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The current release version, code named DRACULA-MARS (Microscopic Analysis of Road Systems), includes only the traffic model of DRACULA. This version is designed primarily for existing SATURN users who can combine the SATURN route assignment with DRACULA traffic micro-simulation for detailed network design and/or short-term forecasting. Hence route assignment is an input exogenous to the model.

Within MARS, however, there are functions for choice of departure-time to be modelled (see Section §5.3), and a wide range of network variability and traffic dynamics. These include modelling of: (a) variability in network demand (such as daily fluctuation in demand and temporal distribution of demand) and supply conditions (such as those due to weather and incidents); (b) many dynamic phenomena, such as congestion build-up, blocking back, gap-acceptance and merge, more realistically; (c) complex traffic controls such as flared approach, shared lane and dynamic responsive traffic signal controls; (d) public transport operation and bus priority measures; (e) dynamic traffic demand management measures (such as congestion pricing). Through its animation, MARS gives a graphical representation of the network performance.

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