Validation of Traffic Simulation Models Based on the Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram

Urban traffic simulation models could benefit significantly from new validation methods with potential to reduce the time-consuming calibration and validation work needed before application of the model to evaluate city infrastructure or policy implementations. Current practice is to validate simulation models locally through comparison with point flow measurements and travel times on some important routes. However, for many applications, the level of congestion in an entire area is important. During the last decade, several studies have found empirical evidence of a relation between flow and density on city district level, the existence of a so-called macroscopic fundamental diagram (MFD). This paper shows how the MFD can be used to validate results from a traffic simulation model for a city district. Furthermore, the paper shows empirical results for Stockholm, Sweden.