) = A x Car Time (mins) + B x di stance (km)

Where:
A is a factor more than one representing the travel conditions where a bus generally runs slower
than a car. This factor may vary by road type; and
B represents an average dwelling time (min) per km. It reflects the frequency of stops and average
time spent at each stop.

These parameters are pre-defined in the model during the public transport initialization stage as part of the model
development.

5.5.4 Other PT Assignment Parameters

Waiting Time Curves

The wait time curves used in STEAM are shown in Figures 53 and 54 for bus services and rail services
respectively. These values are consistent with international best practice.

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Figure 53 - Wait Time Curve for Bus Services

Figure 54 - Wait Time Curve for Rail Services

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Boarding and transfer penalty

Tables 17 and 18 show the boarding, transfer penalty, and travel time weighting by mode that are used in
STEAM. These values are consistent with those adopted in with international best practice.

Table 17 - Boarding Penalties and Weight factors
Parameters Value
Boarding Penalties (mins)
Train/Metro 2
Tram/LRT 4
Ferry 10
Bus (Regular) 6
Bus (Express) 6
Bus Rapid Transit 5
Personal Rapid Transit 4
Weight factors
In-vehicle time 1
Wait 2
Walk 2.5
Boarding Penalty 1
Transfer Penalty 1

Table 18 - Transfer Penalties
From Mode \To Mode
Train/Metro
(1-2)
Tram/LRT/BRT
(3-4)
Ferry
(5)
Bus
(6-8)
PRT/BRT
(9-10)
Train/Metro (1-2) 4 5 10 6 5
Tram/LRT (3-4) 5 5 10 6 5
Ferry (5) 10 10 10 10 10
Bus (6-8) 6 6 10 7 6
PRT/BRT (9-10) 5 5 10 6 5
Note: Values are in minutes.

5.6 Park and Ride Modelling

STEAM explicitly models Park and Ride. In particular:
The model treats Park and Ride as a public transport sub-mode through modelling of access modes to public
transport. This approach enables STEAM to make use of the Cube Voyager functionality that allows Park and
Ride trips to be assigned as part of a multi-class public transport assignment process, passing the vehicle
volumes on the car leg of the trip onto the highway assignment;
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Park and Ride facilities are represented in the public transport network, including their capacity. The capacity
is used to constrain the overall number of trip arrivals, providing a robust modelled approach;
During the public transport assignment, Park and Ride trips are treated as a separate public transport class,
assigned on to the public transport network simultaneously with other public transport demand matrices;
Park and Ride outward (production to attraction) journeys and return (attraction to production) journeys are
separately assigned on the PT network to reflect the different access and egress modes involved for the
outward and return parts of the journey correctly. This ensures that the costs of using Park and Ride are
correctly determined for each leg of the trip;
During the highway assignment, the car leg of the Park and Ride trips are also reflected in the highway
assignment; and
Within STEAM, both strategic and local Park and Ride access can be modelled. This is made possible with
STEAM through representations of Park and Ride sites with both strategic and local car access, and applying
different sets of car access criteria.

The capacity restraint due to limited parking capacities at Park and Ride sites is modelled. This is made possible
since the capacity of each Park and Ride site is specifically represented in the model. The actual modelling of
Park and Ride site parking capacity restraints is an iterative process between subsequent iterations of STEAM
main model loop.
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5.6.1 Methodology

The STEAM Park and Ride model controls the passenger demand at a station by access mode through the
following process:
PT sub-mode choice splits the total PT rail based demand into walk access and Park and Ride access
matrices; The sub-mode choice between walk and Park and Ride is undertaken by using biased path costs to
apply a logit choice model for walk and Park and Ride access;
Station catchment specifies a list of zones which would realistically and potentially use the Park and Ride site.
A number of sites may be defined as serving a specific zone and the model will allocate demand to the
alternative sites based on the respective combinations of journey and access costs;
Network coding represents the parking facility, access mode network and site capacity; and
PT assignment procedure incorporates additional delay to a Park and Ride movement due to parking capacity
restraint.

The car leg element of the Park and Ride trip is separately identified and passed to the highway assignment
process as a fixed volume on each link.

The Park and Ride model goes through an iterative process utilising the main loop between distribution, mode
choice and assignment. The important aspects of the model from the perspective of public transport network
definition are described in the following sections. These include:
Park and Ride station catchment;
Parking inconvenience penalty; and
Parking capacity.

Figure 55 is a typical example of how a Park and Ride facility is coded in STEAM to represent the Park and Ride
site and its connections to the road system and the rail station. Connections from zone centroids and the bus
system are also shown.

The stops for each mode are represented by individual nodes. The nodes are connected by individual walk links
specified by different link types. The link between the Park and Ride site and Station Gate (Link type 71) is used
to store the parking capacity of the Park and Ride facility. STEAM uses the capacity to compare against arrival
demands by time period, thereby determining additional delay due to excess demand for using Park and Ride.
The calculation of the excess demand and waiting time enables STEAM to moderate the demand for Park and
Ride to be consistent with the supply provided.

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Figure 55 - Park and Ride Representation

5.6.2 Park and Ride Station Catchment

Cube Voyager can automatically generate Park and Ride zone catchment for a station by specifying the link types
that the driver can access from a zone to the station and maximum cost parameters, dictating that zones with
longer travel times will be excluded from the catchment.

Figure 56 shows an example of a station catchment produced by Cube Voyager. A zone centroid can have
access to several nearby stations and the assignment program allocates the loading for each station based on the
attractiveness of each station as part of the multi-routing between an origin and destination. While the figure
shows virtual straight lines connecting a zone to station, the driving path would follow the actual road network.
There may be multiple paths from a zone to different Park and Ride sites but only one path from a zone to each
Park and Ride site. The car leg of the Park and Ride trip is transferred as a pre-loaded volume to the highway
assignment.

