Economic Evaluation of Signal Preemption Projects
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 125, Issue 2
Abstract
Preemption techniques are designed to provide preferential treatments to buses at signalized intersections. A preemption strategy, if properly designed, can provide continuous green phases to buses at successive intersections, thereby reducing delays and travel times along the bus-street. It can also potentially increase delays and travel times along the cross street. A procedure for economic evaluation of preemption projects is presented in this paper, followed by a case study demonstration. It is a variation of benefit-cost analysis that provides an estimate of the maximum investment that can be justified in a signal preemption project by way of savings in delay, fuel consumption, and emissions. The TRAF-NETSIM model was used to assess the operational consequences of signal preemption. The procedure is found viable and the case study results appear to be reasonable, and sensitive to changes in interest rates and project lives.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Al-Sahili, K., and Taylor, W. C. ( 1996). “Evaluation of bus preemption strategies.” Transp. Res. Rec. 1554, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 74–79.
2.
“Assessment of advanced technologies for transit and rideshare applications.” (1991). Final Rep., NCTRP Proj. 60-1A. Castle Rock Consultants, Leesburg, Va.
3.
Benevelli, D. A., Radwan, A. E., and Hurley, J. W. Jr. ( 1983). “Evaluation of a bus preemption strategy by use of computer simulation.” Transp. Res. Rec. 906, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 60– 67.
4.
Bruce, E. L., and Hummer, J. E. ( 1991). “Delay alleviated by left turn by pass lanes.” Transp. Res. Rec. 1299, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 1–8.
5.
Casey, R. F., and Collura, J. ( 1991). “Advanced public transportation systems: The state of Art.” Rep. DOT-VNTSC-UMTA-91-2, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C.
6.
Chang, G. L., and Kanaan, A. (1990). “Variability assessment for TRAF-NETSIM.”J. Transp. Engrg., ASCE, 116(5), 636–657.
7.
Cisco, B. A., and Khasnabis, S. ( 1995). “Techniques to assess delay and queue length consequences of bus preemption.” Transp. Res. Rec. 1494, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 167–175.
8.
Khasnabis, S., Karnati, R. R., and Rudra Raju, R. K. ( 1996). “A NETSIM based approach to evaluate bus preemption strategies.” Transp. Res. Rec. 1554, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 80–89.
9.
Khasnabis, S., Reddy, G. V., and Hoda, S. K. ( 1993). “Evaluating the operating cost consequences of bus preemption as an IVHS strategy.” Transp. Res. Rec. 1390, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 3–9.
10.
Khasnabis, S., and Rudraraju, R. K. ( 1997). “Optimum bus headways for preemption: A simulation approach.” Transp. Res. Rec. 1603, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 128–136.
11.
Rathi, A. K., and Lieberman, E. B. ( 1989). “Effectiveness of traffic restraint for a congested urban network: A simulation study.” Transp. Res. Rec. 1232, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 95–102.
12.
Rathi, A. K., and Santiago, A. J. ( 1988). “Identical traffic stream in the TRAF-NETSIM simulation program.” Traffic Engrg., 114(2), 194–208.
13.
Sunkari, S. R., Beasley, P. S., Urbanik, T. II, and Fambro, D. B. ( 1995). “Model to evaluate the impacts of bus priority on signalized intersections.” Transp. Res. Rec. 1494, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 117–123.
14.
TRAF user reference guide version 4.0. (1993). FHWA-A-RD-92-060, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C.
15.
Yedlin, M., and Lieberman, E. B. ( 1981). “Analytic and simulation studies of factors that influence bus-signal-priority strategies.” Transp. Res. Rec. 798, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 26–29.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 125 • Issue 2 • March 1999
Pages: 160 - 167
History
Received: Jun 24, 1998
Published online: Mar 1, 1999
Published in print: Mar 1999
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.