Attributes of areas

Area behavior type

Desired speed factor

Factor for changing the desired speed of all pedestrians within the area, standard value 100 %, value range 10 % to 300 %.

With the desired speed factor you can reduce the desired speed in the respective area, if the pedestrians move slower compared to their original desired speed, for example to take into account traveling on rough terrain or crossing a road very carefully.

With the desired speed factor you can increase the desired speed in the respective area, if the pedestrians move faster compared to their original desired speed, for example when they cross a road very quickly.

If areas overlap, Vissim applies the following rules to determine the area whose desired speed factor is used:

• The area with the higher vertical position is preferred. This position results from the z coordinate of the level and the z offset of the area.
• The area whose default value has been changed to 100% of the desired speed factor is preferred.
• The smaller area is perferred.
• The area with the lower number is preferred.

If an area behavior type is selected for the area, its desired speed is multiplied by the desired speed factor.

Time distribution

TmDistr: Time distribution is assigned to pedestrians entering the area based on their strategic route.

Time distributions in areas with pedestrian input affect pedestrians entering the network in that area. The time distribution does not apply if the area is a waiting area for an elevator group or a waiting area for public transport usage.

For pedestrian areas with PT usage of the type Platform edge, you can define a minimum dwell time via the allocation of a time distribution. PT vehicles depart once the minimum dwell time runs out.

The PT vehicles depart once all alighting passengers have exited. This also applies for a minimum dwell time = 0. Optionally you can activate the option Late boarding possible for each line stop (Calculating dwell time with PTV Viswalk).

Waiting time is relative to the start of simulation

WaitTimeIsRelToStartSim: If a time distribution is selected for the area and the pedestrian route has a route location within the area, the pedestrian will be allocated a waiting period from the time distribution as soon as he/she enters the area. The waiting period can refer to the following points in time:

• If this option is selected, the waiting time refers to the simulation start. The pedestrian continues on his/her route as soon as the simulation second corresponds to the time of the time distribution. If the simulation second has already exceeded the time of the time distribution when the pedestrian enters the area, the pedestrian immediately continues on his/her pedestrian route.
•  If this option is not selected, the waiting time refers to time when the pedestrian enters the area.

This option cannot be selected, if the Is queue attribute is selected.

Queues section

Is queue

IsQueue: Attribute for the waiting behavior on pedestrian areas which are the destination or intermediate point of a route.

 If this option is selected, queuing pedestrians build a queue during their dwell time. If no time distribution is allocated, the positioning only occurs for a few seconds. The positioning depends on the orientation vector, which is created when you define the area. In wireframe view, the vector is displayed as a dashed line with an arrowhead.

Define the desired queue behavior in the list on the Area Behavior tab for the queue and assign the desired pedestrian class.

This option cannot be selected if the Waiting time is relative to the start of simulation attribute is selected.

Approaching method

Method used to calculate how pedestrians approach the end of a queue.

• Direct line: Pedestrians approach the end of the queue in a direct line. This method requires only minimal computing time. However, pedestrians may be permanently blocked by obstacles.
• Static potential: Pedestrians approach the end of the queue up to the distance defined in the attribute Queue approaching direct line radius based on a static potential. This allows pedestrians to circumvent the obstacles, taking the shortest path possible. Within this radius, they walk the remaining distance to the end of the queue in a direct line. The static potential is calculated based on the position of the pedestrian standing at the end of the queue. Viswalk checks this position with each time step. If the position changes, the static potential is re-calculated. This method allows pedestrians to pass through obstacles.

In queues that Viswalk automatically generates next to PT vehicles and elevators, pedestrians always approach the end of the queue in direct line.

Approaching direct line radius

QueueApproachingDirectLineRadius: Radius around the current end of the queue within which the method Direct line is used. Outside this radius, the selected queue approaching method is used. Default 2.0 m

Queue spacing choice

QueueSpcChoice: Principle of selecting the distance between pedestrians in the queue.

