{"id":23575,"date":"2024-04-30T09:00:33","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T07:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.ptvgroup.com\/?p=23575"},"modified":"2025-07-03T10:01:57","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T08:01:57","slug":"traffic-modeling-for-future-traffic-in-zurich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.ptvgroup.com\/en\/user-insights\/traffic-modeling-for-future-traffic-in-zurich\/","title":{"rendered":"Traffic modeling for future traffic in Zurich"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Zurich is growing! With up to 100,000 new residents and 40,000 new jobs predicted by 2040. \u00a0The new residents and commuters will generate additional traffic. This is a challenge for the Zurich Public Transport Authority (VBZ), which will have to adapt its capacities to the predicted growth with far-sighted network development. An important tool for this is traffic modeling<\/a>, which can be used to show the effect of a particular measure.<\/p>\n

Growth of car traffic not desired<\/h2>\n

The expected additional traffic should be handled exclusively by public transport, walking, and cycling. An increase in motorized private transport is neither possible nor desirable in a densely built-up city \u2013 and is simply not accepted by the population. It is therefore important to promote those modes of transport that can move the greatest number of people using the least amount of space.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”23595″ img_size=”900×500″ add_caption=”yes” onclick=”img_link_large”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]This is where public transport has clear advantages over cars. These advantages can be best exploited if public transport is consistently given priority at intersections and runs on its own routes. If a tram, for example, shares the road with cars, it runs the risk of getting stuck in a traffic jam. This not only increases travel times and reduces reliability, but also decreases the quality of service for passengers. Ultimately, this would result in lower usage and thus failure to achieve the overall transportation policy goal. Public transport plays a central role in Zurich. To keep it that way in the future, we need solutions that can meet the challenges ahead.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]The growth of the City and the desired changes in mobility also pose challenges for us as data and mobility analysts at VBZ. We use our traffic and data technology expertise and various models to provide traffic and service planners with important information about future mobility needs and the impact of expansion measures. To face these challenges, we use a macroscopic traffic model, created with PTV Visum<\/a>. This traffic model was developed by the Mobility Department of the Canton of Zurich in collaboration with the City of Zurich and has proven successful in other projects.<\/p>\n

Macroscopic traffic model required<\/h2>\n

Where is public transport already heavily used and where is it not? Where is a general increase in traffic expected? Where should public transport play a greater role, and where are capacity bottlenecks expected with the existing service?[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”23602″ img_size=”500×500″ add_caption=”yes” onclick=”img_link_large”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]These are common questions that arise at the outset of every project, which can be answered with a comprehensive analysis of the traffic model and existing forecasts. Thanks to the excellent statistical basis provided by the model and other sources, a broad team of experts from various disciplines and external engineering firms were able to outline initial solution concepts for public transport.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

The complete range of traffic demand calculation<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]This team of experts was able to continuously refine the initial and high-level solution approaches and develop concrete network variants, which we tested for their effects using the traffic model. The EVA (passenger demand model) was used, which calculates the complete range of traffic demand with trip generation, mode choice and trip distribution. Questions of particular relevance to VBZ, which were included in the network development strategy 2040, included:<\/p>\n