TRAFFIC SIGNAL SYNCHRONIZATION FOR HIGH FLOWS ON A TWO-WAY STREET

THE OFFSETS OF TRAFFIC SIGNALS ON A TWO-WAY MAINSTREET ARE CHOSEN SO AS TO MINIMIZE BOTH THE TOTAL DELAY AND THE TOTAL NUMBER OF STOPS TO THE MAIN-STREET TRAFFIC. THE PROBLEM OF ESTIMATING THESE OFFSETS IS, IN GENERAL, QUITE COMPLICATED, BUT IF THE FLOWS IN BOTH DIRECTIONS ARE AT SATURATION, THE OPTIMAL OFFSET BETWEEN A PAIR OF ADJACENT SIGNALS DOES NOT DEPEND UPON THE OFFSETS BETWEEN OTHER PAIRS OF SIGNALS. THE MATHEMATICAL PROBLEM REDUCES TO AN ANALYSIS OF DELAYS AND STOPS BETWEEN ONLY A SINGLE PAIR OF INTERSECTIONS. DELAYS ARE EVALUATED FROM A FLUID MODEL WITH NO PLATOON SPREADING. FOR UNEQUAL FLOWS IN THE TWO DIRECTIONS, THE OPTIMAL OFFSETS ARE THOSE WHICH GIVE A PROGRESSION TO THE DIRECTION OF HEAVIER TRAFFIC. IF THE FLOWS ARE EQUAL, HOWEVER, THERE IS A WIDE RANGE OF SETTING WHICH GIVE THE SAME DELAYS AND STOPS. FOR CLOSELY SPACED INTERSECTIONS THE CHOICE OF ZERO OFFSETS IS INCLUDED AMONG THE OPTIMAL SETTINGS. THERE IS THE ADDITIONAL ADVANTAGE THAT IT GIVES EQUAL DELAYS TO THE TWO DIRECTIONS. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • No 46, 12 pP
• Authors:
  • Newell, G F
• Publication Date: 1967-8

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Itte Calif Univ Research Reports

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Intersections; Mathematical models; Offsets (Traffic signal timing); Stopped time delays; Traffic delays; Traffic flow; Traffic signal control systems; Traffic signal timing; Traffic volume; Two lane highways
• Uncontrolled Terms: Models; Synchronization; Two way traffic
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225163
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 24 1994 12:00AM