• Default: The spacing between two adjacent pedestrians increases from the queue head to the end of the queue.
• Fixed: Enables the Spacing (QueueSpc) field: Constant value for the spacing between two adjacent pedestrians in the queue. Default value: 1.50 m

Evaluation active

Usage

Usage of area in PT:

• None: Area not used for PT
• Waiting area: Location, in which the pedestrians wait, in order to board at the allocated public transport stop in the desired PT transport line. When the area is allocated at least one public transport stop, select for the pedestrians an arbitrary point in the waiting area where they are waiting for the next PT vehicle. Default color for the waiting area: blue.
• Platform edge: Location, to which pedestrians go, when they alight from their PT vehicle to the allocated public transport stop. Alighting passengers will always use the nearest platform edge. Afterwards, they follow the routing decision, which is placed on this area. If there is no routing decision defined for this area, the pedestrians are removed from the Vissim network. For a platform edge, a width of at least 2 m is required. An area of the type Polygon, which serves as a platform edge, can be generated automatically with a public transport stop (Adding platform edges). You can select the side and thus specify on which side of the PT stop boarding is allowed (Attributes of PT stops). A platform edge can be allocated to multiple PT stops. Default color for the platform edge: pink.

As soon as you allocate public transport usage with the attribute Waiting area or Platform edge and a public transport stop with the attribute for public transport stop(s) to the area, Vissim checks whether boarding volumes are defined for this stop. If no boarding volumes are defined, Vissim enters default data in the Public transport stop window on the Boarding volumes tab.

for PT stop(s)

Allocating one or more public transport stops to the area. The area must be a Waiting area or a Platform edge.

As soon as you select a PT stop and confirm the entries with OK, Vissim changes the following data of the PT stops affected (Attributes of PT stops):

• For the Areas attribute, the number of areas with the selected attribute Public transport usage is entered.
• For the Pedestrians as passengers attribute, the option is selected.
• In the Boarding Passengers tab, a line with data is created.

Boarding passenger choice

Only relevant for areas with Waiting area usage to which several stops are assigned. When boarding passengers enter the public transport waiting area, they choose either the public transport line only or the public transport line and stop from which they board for boarding the next vehicle:

• PT line only: boarding passengers board the next vehicle of their public transport line that stops at one of the stops assigned to the area.
• PT line and PT stop: boarding passengers choose a stop assigned to the area and board the next vehicle of their public transport line that stops there.

Waiting position distance distribution

DistPTWaitPosDistr: Distance distribution for waiting position selection when pedestrians enter the area. Under the attribute Usage , the option Waiting area must be selected for the area. The pedestrians are not distributed evenly across the area, but with different levels of density. The area attribute Waiting area minimum spacing is taken into account. Pedestrians avoid parts of the area where density is too high and then disperse to other parts.

For example, you can model different distance to PT waiting position distributions, depending on access to the platform. To do so, place attribute decisions at the access points that set an individual distance to PT waiting position distribution for each pedestrian. In the attribute decision, you can also create a formula that selects a distance distribution and assigns it to a pedestrian type or class.

Boarding location

As a standard, for pedestrian areas with Public transport usage for the Boarding location the option Nearest door is used. Alternatively, for the door selection when boarding, you can allocate a location distribution after the queuing boarding passengers have distributed for the boarding at the doors of the PT vehicle (Using location distributions for boarding and alighting passengers in PT).

Waiting area for elevator group

Waiting behavior

PTWaitBehav: Waiting behavior of pedestrians in public transport or elevator waiting areas:

• Wait at fixed location: Prevents pedestrians from waiting outside the waiting area. Each pedestrian attempts to reach his randomly determined waiting position in the waiting area before he stops to wait for the next public transport vehicle or the next elevator. If, in the case of a boarding passenger, a relevant PT vehicle has arrived at the public transport stop or the next elevator has arrived, this pedestrian is no longer routed to a randomly determined position at the waiting area. Instead, the pedestrian tries to go directly to the PT vehicle or elevator as soon as he reaches the waiting area, provided that the public transport vehicle or elevator has an additional dwell time of at least two more seconds.
• Wait if held up: Pedestrians may stop and wait as soon as they are in the waiting area, their speed in the time step is 0.4 m/s or slower and they have already been in the Vissimnetwork for at least four time steps. This waiting behavior can cause unrealistic jams in the simulation because queuing pedestrians create a permanent obstacle. To avoid this, you have the following options:
• Instead, select the Wait at fixed location attribute.
• Specify a waiting area that is sufficiently large.
• Specify several small waiting areas that will allow you to achieve a better spacial distribution of waiting pedestrians.
• If the waiting area is sufficiently large, you can specify an additional intermediate destination in the waiting area as an alternative or in addition to the two previous options, from which the pedestrians then position themselves within the waiting area.
• You can also use the Dynamic Potential for destinations in waiting areas (Dynamic potential). This causes pedestrians who are already queuing to be more aware of the incoming pedestrians and to choose their paths respectively. The dynamic potential can extend the calculation time.