For a new station in the future, assuming a majority of Park and Ride passengers would have their main
destination in Abu Dhabi CBD, a catchment can be estimated to include all zones in the upstream direction and
within a 30 minute driving time to the station. The general 30 minute limit was derived from the Victoria Activity
and Travel Survey 1994-99 (Melbourne University Transport Research Centre), which indicates that 97% of Park
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and Ride drivers were driving to the station/stop from within this driving time limit with the remaining 3% travelling
more than 30 minutes.

STEAM Park and Ride modelling is segmented into local and strategic Park and Ride movements. Strategic Park
and Ride refers to long distance drive access to Park and Ride sites in Abu Dhabi from external areas such as
Dubai, Sharjah and Oman. It also includes demand from Al Ain in the category of strategic Park and Ride because
of the physical separation of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Al Gharbia. Local Park and Ride demand in STEAM refers to
demand that is generated within a relatively short drive time from the origin to the Park and Ride station.

This distinction between local and strategic Park and Ride is adopted in STEAM due to the way in which the
access paths to Park and Ride are generated. The access and egress paths to the Park and Ride site are derived
using the auto route generation facility in Cube Voyager. This enables either a catchment area to be defined
directly by specifying the relevant zones or to be generated by specifying a range of zones and a maximum drive
access time.

For local Park and Ride, i.e. internal to Abu Dhabi Emirate, all internal zones are specified as within the catchment
area but with a maximum 30 minutes drive time. At the strategic sites the zones that form the catchment area are
specifically defined. The routes are still auto generated but in this instance with a maximum drive time/cost of 500
minutes to ensure that the option of Park and Ride was provided for long distance trips that would potentially use
the strategic sites to avoid paying localised demand management measures such as tolling and high parking
charges.

A general parking inconvenience penalty of 10 minutes is included for each Park and Ride trip to indicate the
inconvenience of searching for a parking space and walking from the car park to the station. The penalty is in
addition to the interchange impedance that is calculated from the assignment cost skims. The penalty reduces the
over-attractiveness of Park and Ride compared to walk access mode and encourages passengers within the
walking catchment of a station to walk rather than use Park and Ride.

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Figure 56 - Example of a Park and Ride Catchment for a Station

Table 19 shows an example of the look-up table used in STEAM to specify catchment, parking capacity, parking
penalty, and other attributes for each Park and Ride facility included in the model.

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Table 19 - Typical Table Specifying Catchment and Capacity for Each Park and Ride Facility
ID MODE
PNR_
NAME
PARK_
CAP
PNR_
NODE
GATE_
NODE
STOP_
NODE PENALTY
PNR_VEH
OCC
ZONE
CATCHMENT
1 Tram PnR1 1000 75005 70136 60333 10 1.4 1-2087
2 Bus PnR2 1000 75006 70087 127502 10 1.4 1-2087
3 Tram PnR3 1000 75007 70024 60509 10 1.4 1-2087
4 Tram PnR4 500 75008 70173 60552 10 1.4 1-2087
5 Metro PnR5 500 75009 70337 55028 10 1.4 1-2087
6 Metro PnR6 500 75010 70405 55107 10 1.4 1-2087
7 Tram PnR7 500 75011 70237 60367 10 1.4 1-2087
8 Tram PnR4_strat 500 75018 70173 60552 10 1.4
1379-1438,1441-
1447,1449-
1451,453-
1454,1456-
1457,1459-
1463,1495-
1863,1982-
2085,2087
9 Metro PnR5_strat 500 75019 70050 55028 10 1.4 2062-2087
1
0 Metro PnR6_strat 500 75020 70405 55107 10 1.4
1379-1438,1441-
1447,1449-
1451,1453-
1457,1459-
1463,1495-
1863,2082-
2085,2087
1
1 Tram PnR7_strat 500 75021 60237 60367 10 1.4
806,1354-
1357,1361,1366-
1378,1439,1440,
1448-1458,1464-
1494,1864-
1961,2086

5.6.3 Parking Capacity

The issue of parking capacity affecting the passenger selection of a Park and Ride facility was addressed by
including parking capacity in terms of parking spaces as an attribute for the link connecting the parking facility and
the gate. The passenger travel demand by Park and Ride to the station is derived by aggregating the number of
car person arrivals in the time period and then dividing by the appropriate observed car occupancy rate by station.
The aggregated arrivals in the time period is then used as an indicator of parking demand for that time period
based on the principles below. A delay penalty related to the volume to capacity ratio was established empirically
using a step function. Figure 57 shows the delay curve calibrated for this study.

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The car parking volume at a parking facility that is used to calculate the volume over car park capacity is different
for each modelled time period. They are assumed as follows:
The car parking volume during the AM period is equal to the aggregated AM car arrivals;
The car parking volume during the IP period is equal to the AM +IP car arrivals;
The car parking volume during the PM period is equal to the PM car arrivals; and
The car parking volume during the EP, OP and NT period is equal to its respective period car arrrivals.

Arrivals are used as a proxy for total parking demand in the individual time periods based on a set of assumptions
about the departure times of Park and Ride trips. This is described in the following paragraph.

The assumption of the car arrival flow during the IP period being equal to the AM plus IP demand is based on the
following rationale. Most drivers arriving during the AM period are undertaking work trips, and usually park for a
long duration until the evening when they return from work. Hence, during the day it is difficult for a driver to find a
parking space because the car park is already occupied with AM period parkers. However, during the PM period,
most AM period parkers would have left, resulting in capacity being available for PM period parkers. Since most
PM period parkers would park for a relatively short duration (as their trip purpose is mainly
social/recreation/shopping), the maximum car park capacity would be available for NT arrivals.

