基于VISSIM仿真的交叉口信号配时优化分析

随着我国城市化发展和车辆保有量的增加,城市交通负荷也随之急剧增长,现有交通信号配时方案与交通需求不能很好地匹配.为了缓解交通延误、提高道路通行效率,文章以石河子市北五路一东二路交叉口为例,利用交通仿真软件VISSIM对该交叉口建立微观道路交通流模型并进行仿真优化分析.结果 表明,优化后交叉口排队长度、车辆延误等指标明显...     

城市道路交叉口信号配时质量管理研究

为了提高城市交通管理水平,通过对国内外学者的研究成果进行梳理和分析,并借鉴相关技术和方法,结合对影响信号配时质量相关因素的分析,采用模糊综合评判法对城市道路交叉口信号配时质量管理进行研究,提出以最小化交通延误为目标的、评判指标体系和层次分析法（AHP）相结合的道路交叉口信号配时质量评判方法,利用MATLAB/Simulink工具箱建立相应模型并利用其求解出不同时段及相邻两个道路交叉口间的信号配时质量值,最后将其与模糊综合评判法得到结果和计算结果进行比较,验证该方法所得到结果。     

基于信号配时的路网交通流分析及优化研究

文章以南宁市四条主干道上七个交叉口组成的闭合路网为优化对象,通过交叉口交通流量分析,利用R.Kimber饱和流量计算法和F.Webster交叉口信号配时理论,初步拟定车辆延误最小的信号配时方案,然后使用遗传算法优化配时方案,最后利用VISSIM进行交通仿真,验算服务水平指标的变化,验证该优化方案。     

信号交叉口可靠度建模

为了评价和优化交叉口的运行状态,判断交叉口信号配时方案是否满足通行需求,定义了交叉口可靠度的概念,引入交叉口可靠度的计算公式和评价标准;参考Webster模型,计算交叉口信号配时方案,使用连续型概率分布模型拟合交叉口各进口道车辆到达率的随机性,推导出交叉口可靠度与周期时长、车辆到达期望和方差的计算公式,并通过算例仿真验...     

左转过饱和考虑相位均衡的信号配时优化研究

提出在保障交叉口总体效益最优和考虑驾驶员对红灯时长容忍度的前提下,设置逆向可变车道达到降低交叉口延误和提升通行能力。以各相位有效绿灯时长为优化变量,建立交叉口信号配时优化模型,并采取MOEA/D算法进行求解,结合设计案例,利用VISSIM7.0仿真软件在单位时长下对比优化前后各相位车均延误、车均排队长度和通行能力。求解的有效绿灯时长为19s、16s、15s、16s,有效验证了均衡相位绿灯时长的假设;仿真结果表明,车均延误平均下降26.15%;车均排队长度平均下降76.84%;通行能力平均提升约11.39%。提出的方法在降低交叉口延误,提升通行能力同时,能够均衡分配各相位有效绿灯时长,进而降低驾驶员等待红灯的焦虑感。     

城市错位交叉口信号控制的优化

错位交叉口作为一类特殊的平面交叉口,如何实现其交通信号的合理控制一直是讨论的热点问题.提出将错位交叉口作为一个大型交叉口进行三相位信号控制,同时以交叉口通行能力最大为优化目标,对其信号控制配时进行优化.并且用实例证明了方法的优越性.     

菜市口交叉口信号配时优化及仿真验证分析

文章针对菜市口(宣武门外大街口)交叉口现有的交通状况和存在的问题,利用经典的Webster法对交叉口进行重新配时,并且根据交叉口的交通流特点,对改善后的配时方案设计了相位间的迟起早断控制。同时运用VISSIM软件,以平均延误和平均排队长度为评价指标对各个方案进行仿真验证。输出的数据结果表明:优化的配时方案能有效地减少车辆延误和平均停车时间。     