Waiting position approach method

Method according to which pedestrians in a waiting area move towards a waiting position

• Direct line: Pedestrians approach the waiting position in a waiting area in a direct line. This method requires only minimal computing time. However, pedestrians may be permanently blocked by obstacles.
• Potential: Pedestrians approach a waiting position in a waiting area based on the static potential. The potential is calculated as soon as pedestrians reach the waiting area. Then they move along the potential gradient to the waiting position, up to a certain distance that is calculated based on the cell size. This allows pedestrians to circumvent the obstacles, taking the shortest path possible. If the distance of the pedestrians to the waiting position is less than the diagonal of the cell size, they move to the waiting position in a direct line. If they are pushed back from this distance, they start moving again based on the static potential. If an elevator door opens or a PT vehicle stops, pedestrians will immediately move towards them.
• Cell size: Edge length of a grid mesh used for the calculation of distances to the destination area with the static or dynamic potential (Defining global model parameters). Default 0.15 m.
• Obstacle distance: Distance up to which the nearby walls have an impact on the distance potential (Defining global model parameters). Default 0.5 m.

Waiting area minimum spacing

WaitAreaMinSpc: Minimum spacing between pedestrians within the waiting area as long as there is sufficient free space. Default 0.00 m

If the waiting area is too small for the entered minimum spacing, Viswalk falls below the minimum spacing.

z-offset

Z-offset: Vertical offset > 0.000 along the z axis up to the specified edge for the 3D display of the area. z = 0 is the floor on which the pedestrians walk (A in the figure below)

• If Thickness > offset, the floor rises in 3D from below 0
• If Thickness < offset, the floor seems to float in 3D

Thickness

Thickness of area for the 3D display (B in the figure below). Not relevant for the simulation.

Thickness > 0 for an area reduces the clearance displayed below the area in the 3D view because the thickness of the ceiling is not considered when calculating the length of the opening or the ramp foot from the clearance height.

Area left (green): A = offset top, B = thickness

Obstacle right (red): C = offset bottom, D = height

Individual pedestrians

(ShowIndivPeds): This option is considered if the pedestrian attribute Show individual pedestrians is selected.

•  Select this option to show individual pedestrians in the area during the simulation. If for a coordinate there is contradictory data on multiple areas, the area setting with the smallest surface area is applied.
•  If this option is not selected, aggregated data is shown in the simulation and not individual pedestrians. This way, you can also visualize underpasses or tunnel sections, for example.

Show classified values

Classified values ShowClsfValues: This option is considered if the pedestrian attribute Show classified values is selected. Then the global LOS scheme for this area can be ignored for the area-based LOS display (Using LOS schemes for showing aggregated pedestrian values).

•  If the option is selected, classified values are displayed in the area during the simulation (Assigning a color to areas based on aggregated parameters (LOS))
•  If the option is not selected, no classified values are displayed in the area during the simulation.

Label

 If this option is not selected, the label for the area is not displayed, even if label for all areas is selected.

Always use as origin area

AlwUseAsOrig: Origin areas are considered to be origins (rows) in the pedestrian OD matrix (Selecting origins and destinations in the Pedestrian OD Matrix).

 If the option is selected, the area is displayed as the origin in the Pedestrian OD matrix.

 If the option is not selected, the area is included in the matrix as an origin if at least one pedestrian input and at most one static routing decision are specified for it.

Always use as destination area

AlwUseAsDest: Destination areas are taken into account as destinations (columns) in the pedestrian OD matrix (Selecting origins and destinations in the Pedestrian OD Matrix).

 If this option is selected, the area in the Pedestrian OD matrix is shown as a destination.

 If this option is not selected, the area in the Pedestrian OD matrix is included as a destination if a static route from an origin area ends on it.