The purpose of the delay penalty is to impose a realistic deterrant when Park and Ride demand is over capacity
so as to encourage the shift of parking demand to other nearby locations. This way the model is able to represent
the passenger choice of where to park to minimise the generalised cost between their origin and destination, and
the impact of car park capacity can be assessed.

Figure 57 - Park and Ride Volume to Capacity Curve

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The process of calculating the delay due to parking capacity is undertaken as an iterative process for every Park
and Ride facility. It involves calculating the Park and Ride arrival flow to each station for each time period at the
end of each model loop, then applying the delay curve to determine the Park and Ride delay penalty for each
station. An average Park and Ride delay is calculated using values from the current and previous iterations, and is
used as input for the generation of the costs of using each Park and Ride link at the next iteration.

The delay curve invokes a number of modelled responses. Firstly it affects the choice of Park and Ride site by
reflecting delays due to capacity limitations at certain sites, thereby encouraging the use of alternative sites. The
resultant costs for Park and Ride are then fed back to the distribution and mode choice models in the next
iteration and will affect the choice of Park and Ride as a mode of travel and to some extent the destination choice
for trips. The primary impact of the delay curve will however be on selection of Park and Ride site and on demand
for Park and Ride itself.

5.7 Crowding Model

5.7.1 Description of Crowding Model

Crowding occurs on public transport when potential transit users exceed the comfort capacity for a particular
service. Impacts are felt by those attempting to board, who may be prevented from doing so, and from those
already on board the service who may suffer a deterioration of travel conditions due to the crowding.

The purpose of the crowding model is to more realistically represent public transport crowding and its impacts
upon travel demand. The Cube Voyager modelling of public transport crowding employs an iterative process,
relating the capacity of the public transport system to the perceived cost of using the system. There are two
components of the crowding model as follows:
Link Time Adjustment: the link travel time adjustment reflects passenger perceptions that travel time is
more onerous when standing (rather than sitting), or when the vehicle is crowded. The adjustment is
represented by a 'crowding factor', which is multiplied by the in-vehicle time to give a perceived value of
'crowded in-vehicle time'; and
Wait Time Adjustment: the wait time adjustment reflects the delay to board a service due to overcrowding.
It uses measures of demand and available capacity to obtain probabilities of being able to board a service.
When services are heavily loaded, some travellers will wait for the next service, therefore incurring additional
wait time at the boarding node. When all services in a time period are over capacity the crowding model will
then flow meter the demand and passengers will be left queuing at the stops. This represents unassigned
demand, although through a simplification of the modelling process it does not get added to subsequent time
periods.

The default in STEAM is not to use the wait time adjustment.

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For the link time adjustment, crowding curves are used to describe a relationship between utilisation, defined as
the percentage of standing capacity used, defined as crush capacity minus seat capacity, and crowding factors.
The formula used to calculate utilisation is as follows:

=
( )
( )

Where
LDF =Load Distribution factor which represents the proportion of seats occupied which would see
passengers starting to stand. The crush capacity for the system is influenced by passenger
behaviour, vehicle design, and the ability to load the vehicles evenly.

Table 20 shows the different capacity characteristics of public transport vehicles for Abu Dhabi, which are based
on the existing model and reflect the system configurations from the STMP study.

Table 20 - Capacity Characteristics of Different PT Vehicles
ID Mode Vehicle Type Number Seat Capacity Crush Capacity
Remark
1 Metro 1 400 800
2 Metro 12 300 600
3 Rail 2 600 1200
4 Rail 22 300 600
5 Rail 23 400 800
6 Tram 3 200 400
7 Tram 32 150 300
8 Ferry 4 100 120
9 Ferry 42 200 240
10 Ferry 43 20 20
11 Ferry 44 35 35
12 Bus 5 35 60 Regular
13 Bus 52 70 100 Articulated
14 Bus 53 125 150 Super
15 Coach 6 40 40 Regular
16 Coach 62 80 80 Articulated

Table 21 shows perceived crowding time factors to be applied to the public transport in-vehicle time for both
passengers seating and standing at various load factors represented by the proportion of seats occupied, as
recommended by the Australian Transport Council (ATC) National Guidelines for Transport System Management
in Australia, Volume 4.

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Table 21 - ATC Perceived In-Vehicle Time Factors
Load Factor (% of Seats Occupied)
Perceived In-Vehicle Time Factor
Seated Standing
<70% 1 -
70 100% 1.1 1.4
Crush Load (>100%) 1.2 2.0
Source: ATC 2006 National Guidelines for Transport

Based on the above perceived in-vehicle time factors, and a load distribution factor of 70% the weighted average
crowding factors against the utilisation (or the proportion of standing capacity) can be derived, dependent upon
vehicle type, for application within the public transport assignment.

Figure 58 - Crowding Factor Curves

Figure 58 shows that the crowding factor for train/metro is generally higher than that for the other vehicle types,
bus, ferry and coach. This is because the ratio of seating capacity to crush capacity for train/metro is the lowest.
The number of seats in a train become occupied relatively quicker, therefore the impact of standing inconvenience
commences earlier than that for other vehicles. In contrast, coach has the seat capacity same as crush capacity,
i.e. no standing passengers, hence the crowding factor is the lowest.

STEAM modelling of crowding is included within the public transport assignment with the resultant cost changes
that arise from crowded conditions feeding back to the demand model through the main loop of the trip
distribution, mode choice and assignment processes. This was undertaken so that the public transport congested
time would have a more realistic impact on the overall mode choice process. However, the inclusion of the crowd
0.8
0.9
1.0
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Cro wding Fact or
Utilisation
Metro/Trains
Ferry
Bus Regular
Bus Articulated
Coach
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model increases STEAM run time significantly as the public transport assignments need to achieve convergence
within each loop of the full model.
In STEAM the crowding model can be activated or de-activated by the user. This provides the option to run the
model without capacity restraint (without crowding) to obtain the maximum potential market that PT could capture.
Alternatively, with the crowding model activated, the impact of capacity restraint on the PT demand in the future
can be investigated, and the benefits of relieving crowding conditions can also be measured.