基于模糊控制的双交叉口相序可变信号配时方法

为优化交叉口信号配时,降低车辆平均延误,提出了一种相序可变的干线双交叉口模糊协调控制方法。提出的模糊协调控制方法包括候选相位选择控制器、绿灯相位观测控制器、相位切换控制器和两个交叉口协调控制模块共五个控制模块。相序可变的干线双交叉口模糊协调控制方法基于对当前上下游交叉口交通紧迫程度的判断,以及对未来交通状态演变的估计,采用相序可变的模糊控制方法实时、动态调整交叉口信号配时方案。利用MATLAB对VISSIM二次开发搭建仿真平台,对所提出的模糊控制方法进行了验证。结果表明,所提出的模糊控制方法在单交叉口和双交叉口两个控制层面均优于传统定时控制方法,可以显著降低车辆平均延误,提高交叉口通行效率。     

异形交叉口交通改善研究

本文针对现有异形交叉口存在的主要交通问题提出相应的改造原则,并以厦门市某交叉口为例,在交通量调查的基础下,结合交叉口渠化及信号配时研究对其进行提升研究,同时利用SYNCHRO仿真软件对改造后的交叉口延误进行评价,为类似交叉口改造提供相关经验.     

公路交叉口交通工程设施优化设计研究

公路交叉口交通工程设施优化设计,能够有效缓解公路运输压力,降低公路交通安全事故发生率,推进我国交通事业安全发展。基于此,以公路交叉口交通工程设施为研究对象,分析优化设计的必要性及原则,并从交叉口控制方式、交叉口车道、交通标志、路线改线等方面提出优化设计思路,以期为相关从业人员提供参考。     

Joint optimization of tram timetables and signal timing adjustments at intersections

This paper explores at the planning level the benefits of coordinating tram movements and signal timings at controlled intersections. Although trams may have dedicated travel lanes, they mostly operate in a mixed traffic environment at intersections. To ensure tram progression, pre-set signal timings at intersections are adjusted by activating Transit Signal Priority (TSP) actions, which inevitably add delays to the auto traffic. A mixed integer program is proposed for jointly determining tram schedules for a single tram line and modifying signal timings at major controlled intersections. The objective is to minimize the weighted sum of the total tram travel time and TSP’s negative impacts on other traffic. A real-world case study of Line 5 of the Shenyang Hunnan Modern Tramway shows that by extending the dwell time or link travel time we can significantly reduce the TSP’s negative impacts on the auto traffic while only slightly increasing tram travel times.     

Improved driver responses at intersections with red signal countdown timers

Traffic Signal Countdown Timers (TSCTs) are innovative, practical and cost effective technologies with the potential to improve efficiency at signalized intersections. The purpose of these devices is to assist motorists in decision-making at signalized intersections with real-time signal duration information. This study focused specifically on driver responses in the presence of a Red Signal Countdown Timer (RSCT). A Linear Mixed Effect (LME) model was developed to predict the effect of RSCT on the headway of the first vehicle waiting on a red signal. The model predicted 0.72 s reduction in the headway of the first queued vehicle resulting from the presence of RSCT, while the observed difference in mean headway was 0.82 s. This result is suggestive of a reduction in start-up lost time at signalized intersections, i.e., an improvement in signalized intersection efficiency when an RSCT is present.     

Interactions between driver information,route choice,and optimal signal timing on a simple network

The interaction between driver information, route choice, and optimal traffic signal settings was investigated using a simple two-route system with a single “T” intersection and a fixed O-D demand. The logit model and the method of successive averages (MSA) were used to calculate the route choice probabilities and the stochastic equilibrium assignment. Given an assignment, signal settings which minimized average intersection delay were calculated; flow reassignment and new optimal signal settings were then obtained and this iterative process continued until convergence. The calculations were performed either directly in a combined assignment/signal optimization model or in stages using the output flows of an assignment model as inputs to TRANSYT-7F and iterating between the two models. Results show that a unique joint signal timing/assignment equilibrium is reached in all cases provided that a certain precision in drivers' perceptions is not reached. If driver information increases to this precision (bifurcation point) and beyond, results show clearly that the unique joint signal timing/assignment equilibrium no longer exists. In fact, three joint equilibria points exist after the bifurcation point. Two of these points are stable and one is not. It was found that the system yields the lowest total intersection delay when the joint equilibrium is such that all traffic and hence the major part of green time is assigned to only one of the two routes. Although this may not be feasible to implement in practice, the results indicate clearly for this simple example that there is a trade-off between a system with minimum total delay but no unique joint signal-settings/assignment equilibrium (achieved when drivers have nearly perfect information about the system) and a system with a unique joint equilibrium but with higher total delay (achieved when drivers have reasonably good but somewhat limited information). In most cases the second system seems appropriate for a number of practical reasons.     

