An Assessment Methodology for Emergency Vehicle Traffic Signal Priority Systems

An Assessment Methodology for Emergency Vehicle Traffic Signal Priority Systems
Author: Gene M. McHale
Publisher:
Total Pages: 123
Release: 2002
Genre:
ISBN:

The research investigates the current state of available methodologies used in assessing the costs and benefits of emergency vehicle traffic signal priority systems. The ITS Deployment Analysis System (IDAS) software is identified as a recently developed transportation planning tool with cost and benefit assessment capabilities for emergency vehicle traffic signal priority systems. The IDAS emergency vehicle traffic signal priority methodology is reviewed and recommendations are made to incorporate the estimation of non-emergency vehicle travel time impacts into the current methodology.

Evaluation of Pre-emption and Transition Strategies for Northern Virginia Smart Traffic Signal Systems (NVSTSS)

Evaluation of Pre-emption and Transition Strategies for Northern Virginia Smart Traffic Signal Systems (NVSTSS)
Author: Byungkyu Park
Publisher:
Total Pages: 37
Release: 2008
Genre: Electronic traffic controls
ISBN:

Modern traffic signal control systems provide emergency vehicle preemption (EVP) capabilities by utilizing advanced sensors and communication technologies. EVP strategies are widely implemented by urban transportation management agencies. One of the challenges of implementing EVP under coordinated-actuated signal systems is selecting the best coordination recovery strategy at the end of preemption such that disruptions to the normal traffic signal operations are minimized. Similarly, time-of-day (TOD) traffic operations also produce such disruptions while transitioning between TOD modes and require returning to coordination. This report presents the evaluation results of various EVP recovery and TOD transition strategies in an urban corridor including four coordinated-actuated signals along Lee Jackson Memorial Highway in Chantilly, Virginia. Since field testing of various preemption and TOD transition strategies is impractical, the study was performed using hardware-in-the-loop simulation, which consisted of a well-calibrated VISSIM microscopic simulation model, four traffic controllers, and four controller interface devices. The study results showed that advanced controllers (e.g., 2070 and ASC/3) have advantages over the 170 controller for the EVP recovery strategies, while the 170 controller's TOD transition strategies outperformed those of the newer controllers.

Routledge Handbook of Transportation

Routledge Handbook of Transportation
Author: Dusan Teodorovic
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 483
Release: 2015-08-20
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1317630912

The Routledge Handbook of Transportation offers a current and comprehensive survey of transportation planning and engineering research. It provides a step-by-step introduction to research related to traffic engineering and control, transportation planning, and performance measurement and evaluation of transportation alternatives. The Handbook of Transportation demonstrates models and methods for predicting travel and freight demand, planning future transportation networks, and developing traffic control systems. Readers will learn how to use various engineering concepts and approaches to make future transportation safer, more efficient, and more sustainable. Edited by Dušan Teodorović and featuring 29 chapters from more than 50 leading global experts, with more than 200 illustrations, the Routledge Handbook of Transportation is designed as an invaluable resource for professionals and students in transportation planning and engineering.

A Simulation-based Approach to Evaluate Safety Impacts of Increased Traffic Signal Density

A Simulation-based Approach to Evaluate Safety Impacts of Increased Traffic Signal Density
Author: Kenneth P. Drummond
Publisher:
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2002
Genre: Roads
ISBN:

One of the most controversial access management techniques practitioners face is also one of the most common: restricting signal density. Increased signal density can improve access for minor approaches to a corridor; however, it can also increase delays and rear-end crashes for vehicles on the mainline (major) approach. An ability to evaluate the impacts of increased signal spacing is thus critical for decision makers. Because crash data are not always easy to obtain, a logical question arises: Can simulation models be used to evaluate the safety impacts of increased traffic signal density? This report describes a method for using simulation models to evaluate the safety impacts of increased traffic signal density in suburban corridors. Using 10 years of data from two major arterials in Virginia, actual crash rates were compared with operational performance measures simulated by the Synchro/SimTraffic model. As expected, crash rates were positively correlated with stops per vehicle and delay per vehicle and negatively correlated with mainline speed. Three findings were significant. First, the correlation between crash rates and select mainline performance measures (delay, speed, and stops) was relatively strong despite the inherent variability in crash rates: R2, a measure of explained variance in crash rates, yielded values from 0.54 to 0.89. Second, three distinct regimes relate stops per vehicle to signal density: the installation of the first few signals causes a drastic increase in stops, the addition of the next set of signals causes a moderate increase in stops, and the addition of a third set of signals does not significantly affect the number of stops per vehicle. Third, multiple regime models also relate delay per vehicle to signal density. This study recommends two practical applications. To the extent these mainline performance measures correlate with crashes, simulation modeling may be used to estimate safety impacts of increased signals, which is appealing because simulation packages are becoming easier to apply. Further, three regime models can suggest when, in the timeline of corridor development, the addition of a traffic signal is likely to degrade corridor performance significantly versus when it will have little effect, thereby allowing decision makers to expend political capital when it is most beneficial (e.g., the occasions when there is significant degradation of corridor performance). Most important, the approach herein suggests a long-range corridor-planning tool for evaluating the impacts of different access densities.