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6.0 Compatibility between Zones and Networks
6.1 Introduction

The requirement to aggregate discrete origins and destinations into zones loading at specific points in the network
necessitates approximation in the loading process. This means that some trips (the intra zonal trips) are not
loaded onto the network at all, whilst other trips may be loaded in places some distance away from their real
loading point. The discrepancies become larger as zone sizes increase, both geographically and in terms of the
number of trips.

Not loading the intra zonal trips will reduce the amount of traffic on the network within a zone, although the zonal
demands in the matrices will remain the same, but would not affect the amount of traffic crossing zone
boundaries. Similarly, the actual loading position would not affect the number crossing zone boundaries except to
the extent that it changes routing patterns. Therefore, it is desirable that any comparison between modelled and
observed flows should take place at the zone boundaries.

6.2 Zone Centroid Connectors

Centroid connectors are generally positioned to represent physical access from the zone area to the wider
network.

For new zones, the location of the centroid connector should be carefully considered as this can have an impact
on the route choice, travel time, delays and flows. The zone centre should be reflective of the centre of gravity of
land-use within a zone and the centroid connectors representative of the local transport network linking into the
strategic transport network. Centroid connectors should not be connected to a modelled junction, or directly onto
freeways. They should represent the actual or expected location of the access road and the connection to the rest
of the network.

A zone can have one or more centroid connectors depending on the number and relative importance of each
access utilised by the local traffic to enter the modelled network. Multiple centroid connectors can facilitate route
choice within the zone that is not represented in the modelled network. However, it is not possible within Cube
Voyager software to allocate proportions to use each connector explicitly. This introduces the possibility that trips
may switch between the connectors as a result of network changes making some assessments more complicated.
Also single connectors can unnecessarily overload the network due to the point traffic loading. For this reason, it
is important, that the centroid connectors and network are coded as carefully as possible so that error in coding of
links, junctions connectivity and attributes do not affect the route choice from that zone to all other zones in the
network or unnecessarily overload the network.

6.2.1 Abu Dhabi Urban Region

STEAM contains a detailed representation of the minor local roads within the urban regions that allows a realistic
routeing for the trips to access the major roads at multiple locations and therefore in majority of the cases, the
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connector loads onto the minor roads that joins all the possible major roads thereby providing ample route choice.
Figure 59 show examples of the centroid connectors within STEAM for Abu Dhabi Urban Region.

Figure 59 - New Model Treatment of Centroid Connectors in Abu Dhabi

6.2.2 Abu Dhabi Rural Region

In this area, the centroids are located at the position of major settlements. In totally undeveloped areas, the
centroids are located at the geographic centre of the zone. Connectors join at minor roads where these exist. In
the case of settlements along the main road, the centroids will connect directly to the main road.

6.2.3 Al Ai n Urban Region

The centroids within Al Ain are located to represent points reflective of the majority of the existing developments.
However, due to limited information and detail within mapping, the optimal location of centroids could be subject to
changes in future year models, reflecting improved knowledge of zonal detail and expansion of zonal activity since
coding of the base year. Wherever possible, the centroid connectors within Al Ain reflect the existing layout of
minor roads. This led to an assessment of potentialrouteing and identification of the points at which the majority of
the trips would access the network.

Figure 60 shows an example of the location of centroid connectors and its compatibility with the road layout.

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Figure 60 - New Model Treatment of Centroid Connectors in Al Ain Urban Area

6.2.4 Al Ai n Rural Region

The zone centroids in this area are located with respect to major settlements. In totally undeveloped area, the
centroids are located at the geographic centre of the zone. Connectors are joined to the minor roads wherever
these roads exist. In the case of settlements along the main road, centroids connect directly to the main road.

6.2.5 Al Gharbia Region

The zone centroids in this area are located with respect to major settlements. In totally undeveloped area, the
centroids are located at the geographic centre of the zone. Connectors are joined to the minor roads wherever
these roads exist. In the case of settlements along the main road, centroids connect directly to the main road.

6.2.6 External Zones

While the pattern of major roads is modelled in the external area, there is no detailed modelling of minor roads or
junction delay in these areas. In these cases, junctions in the external areas represent the most appropriate
loading points as they give the greatest opportunity for the use of alternative routes for traffic travelling to and from
the study area.

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Appendix A Zone Plans
AECOM Abu Dhabi New Model Consul tancy Services Working Paper: Zoning and Network Development Report A1

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Appendix B Network Plan
AECOM Abu Dhabi New Model Consul tancy Services Working Paper: Zoning and Network Development Report B1

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AECOM Abu Dhabi New Model Consul tancy Services Working Paper: Zoning and Network Development Report 2

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Appendix C Volume Delay Functions
AECOM Abu Dhabi New Model Consul tancy Services Working Paper: Zoning and Network
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C.1 Introduction

The Abu Dhabi Department of Transport (DoT) has commissioned AECOM through its operating companies
Cansult Maunsell and Faber Maunsell, to develop a new computer based transport model for the Emirate of Abu
Dhabi.

As a part of the deliverables, AECOM submitted a series of Working Papers including the note on zoning and
highway network building. Following the review of that Working Paper, the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport
requested AECOM to provide a technical note reviewing arious types of volume delay functions (VDF).

C.1.1 Purpose of the technical note

Abu Dhabi Emirate is characterised by a dense urban network with close junction spacing in the urban areas and
sparse network with high junction spacing within the rural areas. The structure and extent of the modelled network
signifies that whilst delay at junctions dictates the travel time and speeds on urban links, much of the delay on
rural links would occur between the junctions and as a direct consequence of the capacity of the physical links in
terms of number of lanes and highway standard. Therefore, a volume delay function, that provides a relationship
between the travel times (or travel costs) and traffic flow, should be defined to derive the travel times and delays
at the rural links as a result of traffic assignment.