Identification of oversaturated intersections using high-resolution traffic signal data

Conceptually, an oversaturated traffic intersection is defined as one where traffic demand exceeds the capacity. Such a definition, however, cannot be applied directly to identify oversaturated intersections because measuring traffic demand under congested conditions is not an easy task, particularly with fixed-location sensors. In this paper, we circumvent this issue by quantifying the detrimental effects of oversaturation on signal operations, both temporally and spatially. The detrimental effect is characterized temporally by a residual queue at the end of a cycle, which will require a portion of green time in the next cycle; or spatially by a spill-over from downstream traffic whereby usable green time is reduced because of the downstream blockage. The oversaturation severity index (OSI), in either the temporal dimension (T-OSI) or the spatial dimension (S-OSI) can then be measured using high-resolution traffic signal data by calculating the ratio between the unusable green time due to detrimental effects and the total available green time in a cycle. To quantify the T-OSI, in this paper, we adopt a shockwave-based queue estimation algorithm to estimate the residual queue length. S-OSI can be identified by a phenomenon denoted as “Queue-Over-Detector (QOD)”, which is the condition when high occupancy on a detector is caused by downstream congestion. We believe that the persistence duration and the spatial extent with OSI greater than zero provide an important indicator for measuring traffic network performance so that corresponding congestion mitigation strategies can be prepared. The proposed algorithms for identifying oversaturated intersections and quantifying the oversaturation severity index have been field-tested using traffic signal data from a major arterial in the Twin Cities of Minnesota.     

Traffic signal timing problems with environmental and equity considerations

Traffic signal timings in a road network can not only affect total user travel time and total amount of traffic emissions in the network but also create an inequity problem in terms of the change in travel costs of users traveling between different locations. This paper proposes a multi‐objective bi‐level programming model for design of sustainable and equitable traffic signal timings for a congested signal‐controlled road network. The upper level of the proposed model is a multi‐objective programming problem with an equity constraint that maximizes the reserve capacity of the network and minimizes the total amount of traffic emissions. The lower level is a deterministic network user equilibrium problem that considers the vehicle delays at signalized intersections of the network. To solve the proposed model, an approach for normalizing incommensurable objective functions is presented, and a heuristic solution algorithm that combines a penalty function approach and a simulated annealing method is developed. Two numerical examples are presented to show the effects of reserve capacity improvement and green time proportion on network flow distribution and transportation system performance and the importance of incorporating environmental and equity objectives in the traffic signal timing problems. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The optimization of lane assignment and signal timing at the tandem intersection with pre‐signal

This paper presents an integrated model for optimizing lane assignment and signal timing at tandem intersection, which is introduced recently. The pre‐signal is utilized in the tandem intersection to reorganize the traffic flow; hence, the vehicles, regardless of whether left‐turns or through vehicles, can be discharged in all the lanes. However, the previous work does not consider the extra traffic disruption and the associated delay caused by the additional pre‐signal. In the paper, the extra delay aroused by the coordination is incorporated in a lane assignment and signal timing optimization model, and the problem is converted into a mixed‐integer non‐linear programming. A feasible directions method is hence introduced to solve the mixed‐integer non‐linear programming. The result of the optimization shows that the performance of the tandem intersection is improved and the average delay is minimized. The comparison between the tandem and the conventional configuration is presented, and the results verify that the former shows better performance than the latter. In addition, the optimal sequence corresponding to the turning proportion and the optimal lane assignment at the upstream approach of the pre‐signal are presented. Furthermore, if the number of lanes is equal in all arms, the paper proves that the average delay will be reduced if lane assignment is proportional to the turning proportion and the vehicles with low proportion are discharged in advance. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of signal optimization models for asymmetric two-leg continuous flow intersections

