Using Short Coordination Zones to Reduce Speeding on Urban Arterials

Timing traffic signals using coordination zones of one to three signalized intersections, with each zone having a cycle length tailored to its needs, was tested as a method for reducing speeding on urban arterials. Frequent coordination breaks help eliminate occasions for speeding in early part of the green, and short cycles with little unsaturated green help eliminate them in the latter part of the green. In a case study of Boston’s Huntington Avenue performed using microsimulation, existing coordinated control over a stretch of nine intersections is compared with control short coordination zones. Complementary strategies in the short zone alternative include minimizing cycle lengths, low progression speed offsets within coordination zones, and pedestrian recall. Speeding opportunities per hour – defined as the number of vehicles entering an intersection on a stale green and with no vehicle ahead of them for at least 5 s – fell 51% midday and by 33% in the AM peak, when they are partially suppressed already by congestion. Vehicle delay was unchanged in the AM peak and increased by 9% midday, while average pedestrian delay falls by 16 s or more, depending on the base of comparison. Proposed solutions also model two paradigms for pedestrian coordination over two-stage crossings, which lower average pedestrian delay by more than 40 s and would vastly improve pedestrian compliance.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Features: Figures; References;
  • Pagination: 20p

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01863243
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: TRBAM-22-00558
  • Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
  • Created Date: Nov 2 2022 3:52PM