The Parma University Campus as major trip attractor. Traffic microsimulation for modelling vehicle access scenarios

University campuses are multi-modal and major trip attractors, facing strong interactions of several transport modes within a unique system. Although campuses may share common features, they have different transport needs. The development of policies that encourage active mobility and transit service and the improvement of road infrastructures are main strategies to accomplish sustainable transportation goals. While many universities devote efforts to reducing drive-alone commute trips, private vehicles often remain the most affordable and convenient choice for many employees and students. In addition to discourage or apply strict restrictions to vehicular traffic, the optimization of the inbound and outbound flows is a necessary approach to reduce congestion and safety issues on and near campus Micro-simulation models are increasingly popular for examining these complex traffic problems at detail level, emulating traffic behavior in a transport network over time and space to predict a system performance. In this perspective, the article describes the case study of the mitigation of motorized traffic problems of the University Campus of Parma (Italy), which is implementing multiple sustainability strategies towards modal shift to non-motorized systems and optimization of public transport. Specifically, a traffic micro-simulation modelling was implemented to study the vehicle access at the main entrance to the Campus delimited area from the public road network via a multi-lane roundabout. Different scenarios, that do not involve any investment in infrastructure but only interventions in the management of the scheduled educational activities and services, were presented for increasing the users’ safety and level of service. Following a description of the software calibration process and its validation to match the locally observed conditions, some operational solutions based on the re-planning of the lesson timetable were presented to reduce the current congestion levels within the campus and in its vicinity during peak hours.