Paper mill planning game

How it works:

1. Distribute the area: Choose one or more uses and distribute the area in steps of half a hectare. Part of the area is reserved for roads and paths.
2. Set the access points: Today access is possible in the south and in the middle; a new one in the north is conceivable.
3. View the result: How much additional traffic arises – and when? For every hour of the week the map shows which roads would be additionally loaded and how heavily, and where traffic already often backs up at that time today.
4. Compare and share: Compare two variants side by side and share your variant via a link.

How it is calculated: So that very different uses can be compared, the planning game converts all traffic into passenger car units (PCU). Depending on its size, a lorry counts as one and a half to two and a half cars, because it needs more space and accelerates more slowly. The traffic volumes per hectare are based on guideline values from transport planning and are derived from comprehensible parameters – such as employees, residents, customers or vehicles per hectare. The calculation is shown for each use under “Assumptions & method”.

Outlook: At present the planning game shows how much additional traffic arises, where and when, and whether it meets roads that already often back up at that time today. As a next step it will also estimate how speeds on the affected roads change. Because the measurements so far fall into the period of the A8 roadworks near Rohrdorf (planned until 20 November 2026), weeks of measurements under normal conditions are to be included – expected from mid-December. After that, the estimate will automatically become more accurate with every additional week of measurements.

Important: This is a planning game for comparing variants, not a traffic study. The starting situation comes from the measurements of the traffic map, which has been updated every 15 minutes since 2 October 2026 – the longer measurement continues, the more meaningful the planning game becomes. Please note: the planning game itself is currently only available in German.

Method & sources

The traffic volume of each use is estimated in the way that is customary in transport planning:

• Passenger traffic = persons per hectare × presence × trips per person × share by car ÷ persons per car
• Vehicle traffic = vehicles per hectare × trips per vehicle × PCU factor (van 1.0 · small lorry 1.5 · lorry 2.0 · articulated lorry 2.5)
• plus surcharges for visitors, tradespeople and delivery services and, for retail, a deduction for customers who would pass by anyway

Each parameter has a range, from which the intensities “low”, “medium” and “high” result. A daily profile distributes the traffic over the hours of the week, directional shares over the destinations (A8, A93, Rosenheim, Inn Valley, Neubeuern, town). The routes there come from OpenStreetMap. On each road section the additional traffic is compared with the capacity of the road and combined with the measured conditions at the same hour.

Guideline values after:

• D. Bosserhoff: Estimating the traffic volume generated by urban land-use planning projects (programme “Ver_Bau”)
• Road and Transportation Research Association (FGSV): Guidance on estimating the traffic volume of area types
• FGSV: Handbook for the Design of Road Traffic Facilities (HBS) – passenger car units
• Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport: Mobility in Germany (MiD) – trips per person and mode choice in rural areas

Not modelled are diversion traffic, what happens at individual junctions and traffic lights, and a shift to bus, rail or bicycle. This is why the planning game is suited to comparing variants, not to absolute statements. Measurement data: TomTom · Map and routes: © OpenStreetMap contributors.