COMPUTER-CONTROLLED VEHICULAR TRAFFIC

A REVIEW IS PRESENTED OF COMPUTER-CONTROLLED TRAFFIC NETWORKS IN TORONTO, SAN JOSE, WICHITA FALLS; OTHER CITIES, SUCH AS BALTIMORE, NEW HAVEN, HAVE LESS SOPHISTICATED ANALOG OR MASTER CONTROLLER DEVICES. ACCORDING TO LATEST REPORTS, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA IS TENTATIVELY ENTERING THE GROWING LIST OF METROPOLITAN AREAS WHICH ARE INSTALLING DIGITAL TRAFFIC-CONTROL OPERATIONS. EXPERIMENTAL SCHEMES ARE NOW BEING ESTABLISHED IN LONDON AND GLASGOW BY THE ENGLISH ELECTRIC COMPANY. THE OBJECTIVE OF A COMPUTER-CONTROLLED TRAFFIC SYSTEM IS TO MOVE VEHICLES THROUGH CITY STREETS AT AS CLOSE TO MAXIMUM VOLUME AS CAN BE ACHIEVED. THE METRO TORONTO SYSTEM IS DESCRIBED IN DETAIL. THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN THE METRO SYSTEM IS THE INDUCTIVE LOOP DETECTORS, OR SENSORS, BURIED IN THE STREET PAVEMENTS. THE SENSOR IS USUALLY PLACED ABOUT 90 METERS IN ADVANCE OF THE INTERSECTION AND THE CONNECTION TO THE ASSOCIATED ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, WHICH IS SITUATED IN THE INTERSECTION, OR TRAFFIC-CONTROL, BOX, IS MADE BY A COAXIAL CABLE. THE SENSORS INSTALLED THROUGHOUT THE METRO AREA ARE COUPLED BACK TO THE COMPUTER BY THE USE OF SIMPLE TELEMETRY EQUIPMENT AND LINES LEASED FROM BELL TELEPHONE COMPANY. THE COMPLETE CYCLE OF EXAMINING THE TRAFFIC SITUATION IS OUTLINED. IN THE METRO TORONTO SYSTEM THE EXAMINATION OCCURS ABOUT ONCE EACH SECOND. THE MAIN MODES OF TRAFFIC CONTROL ARE: (1) FIXED PROGRESSION, (2) VOLUME DENSITY MODE, (3) VARIABLE PROGRESSION MODE, (4) TRAFFIC RESPONSE TYPE 1 PROVIDING LOCAL CONTROL WITHOUT COORDINATION BETWEEN INTERSECTIONS, AND (5) TRAFFIC RESPONSE TYPE 2 WHICH PROUDES COORDINATED CONTROL OF A TRAFFIC ARTERY OR GRID. SPEED AND DELAY STUDIES ON TORONTO STREETS BEFORE AND AFTER COMPUTER CONTROL INDICATED TRAVEL TIME WAS REDUCED BY ABOUT 44% AND THE NUMBER OF INVOLUNTARY STOPS WAS REDUCED BY ABOUT 53%.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00189235
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol. 6, pp 30-43, 14 Fig, 2 Phot, 4 Ref.
• Authors:
  • Friedlander, G D
• Publication Date: 1969-2

Media Info

• Serial:
  • IEEE Spectrum
  • Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
  • ISSN: 0018-9235

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Digital computers; Inductance; Information processing; Sensors; Telemetry; Traffic control; Traffic signal control systems; Travel time
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225786
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 26 1970 12:00AM