A transportation network evacuation model

This paper describes NETVACl, a model for simulating the traffic pattern during an emergency evacuation. The development of the model has been motivated by the need to estimate network clearance time for areas surrounding nuclear power plant sites, and the model has been applied in this context. NETVACl is a macro traffic simulation model sensitive to network topology, intersection design and control, and a wide array of evacuation management strategies. The model can handle large networks at modest computational costs and includes many reporting options. The paper includes a review of other approaches used to model evacuations and estimate network clearance times, a description of the structure and logic of the model and some computational experience.