Agent-based simulation framework for mixed traffic of cars, pedestrians and trams

•A new framework used to simulate mixed traffic is proposed.•Interactions among cars, trams, and pedestrians are modeled.•An existing layered road structure is extended to deal with mixed traffic.•Each component of the proposed framework was verified through simple simulations.•The impact of a tramway extension plan for a real city were assessed.

In this paper, we report on the construction of a new framework for simulating mixed traffic consisting of cars, trams, and pedestrians that can be used to support discussions about road management, signal control, and public transit. Specifically, a layered road structure that was designed for car traffic simulations was extended to interact with an existing one-dimensional (1D) car-following model and a two-dimensional (2D) discrete choice model for pedestrians. The car model, pedestrian model, and interaction rules implemented in the proposed framework were verified through simulations involving simple road environments. The resulting simulated values were in near agreement with the empirical data. We then used the proposed framework to assess the impact of a tramway extension plan for a real city. The simulation results showed that the impact of the proposed tramway on existing car traffic would not be serious, and by extension, implied that the proposed framework could help stakeholders decide on expansion scenarios that are satisfactory to both tram users and private car owners.