The purpose of this technical note is to gather the relevant literature and draw comparisons between different
types of volume delay functions to determine the most appropriate form of VDF that provides reasonable
estimates of travel times and speeds at a given level of traffic flow and link capacity in Abu Dhabi Emirate.
This note also comments on the most suitable parameters that govern the shape of the Abu Dhabi VDFs from
experiences and research conducted elsewhere.

C.2 Volume Delay Functi ons

C.2.1 Definition

A speed flow curve or its reverse volume-delay function represents a relationship between the speed and traffic
volume for a road segment. During the iterative process of traffic assignment, the model uses the curve to
calculate travel time for a link, based on the assigned traffic volume and the link capacity. The travel time for
several routes between an O-D pair is subsequently updated and used to assign the traffic flow in the next
iteration. The process is continued until equilibrium is achieved, whereby travel time is identical on all the routes
for the O-D pair.

It is noted that in the context of the Abu Dhabi New Model (ADNM, latterly STEAM) there is a need to reflect two
separate scenarios with regard to the application of VDF functions. The first relates to the situation where the
delays at the downstream junction on the link are explicitly modelled through the junction simulation. In this case
the VDF represents the expected travel time on the approach link based on the link capacity and the assigned
volume, without any allowance for delays at the junction. The second scenario is where the junctions are not
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modelled in detail and the VDF has to reflect the travel speeds along the link taking into account expected delays
at the main downstream junction on the link.
C.2.2 Types of Volume Delay Functions

A variety of volume delay functions have been studied and modified over several years and different forms of the
curves are used for transportation studies across the globe. However, the most commonly applied forms of curves
are:
Bureau of Public Roads (BPR);
Conical Functions;
Akcelic Curve; and
COBA speed flow curves, which form the basis for the majority of the modelling and appraisal of highway
schemes in the UK.

Each function is covered in greater detail in the following sections.

C.2.2.1 Bureau of Public Roads

The Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) equation has traditionally been used by transportation demand modellers to
predict speed as a function of volume/capacity ratio. This curve originates from the 1965 HCM and is parabolic in
shape. Speed is fairly sensitive to increasing flow. The BPR curve is as follows:

t = to * {1 + * [q / (q
Max
)]
}

Where:
to Free flow travel time
t Predicted travel time
q Volume
q
Max
Capacity

The parameter a determines the ratio of free-flow time to the travel time at capacity. The parameter b
determines how abruptly the curve rise from the free-flow t. A high value of b causes time to be insensitive to v/c
until the v/c gets close to 1.0, and then the time rise abruptly.

The BPR function has undergone several modifications to reflect the speed flow relationships in the subsequent
editions of HCM.

Horowitz used a least squares fitting technique to derive the a and b parameters for the BPR curve that best fit
the 1985 HCM curves for freeways and multi-lane highways. The updated parameters using the HCM procedures
are shown in Table C1.

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Table C1 - Updated BPR Parameters Using HCM Procedures
Facility Type Free-Flow Speed
6-lane Freeway
70 mph 0.88 9.8
60 mph 0.83 5.5
50 mph 0.56 3.6
4-Lane Multilane
70 mph 1.00 5.40
60 mph 0.83 2.70
50 mph 0.71 2.10

Horowitz suggests that for two lane rural highways 40% of the opposing direction flow should be added to the
subject direction flow in applying the BPR curve to obtain speed estimates consistent with the speed-flow curve
shown in the 1994 Highway Capacity Manual for two-lane rural roads. Specific and parameters are not
suggested for two-lane rural highways. It is presumed that the multi-lane highway parameters could be used.

Figure C1 shows the shape of the BPR curves for each type of road facility using the recommended and
parameters specified in Table C1.

Figure C1: BPR Parameters Using HCM Procedures

Figure C1 shows that BPR functions for various road types that are also typical in Abu Dhabi Emirate are
relatively insensitive to the traffic flows below the capacity. However, when the traffic flows approach and then
surpass the link capacity, the travel times rise abruptly. This phenomenon is more prominent on freeways and
multi-lane highways with free flow speeds greater than 60mph.
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
10.00
0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00
T
i
m
e

[
x
*
t
0
]
Saturation Grade [q/q
max
]
Volume delay function
Freeways (70mph) Freeways (60mph) Freeways (50mph) Multilane (70mph) Multilane (60mph) Multilane (50mph)
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Further evidence has been collected from transportation modelling studies undertaken in Abu Dhabi Emirate using
BPR functions to understand the behaviour of the curves in local context. A recent transportation modelling study
undertaken by AECOM for Al Ain Municipality recommends values for BPR parameters for various types of road
facilities within Al Ain that are listed in Table C2.

Table C2 - Link Type Definitions Used within Al Ain Transportation Model Study
Link Types Road Types Lanes Free Flow Speed Capacity Per lane
1 Urban Dual 3 60,80,100,120 1700
5 Urban Dual 3 60,80,100,120 1100
6 Urban Dual 2,3 60,80,100 750
10 Urban Dual 2,3 60,80 750
11 Urban Dual 2,3 60,80,100 950
20 Rural Dual 2,3 80,100,120 1900
30 Rural Single 2,3 60,80,100,120 1500
49 Connectors 30 1000

Figure C2 shows the parameters used and the resulting shape of BPR curves for the link types where the volume
delay functions have been utilised.

