ON GAP UTILIZATION

IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE TRAFFIC ENGINEER TO DETERMINE WHERE TRAFFIC LIGHTS ARE NEEDED, AND JUST AS IMPORTANT, WHEN THEY ARE NEEDED. CAREFUL STUDY OF CHANGING TRAFFIC PATTERNS SHOULD ALLOW HIM TO ACT BEFORE A TRAFFIC PROBLEM EXISTS RATHER THAN SIMPLY REACT TO PROBLEMS AFTER THEY ARE A FACT. IF, HOWEVER, THE TRAFFIC ENGINEER IS TO ACT RATHER THAT REACT HE MUST HAVE TOOLS WHICH ALLOW HIM TO PINPOINT PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY BECOME PROBLEMS. THIS PAPER ATTEMPTS TO SHARPEN ONE POSSIBLE TOOL WHICH THE TRAFFIC ENGINEER MIGHT USE TO DETERMINE THE PLACEMENT OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS. THE PROBLEM IS TO DETERMINE IF A WARRANT FOR TRAFFIC SIGNAL CONTROL CAN BE ESTABLISHED FOR THE INTERSECTION OF A MAIN STREET AND A MINOR STREET BY USING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE AVAILABILITY OF GAPS IN THE TRAFFIC STREAM ON THE MAIN STREET AND LAG AND/OR GAP ACCEPTANCE BY DRIVERS ON A MINOR STREET. AS A BASIS FOR SUCH A WARRANT THE GAP UTILIZATION AT THE INTERSECTION IS DETERMINED. IT WAS FELT THAT THE EASIEST WAY TO PRESENT THE METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF GAP UTILIZATION IS BY MEANS OF SEVERAL EXAMPLES. FOUR EXAMPLES ARE TREATED IN THIS PAPER, THE FIRST THREE OF WHICH ARE ADMITTEDLY ARTIFICIAL. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 38, pp 36-41
• Authors:
  • Ehle, B L
• Publication Date: 0

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Traffic Engineering, Inst Traffic Eng

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Gap acceptance; Location; Traffic engineering; Traffic flow; Traffic signal controllers; Traffic signals; Travel patterns; Warrants (Traffic control devices)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Traffic patterns
• Old TRIS Terms: Placement
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00227081
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Traffic Systems Reviews & Abstracts
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 13 2004 6:13PM