TRESIS (Transport and Environmental Strategy Impact Simulator): Application to a Case Study in NE Sydney

Abstract

This paper presents an integrated microsimulation urban passenger transport model system (TRESIS) for evaluating the impact of a large number of interrelated policy instruments on urban travel behavior and the environment. The model system has four integrated modules defining household location and automobile choices, commuter workplace and commuting travel choices, non-commuting travel activity, and worker distributed work practices. The demand model system, estimated as a set of discrete and continuous choice models, is combined with a set of equilibrating criteria in each of the location, automobile and commuting markets to predict overall demand for passenger travel in various socio-economic segments, automobile classes and geographic locations. The current version has been developed to operate at a high level of aggregation for the Sydney region, comprising a 14-zone system, with a spider-web network, and is designed to explore the impacts of broad strategic directions. The model system is embedded within a decision support system to make it an attractive suite of tools for practitioners. We illustrate the usefulness of TRESIS to a major investment option in Northeast Sydney, to replace a bottleneck opening bridge with either bridge improvements together with improvements to a number of intersections on the roads serving the region, or several possible tunnel options, including different levels of tolls for the tunnels. The application of TRESIS to this case was considered a success, with the model providing useful outputs on the revenue implications of various alternative tolls, the impacts of the proposals on regional travel, and the likely effects on public transport ridership.