AN INVESTIGATION OF DELAY AT MID-BLOCK PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS

Modern mid- block pedestrian operated signals have been installed with vehicle responsive logic to reduce delays to both vehicles and pedestrians using the facility. This thesis compares vehicle and pedestrian delays at such a facility with those experienced at older fixed time installations. A simulation programme has been developed to assess delays in preference to field data collection and analysis. The programme allows controlled, repeatable evaluation of a wide range of factors influencing delay. The operating system for both fixed time and vehicle actuated signals is described in detail and the operational differences contracted. Random vehicle and pedestrian arrivals are generated as inputs to the operating system and aggregate data for pedestrian and vehicle delays collected as output. Simple, exponential and shifted exponential distributions have been assumed for pedestrian and vehicle headways respectively and models developed to account for vehicle queue building and dispersion. The simulation programme is shown to accurately model the interaction between pedestrians and vehicles over a wide range of flow conditions for both fixed time and vehicle actuated operating modes. The results are generally those expected. Vehicle actuated controllers significantly reduce the average delay to pedestrians and the variability of this delay compared to fixed time controllers. The delay to vehicles may however increase. Care must be taken in selecting controller time settings for vehicle actuated operation, in particular, the vehicle "gap" time, to ensure that optimum operation is achieved for vehicles. This minor thesis was submitted to the Faculty of Engineering, Monash University, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering Science. (TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/14454467
• Corporate Authors:

  Monash University

  Department of Civil Engineering
  Clayton, Victoria  Australia  3800
• Authors:
  • CORNWELL, P R
• Publication Date: 1982-3

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: n.p.
• Serial:
  • Publication of: Monash University, Australia
  • Publisher: Monash University
  • ISSN: 1445-4467

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Computer programs; Crosswalks; Headways; Mathematical models; Pedestrian actuated controllers; Pedestrian phase; Pedestrians; Pretimed traffic signal controllers; Queuing; Reduction (Chemistry); Simulation; Tests; Theses; Traffic actuated controllers; Traffic delays; Traffic flow; Traffic signals; Vehicles
• Old TRIS Terms: Reduction
• ITRD Terms: 9010: Delay; 577: Fixed time (signals); 685: Headway; 6473: Mathematical model; 1733: Pedestrian; 1659: Pedestrian crossing; 6594: Queue; 9103: Simulation; 8645: Software; 6255: Test; 8597: Thesis; 671: Traffic flow; 565: Traffic signal; 1255: Vehicle; 557: Vehicle actuated
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Vehicles and Equipment; I71: Traffic Theory;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00385884
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Report/Paper Numbers: 82/11 Monograph
• Files: ITRD, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Jun 28 1984 12:00AM