The purpose of this paper is to study and evaluate the effects of different road network changes on traffic conditions, based on measured stream characteristics and computer-based modelling. The studied perimeter is situated at the Western edge of the city of Cluj Napoca, Romania, on the borderline between urban and suburban areas. At the moment, the European E60 road is the only functional road link which connects the city to the Western suburb of Florești. Population increase and suburban expansion led to high traffic volumes, especially during the morning and afternoon commuting peak hours. As traffic is expected to further increase in the future, we conducted this comparative study to see which solution would have the best impact on traffic conditions in the studied area.The traffic data we used was collected by a high-speed weigh-in-motion system, installed on the studied E60 road link. We used this real measured data to make a 15-years traffic forecast, based on Romanian regulations. After observing that road capacity has already started to be exceeded during peak hours, we studied two possible traffic flow improvement scenarios. In order to obtain a better look on the impact of the proposed measures, we studied a broader area, including parts of the adjacent neighbourhoods. The computer-based transport modelling and traffic assignment was done using Citilabs’ Cube Voyager software. After setting up the road network and modelling the existing situation, we evaluated the impact of each scenario on the traffic volumes, route assignments and travel times. Results show the differences between the existing traffic conditions and the proposed possible future scenarios, which could be adopted to improve the level of service of the streets in the studied area. In the end, we reached a conclusion regarding the recommended solution.

peak hours; weigh-in-motion; transport modelling; volume; travel time