THE FUEL-EFFICIENT TRAFFIC SIGNAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM: EVALUATION OF THE FOURTH AND FIFTH FUNDING CYCLES

The Fuel-Efficient Traffic Signal Management (FETSIM) Program was initiated in 1982 to help local agencies retime their traffic signals to reduce stops, delays, and fuel consumption. This report presents the results of the fourth and fifth grant cycles of the FETSIM Program. During the two grant cycles, local agency staff and their consultants were provided training, technical assistance and funding necessary to optimize the timing of their signal systems and to put the new timing plans into operation. In the 1986 grant cycle, thirty-one local agencies retimed 1169 signals at a total cost of $1.5 million. In the 1987 grant cycle, sixteen cities retimed 797 signals at a cost of $1.2 million. The 1986 program produced 12 percent reduction in delays, an 11 percent reduction in stops, and a 7 percent reduction in fuel use in the affected signal systems. The 1987 program produced average reductions of 13 percent in delays, 12 percent in stops, and 8 percent in fuel use. The dollar value of the benefits from the 1986 and 1987 programs total $47.4 million annually. Together, the two program cycles will produce a benefit-cost ratio of 53:1, assuming the benefits are sustained for three years on average. In addition, the program will produce benefits which have not been quantified, including reduced pollutant emissions, improved traffic safety due to smoother traffic flows, and enhanced staff capabilities in state of the art signal timing methods. Based on surveys done in 1984 and 1985, it appears that as many as 6,500 additional signals could be retimed under the program in the future. Additional program options could be developed to permit retiming of even more signals.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/10551417
• Corporate Authors:

  University of California, Berkeley

  Institute of Transportation Studies Library
  Berkeley, CA  United States  94720

  California Department of Transportation

  1120 N Street
  Sacramento, CA  United States  95814
• Authors:
  • Skabardonis, A
  • Singh, R
  • Deakin, E A
• Publication Date: 1988-4

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 30 p.
• Serial:
  • Publication of: California University, Berkeley
  • Publisher: University of California, Berkeley
  • ISSN: 1055-1417

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pollution; Benefit cost analysis; Benefits; Costs; Fuel consumption; Improvements; Reduction (Chemistry); Savings; Stopped time delays; Stopping; Traffic delays; Traffic flow; Traffic safety; Traffic signal timing; Traffic signals
• Old TRIS Terms: Reduction
• Subject Areas: Energy; Finance; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Vehicles and Equipment; I73: Traffic Control; I96: Vehicle Operating Costs;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00470910
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: UCB-ITS-RR-88-8
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 31 1988 12:00AM