New Methodology for Intersection Signal Timing Optimization to Simultaneously Minimize Vehicle and Pedestrian Delays
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 140, Issue 5
Abstract
This study introduces a new methodology for signal timing optimization that is carried out by adjusting green splits of a.m. peak, p.m. peak, and rest of the day timing plans for each signalized intersection in the urban street network without changing the existing cycle length and signal coordination to minimize total vehicle and pedestrian delays per cycle. It contains a basic model that handles vehicle delays only and an enhanced model that simultaneously addresses vehicle and pedestrian delays using two different pedestrian delay estimation methods. Both models are incorporated into a high fidelity simulation-based regional travel demand forecasting model for detailed traffic assignments. A computational study is performed for methodology application using data on Chicago metropolitan area travel demand, traffic counts, geometric designs, and signal timing plans for major intersections in the Chicago central business district (CBD) area. A sensitivity analysis is conducted in the application of the enhanced model to examine the impacts of assigning different weights to vehicle and pedestrian delays on intersection vehicle travel time and delay reductions after signal timing optimization. The computational experiment reveals that after systemwide signal timing optimization, vehicle delays in the CBD area could reduce by 13% when considering only vehicle delays and by 5% when simultaneously considering vehicle and pedestrian delays.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for the partial financial support of the Federal Highway Administration for conducting this research and assistance of transportation agencies in the Chicago metropolitan area and Argonne National Laboratory for data collection, processing, and computational analysis as part of the methodology application.
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© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 15, 2013
Accepted: Dec 18, 2013
Published online: Feb 13, 2014
Published in print: May 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Jul 13, 2014
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