Figure C2: BPR Functions Utilised for Al Ain Model

0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
10.00
0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00
T
i
m
e

[
x
*
t
0
]
max
]
1, 5 6,10 11 20,30
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Figure C2 shows that the volume delay functions used for calibrating the Al Ain model to represent the congested
travel times at a given traffic flow level are less steep than those recommended in HCM. The gradient of the slope
is less steep on the rural links where the travel time increases by 1.5 times at capacity. This compares to urban
dual roads with a lower lane capacity and speeds where the travel times are doubled at capacity. For the urban
dual links with high per lane capacities and speeds, the travel time increases abruptly after the traffic volumes
exceed link capacity, such that the travel times increase by a factor of 5 at a v/c ratio of about 1.3. However, it is
noted here that the travel times remains relatively insensitive at the traffic volumes below the link capacity.

Whilst the BPR functions are intuitively simple, there are inherent drawbacks especially when used with high
values of :
When v/c is higher such as during initial iterations of equilibrium assignments unrealistic undue weight is
given to overloaded links with high values causing numerical problems such as overflow conditions and loss
of precision, slowing down convergence. Thus the BPR curve is highly volatile at high v/c ratios i.e. a slight
change in the assigned volumes results in large changes in the estimated speed; and
For link traffic volumes below the capacity, the BPR functions almost always yield free flow times independent
of actual traffic volume, especially when high values of are used. The equilibrium model will behave like all-
or-nothing assignment. Hence, the BPR curve is insensitive at low v/c ratios i.e. large changes in volumes
results in minor changes in speed; and
Significant computational resources are required due to the involvement of log and exponential functions. This
slows computer performance and calculation of equilibrium traffic volumes.

In the light of the aforementioned limitations the function is not considered suitable for the Abu Dhabi Model.

C.2.2.2 Conical Functions

Spiess (1989) developed a volume delay function known as conical function to overcome some weakness of the
well used curve BPR functions. He listed several requirements for a well behaved volume delay function, as
below:
the curve is strictly increasing;
the speed at capacity is half the free flow speed;
the curve is smooth and gradient increasing (not necessary but desirable property);
the steepness of the curve is limited; and
the gradient at free flow speed greater than zero, to guarantee uniqueness of link volumes.

The class of conical congestion functions can be defined as:

f
c
(x) = 2 + Sqrt[
2
(1 x)
2
+
2
) ] (1 x)
Where:
= ((2 -1)) / ((2-2));
is any number larger than 1; and
f
C
(x) = {1 + ((x-1)/Sqrt[
2
(1-x)
2
+
2
] ) }

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It is imperative to ensure that the conical VDF is compatible with BPR functions. This is described as follows:

The differential calculus of conical VDF, f
C
(x) >0 showing that f
c
(x) is strictly increasing;
At capacity (x=1), t=2 to and at zero volume (x=0), t=to as is the case with BPR function;
It is very desirable that the derivative of the delay function is increasing. f
C
(x) exist and is strictly increasing
function which is evident as the second derivative of f
c
(x) is positive; and
f
C
(1) = . is similar to the exponent in BPR functions, the parameter that defies how sudden the congestion
effects change when the capacity is reached.

Though the conical delay function is very similar to the BPR curve it is considered more computationally efficient
volume delays function.

The conical delay function drops off fairly constantly over lower ranges of v/c ratios and does not increase as
rapidly as the BPR curve at higher v/c ratio ranges. In addition to overcoming all the disadvantages of the BPR
functions, a conical VDF has several additional features which a well behaved congestion function should inherit.
This is discussed as follows:
fC(x) >0 as discussed above and it can be seen that the second term in the fC(x) (using Pythagoras
theorem) lies between -1 and 1. Thus fC(x) < 2. This shows that the steepness of the conical congestion
curve is limited and for large v/c ratios, the congestion behaves as a quasi-linear function, with a gradient that
approaches but never exceeds twice the gradient at capacity. This in turn also limits the values of the volume
delay function not to get too high when considering v/c ratios higher than 1, avoiding the numeric problems
and slowing down of convergence;
It can be seen that fC(0) =/(22 - 2 + 1) which is greater than 1/(2) and hence greater than zero. This
guarantees uniqueness of the link volumes. This makes the assignment stable regarding small coding errors
in travel time and distributes volumes on competing uncongested paths proportional to their capacity; and
The evaluation of fc(x) does not take more computing time than evaluation of the corresponding BPR
functions due to simple calculations (2 multiplications, 1 square root and 4 additions) involved in conical VDF
as compared to more complex calculations (2 transcendentals, 1 multiplication and 1 addition) needed to
compute the BPR type function. Also for a given value of , the values of and 2 are constants that can be
evaluated once ahead of time.

Figures C3 and C4 illustrate the difference between BPR and conical functions using the same input parameters.

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Figure C3: BPR Parameters Using HCM Procedures

Figure C4: Conical Functions Using the Similar Parameters as BPR

Figure C4 shows that below the capacity conical functions are slightly more sensitive to the changes in traffic
flows than BPR and moreover unlike BPR the curve does not rise abruptly beyond capacity.

0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
10.00
0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00
T
i
m
e

[
x
*
t
0
]
max
]
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
10.00
0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00
T
i
m
e

[
x
*
t
0
]
max
]
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C.2.2.3 Akcel ik Curve

Akcelik (1991) developed a speed flow curve based on traffic queuing theory, which was considered as having a
better theoretical basis than the BPR curve. The Akcelik curve also meets the requirements for a well behaved
volume delay function set out by Spiess. The Akcelik curve offers more flexibility for the speed at capacity which
could be higher or lower than half the free flow speed depending on the J
A
parameters. However, the curve is
quite steep when the flow is approaching capacity, particularly for the low values of J
A
recommended for freeway.
The function is described as below:

For a given capacity, the shape of the curve is governed by J
A
parameters.

