GENERAL APPROACH TO RELATIVE OFFSET SETTINGS OF TRAFFIC SIGNALS

A generalized approach for simulating relative offset of traffic signals in an urban traffic network is presented. It is shown that it is possible to optimize relative offset settings of signals for various criteria. A general criterion is proposed by which either delays, stops, fuel consumption, or carbon monoxide can be selected by a proper choice of constants. When these criteria are minimized, it was found that the best criterion to be selected for offset setting is the minimization of fuel consumption, since this in turn nearly minimizes the delays, stops, and carbon monoxide emission, and it has the effect of minimizing stops at low saturation and minimizing delays as the degree of saturation increases. Further analysis of the criterion function has shown that the functions minimized are uneven around their optimum offset value and in each case an early switching is favored. The expression to determine optimum offset is updated to calculate optimum offsets that minimize fuel consumption or carbon monoxide emission.

• Corporate Authors:

  Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

  Operations Center, 445 Hoes Lane, P.O. Box 1331
  Piscataway, NJ  United States  08855-1331
• Authors:
  • Al-Khalili, A J
• Publication Date: 1985

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 587-594
• Serial:
  • IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics
  • Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Carbon monoxide; Exhaust gases; Fuel consumption; Offsets (Traffic signal timing); Optimization; Stopping; Traffic delays; Traffic signal timing; Traffic simulation
• Uncontrolled Terms: Criteria
• Subject Areas: Energy; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Vehicles and Equipment; I73: Traffic Control; I96: Vehicle Operating Costs;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00458122
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Engineering Information, Incorporated
• Report/Paper Numbers: VSMC-N4
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 30 1986 12:00AM