TRL Mova 3.1.2.439

Originally designed by TRL during the 1980s, MOVA is now a very well established strategy for the control of traffic light signals at isolated junctions. It can also be used at stand-alone pedestrian crossing, i.e. Puffin and Pelicans. Over 4000 sites have been equipped with MOVA with each year seeing around another 250 installations. MOVA is now often deployed as a linked scheme.
MOVA is designed to cater for the full range of traffic conditions, from very low flows through to a junction that is overloaded. For the major part of the range - before congestion occurs, MOVA operates in a delay minimising mode; if any approach becomes overloaded, the system switches to a capacity maximising procedure. MOVA is also able to operate at a wide range of junctions, from the very simple 'shuttle-working', to large, multi-phase multi-lane sites.
MOVA is particularly well suited to the following:
Sites with high traffic flow, particularly where these are seasonal or intermittent (for instance, motorway diversion routes and holiday routes).
Sites experiencing capacity difficulties under VA control with congestion on one or more approaches.
Sites with high speed approaches and/or red compliance problems.
Where additional capacity is required to allow pedestrian facilities or safer staging structure to be introduced.
Where more than one junction is situated too close to be considered as isolated, there are ways in which two or more junctions can be linked by the use of MOVA control. Partially or even fully signalised roundabouts are a good example of a MOVA linking opportunity.
Puffin crossings where the call-cancel demands from kerbside detectors can be dealt with correctly and the identification of gaps in traffic can be considerably more effective than D-system VA.
MOVA is being used by almost all Authorities who have responsibility for traffic signals, and is a requirement on new signal installations and major refurbishments on trunk roads. MOVA can be used in conjunction with any controller conforming to Departmental Specification TR2500 and it is available in one of the following forms:
Add-on unit that connects to the controller via the standard UTC interface,
'Semi integral' where MOVA and the Controller are separate but have a dedicated communication link,
Integral where the MOVA kernel software is incorporated into the Controller (although MOVA still effectively remains a separate component).

MOVA Tools Simulation
A major new feature (added in version 2.0 of MOVA Tools) allows simple simulation of a MOVA site using the configuration data and additional simulation data such as flow sources and exit lane "segments" (as they are known). The simulation allows the user to visually analyse the traffic flow and the impact of site configuration data on MOVA behaviour.

The simulator is very simple and can be used to effectively "exercise" MOVA in a reasonably realistic environment. It is sufficient to test the basics of MOVA data and junction operation allowing engineers to identify MOVA data issues prior to arriving at site. The simulation can also answer many questions on how MOVA will behave, particularly in unusual circumstances, but cannot be used to validate MOVA for the site under test.

Up to 10 junctions can be simulated in a single file and facilities are available for phase confirms to be passed between junctions to allow linking.

The site configuration data elements in MOVA Tools provide information required to create MOVA configuration data for a given site. In order to simulate the site, new simulation entities and data elements are required to allow the simulation model to be built. The new entities and data elements will be used for simulation purposes only and are not part of the site configuration data the forms the ".mds" file.