The delay parameter J
A
is a function of the number of delay causing elements in the section of road and the
variability of the demand. Akcelic suggests lower values of J
A
for freeways and coordinated signal systems. Higher
values apply to secondary roads and isolated intersections.

A study by Sinclair Knight McKenzie in 1998 recommended the following parameters J
A
values:
J
A
=0.1 for freeway (equivalent to motorway);
J
A
=0.2- 0.3 for highway; and
J
A
=0.6 to 1.6 for arterial and local roads.

Dowling investigated the comparative accuracy and model run time performance of the BPR and Akcelic curves
and found that the Akcelic curve results in significantly improved traffic assignment run times and provides more
accurate speed estimates over a range of demand conditions than the standard BPR curve.

Figure C5 shows a typical set of Akcelik curves for speeds on freeways at differing volume/capacity ratios with
alternative J
A
factors defined.

( ) ( )
parameter delay the
(veh/hr) capacity
(vol/cap) saturation of degree the
(hours) period flow the
(kph) distance unit per time travel flow free
(hrs/km) distance unit per time travel average
:
8 1 1 25 . 0
0
2
0
=
=
=
=
=
=
+ + + =
A
A
J
Q
x
T
t
t
Where
x
QT
J
x x T t t
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Figure C5: Akcelik Curve Effect of J A Factors

The effect of altering the J
A
factors is to adjust the profile of speeds between free flow and at capacity conditions.
Low values of J
A
represent minimal friction effects and imply the absence of junctions along the route. This results
in traffic speeds remaining close to free flow speeds almost up to around 85% of the capacity and then decreasing
dramatically as the link reaches and exceeds capacity.
Increasing the J
A
factors reflects the increased presence of junctions and other friction factors along the link
whereby traffic speeds begin to decrease even at low flow volumes. By the time 85% of the capacity flow has
been reached speeds have decreased by a third.

Converting the Akcelik speed flow relationship into a volume delay curve, Figure 2.6, shows the dramatic nature of
the increase in the modelled delay once capacity is reached.

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Figure C6: Akcelik Curve Volume Delay

The Akcelik curves all demonstrate this same property of a steep rise in delays at and above capacity which
reflects reality as flow breakdown occurs and queuing becomes commonplace with the resultant long delays. The
implications of this with the assignment modelling is that the curves result in more realistic assigned volumes with
over capacity volumes minimised across the network due to the implied high travel times associated with them.

The determination of appropriate J
A
factors is paramount. Coefficients should be chosen to best reflect the local
operating conditions and represent friction effects such as frontage access, parking, pedestrian crossings, bus
stops, and junctions. The profiles of the curves between free flow and 90% of capacity have a significant influence
on traffic assignments.

C.2.2.4 COBA Speed/Flow Rel ati onships

In the UK the DfT COBA speed flow curves have formed the basis of transport modelling and appraisal for many
years and while the curves are not continuous functions they have proved to be robust in their representation of
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traffic speeds on different road types. Figure C7 shows typical COBA speed/flow curves for a variety of road
definitions.

Figure C7: Typical COBA Speed/Flow Curves Rural Roads

While the figures above indicate minimum speed cut-offs this is primarily applied in economic appraisal and in
their application in transport models a curve is usually applied for flows beyond the capacity flag Qc to reflect
rapidly increasing delays.

The important point to make with regard to the COBA curves is that their form is in effect similar to that of the
Akcelik curves. For example, taking a Dual 3 lane motorway, there is a period where the decrease in speed with
increasing flow is relatively small but this is followed with a steeper slope which results in speeds at 85% of Qc
that are around 20% lower than the free flow speed. A similar profile is observed in Figure 2.5 for the Akcelik
curves in the period up to the capacity of the link.

The COBA curves are presented here mainly to illustrate how the Akcelik curves with differing J
A
values can be
seen to have similar profiles.

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C.2.2.5 Summary

In light of the above evidence and their flexibility to be applied across all road types, including urban and rural
links, we propose to use the Akcelic curves to represent the volume delay relationships on the highway network in
Abu Dhabi Emirate.

The curves have to represent two core scenarios within the network namely:
Links where the downstream junction delay is being separately modelled through the junction modelling
routines; and
Links where junctions are not being modelled.

C.3 Proposed Akcelik curves for links in Abu Dhabi Emirate

For the Abu Dhabi New model we propose the use of original set of J
A
parameters calibrated by SKM in 1998 for
each link type and published in their report Review and Update of the Speed/Flow Curves and Road Link Types
in the Melbourne Strategic Highway Model, 1998, for the Department of Infrastructure, Melbourne.

The proposed link type definition for Abu Dhabi model and the corresponding J
A
parameter for each link type are
shown in Table C3.

