Evaluation of the psychophysical behavior of cyclists in the calibration and validation processes using the Wiedemann and Social Force microsimulation models

The psychophysical movement of cyclists is represented by the psychological force which is composed of attraction and repulsion; and physical force, which manifests through contact and friction. In the Vissim software, it is possible to simulate cyclists by using the Wiedemann and Social Force models. However, both models are focused on analyzing exclusively the operational behavior of vehicles and pedestrians respectively. Misrepresenting the behavior of a user through a simulation can generate dispersion in the results and reports of the software that affect the calibration and validation processes. This article evaluates the Wiedemann and Social Force models in a roundabout, located in a commercial area in the city of Lima, with the purpose to validate which mathematical model represents more accurately the psychophysical movement of cyclists in Vissim software. As a result of the research, the following variables were obtained in the Social Force model: Tau = 0.2, Lambda = 1.0 and Noise = 1. Likewise, in the Wiedemann model it was possible to represent cyclists with the variables: Ax=0.5, Bxadd =2.5 and Bxmult=2.0. As a result, it was obtained that, in Social Force there is a dispersion of 0.60% and 1.50% in calibration and validation respectively. In the same way, in the Wiedemann model a dispersion of 2.34% and 3.30% was obtained with respect to the real travel times. This indicates that the Social Force simulates with greater precision the cyclists and would be the most recommended mathematical model to represent the psychophysical behavior of cyclists.