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Table C3 - Capacity and J A Parameter for Akcelik Curves for Each Link Type
Index Road Type
Link
Type
Lane
Capacity -
Kerb Lane
Lane
Capacity -
Outer Lane
Speed
(kph)
Ja
Factor
1 Expressway 1 2000 2000 120 0.1
2 Expressway 2 2000 2000 100 0.1
3 Expressway 3 2000 2000 80 0.1
4 Major Arterial 4 1750 1800 120 0.3
5 Major Arterial 5 1750 1800 100 0.3
6 Major Arterial 6 1750 1800 80 0.3
7 Major Arterial 7 1750 1800 60 0.4
8 Major Arterial (constrained) 8 1150 1200 100 0.3
11 Tunnel 11 1750 1800 80 0.5
12 Arterial 12 1750 1800 60 0.6
13 Arterial (High friction) 13 1750 1800 60 0.8
14 Arterial (constrained) 14 1050 1100 60 0.6
15 Major Collector 20 950 1000 60 1
16 Major Collector 21 950 1000 50 1
17 Major Collector (constrained) 22 650 700 60 1
18 Major Collector (constrained) 23 650 700 50 1
19 Collector 24 750 800 50 1.3
20 Collector 25 750 800 40 1.3
21 Collector (constrained) 26 450 500 50 1.6
22 Collector (constrained) 27 450 500 40 1.6
23 Local Road 28 450 500 40 1.6
24 Access Road 29 350 400 30 2
25 Ramp (Expressway - straight) 30 1450 1500 80 0.8
26 Ramp (Expressway - clover) 31 1150 1200 60 0.8
27 Ramp (Local) 32 1150 1200 40 0.8
28 Turn Lane 33 1150 1200 80 1
29 Turn Lane 34 1150 1200 60 1
30 Turn Lane 35 1150 1200 40 1
31 Roadworks 36 1450 1500 60 1.2
32 Roadworks 37 1150 1200 40 1.2
33 Roadworks 38 1150 1200 30 1.2
34 Truck Road 39 1350 1400 80 0.6
35 Signalised J n Approach 40 1800 1800 50 0.1
36 Signalised J n RT Slip Road 41 1200 1200 50 0.1
37 Signalised J n U Turn Link 42 300 300 50 1.6
38 Dummy Link for Five Arm Link 43 99999 99999 50 0.1
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Index Road Type
Link
Type
Lane
Capacity -
Kerb Lane
Lane
Capacity -
Outer Lane
Speed
(kph)
Ja
Factor
39 Mid Block U Turn 44 1000 1000 50 1.6
40 Bus only Link 60 99999 99999 60 0
41 Regional Train Link 61 99999 99999 160 0
42 Metro Train Link 62 99999 99999 50 0
43 LRT only Link 63 99999 99999 45 0
44 Tram only Link 64 99999 99999 40 0
45 Ferry 65 99999 99999 35 0
46 Personal Rapid Transit 66 99999 99999 40 0
47 PT Walk link only 70 99999 99999 4.5 0
48
Walk link between Park and Ride and
Gate 71 99999 99999 4.5 0
49 Walk link between Gate and PT node 72 99999 99999 4.5 0
50 Assisted Walk Link only 73 99999 99999 4.5 0
51 Centroid Connector 99 99999 99999 40 0
52 Future year link 100 0 0 0 0

The shape of the Akcelic graphs using the J
A
parameter, capacities and speeds outlined in Table C3 for each link
type is shown in the Figures below. The figures below should be read along with Table C.3.

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0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5
S
p
e
e
d

(
K
m
/
H
r
)
Volume/Capacity Ratio
All
Expressway 120kph
Expressway 100kph
Expressway 80kph
Major Arterials 120kph
Major Arterials 100kph (constrained)
Tunnel
Arterial
Arterial (High friction)
Arterial (constrained)
Major Collectors 60kph
Major Collectors 50kph
Major Collectors 60kph (constrained)
Major Collectors 50kph (constrained)
Collectors 50kph
Collectors 40kph
Collectors 50kph (constrained)
Collectors 40kph (constrained)
Local Road
Access Road
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0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
0
.
0
0
.
1
0
.
2
0
.
3
0
.
4
0
.
5
0
.
6
0
.
7
0
.
8
0
.
9
1
.
0
1
.
1
1
.
2
1
.
3
1
.
4
1
.
5
S
p
e
e
d

(
k
m
/
h
r
)

Expressways
120kph 100kph 80kph
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0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
0
.
0
0
.
1
0
.
2
0
.
3
0
.
4
0
.
5
0
.
6
0
.
7
0
.
8
0
.
9
1
.
0
1
.
1
1
.
2
1
.
3
1
.
4
1
.
5
S
p
e
e
d

(
k
m
/
h
r
)

Major Arterials
120kph 100kph 80kph
60kph 100kph (constrained) 80kph (constrained)
60kph (constrained)
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0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
0
.
0
0
.
1
0
.
2
0
.
3
0
.
4
0
.
5
0
.
6
0
.
7
0
.
8
0
.
9
1
.
0
1
.
1
1
.
2
1
.
3
1
.
4
1
.
5
S
p
e
e
d

(
k
m
/
h
r
)

Tunnel
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0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
.
0
0
.
1
0
.
2
0
.
3
0
.
4
0
.
5
0
.
6
0
.
7
0
.
8
0
.
9
1
.
0
1
.
1
1
.
2
1
.
3
1
.
4
1
.
5
S
p
e
e
d

(
k
m
/
h
r
)

Arterials
Arterial Arterial (High friction) Arterial (constrained)
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0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
.
0
0
.
1
0
.
2
0
.
3
0
.
4
0
.
5
0
.
6
0
.
7
0
.
8
0
.
9
1
.
0
1
.
1
1
.
2
1
.
3
1
.
4
1
.
5
S
p
e
e
d

(
k
m
/
h
r
)

Major Collectors
60kph 50kph 60kph (constrained) 50kph (constrained)
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0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0
.
0
0
.
1
0
.
2
0
.
3
0
.
4
0
.
5
0
.
6
0
.
7
0
.
8
0
.
9
1
.
0
1
.
1
1
.
2
1
.
3
1
.
4
1
.
5
S
p
e
e
d

(
k
m
/
h
r
)

Collectors
50kph 40kph 50kph (constrained) 40kph (constrained)
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0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
0
.
0
0
.
1
0
.
2
0
.
3
0
.
4
0
.
5
0
.
6
0
.
7
0
.
8
0
.
9
1
.
0
1
.
1
1
.
2
1
.
3
1
.
4
1
.
5
S
p
e
e
d

(
k
m
/
h
r
)

Local and Access
Local Road Access Road
AECOM
The Towers at the Trade Centre
West Tower, Level 7
PO Box 53
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
T +971 2 410 9400
F +971 2 410 9401
E marketing.middleeast@aecom.com
W www.aecom.com

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social environments

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March 2012 Abu Dhabi Department of Transport

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