Despite extensive studies have been reported to address the operational issues of full Continuous Flow Intersection (CFI) in the literature, the asymmetric two-leg CFI, which is more applicable in practice, has not received adequate attentions yet. To satisfy such need, this study develops two signal optimization models for asymmetric CFI based on its unique geometric features. The first proposed model, following a two-step procedure, determines the cycle length, phase design and sequence, and green split in the first step and optimizes intersection offset in the second step. To benefit both intersections’ capacity maximization and signal progression design by optimizing phase plan and sequence, the second proposed model takes the Mixed-Integer-Linear-Programming (MILP) technique to concurrently optimize all signal control variables. With extensive case studies on a field site in Maryland, the simulation results prove that the proposed models can effectively provide signal progression to critical path-flows and prevent the potential queue spillover on the short turning bays/links. Further comparisons between the two proposed models reveal that the second model is more flexible in designing phase plan but the first model performs better in reducing link queue length.     

Queue discharge patterns at signalized intersections with green signal countdown device and long cycle length

Two apparent features that prevail at signalized intersections in China are green signal countdown device and long cycle lengths. The objective of this study is to investigate the impacts of green signal countdown device and long cycle length on queue discharge patterns and to discuss its implications on capacity estimation in the context of China's traffic. At five typical large intersections in Shanghai and Tianjin, 11 through lanes were observed, and 9251 saturation headways were obtained as valid samples. Statistical analyses indicate that the discharge process of queuing vehicles can be divided into three distinct stages according to the discharge flow rate: a start‐up stage, a steady stage, and a rush stage. The average time for queuing vehicles to reach a stationary saturation flow rate, that is, the start‐up stage, was found to be approximately 20–30 seconds; the rush stage usually occurs during the phase transition period. The finding is contrary to the conventional assumption that the discharge rate reaches a maximum value after the fourth vehicle is discharged and then remains constant during the green time until the queue is completely dissolved. The capacity estimation errors that might arise from the conventional methods are discussed through a comparative study and a sensitivity analysis that are based on the identified queue discharge patterns. In addition, a piecewise linear regression method was proposed in order to reduce such errors. The proposed method can be used for capacity estimation at signalized intersections with the identified queue discharge patterns. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimal operation of displaced left-turn intersections: A lane-based approach

Displaced left-turn (DLT) intersections that resolve the conflict between left-turn and opposing-through movements at the pre-signal are probably the most extensively used innovative intersection designs. The DLT intersection concept can be extended to ten different types according to the location of the left-turn transition area, the number of DLT approaches, and the possible setting of the bypass right-turn lane. This paper presents a generalized lane-based optimization model for the integrated design of DLT intersection types, lane markings, the length of the displaced left-turn lane, and the signal timings. The optimization is formulated as a mixed-integer non-linear program. This program is further transformed to a series of mixed-integer linear programming problems that can be solved by the standard branch-and-bound technique. Results from extensive numerical analyses reveal the effectiveness of the proposed method, as well as the promising property of assisting transportation professionals in the proper selection of DLT intersection types, and the design of geometric layout and signal timings.     

A probabilistic approach to calculate capacity of signalized intersections with a red light camera

In recent years, red light cameras (RLCs) have been installed at many signalized intersections. The main reason behind installing RLCs is to reduce intersection‐related accidents caused because of a driver's behavior to cross the intersection when the signal turns red. By nature, if the driver is aware of the presence of RLC his or her driving behavior is bound to change. This behavioral change, however, may be intentional or unintentional. This may influence the utilization of yellow intervals resulting in a possible increase in dilemma zone, which in turn, may reduce the service capacity of the intersection. To accurately capture this capacity reduction, we present a probabilistic approach to modify the saturation flow rate formula in the Highway Capacity Manual that is currently used to calculate the capacity of signalized intersections. We introduce a new factor in the saturation flow rate calculation called red light reduction factor, to account for the capacity reduction owing to RLCs. Using field data from Baltimore, Maryland, we establish a relationship for the red light reduction factor. We then show that capacity of RLC‐equipped intersections is generally lower than that without RLCs. Although the percentage reduction in capacity of a single intersection may not seem significant, the cumulative impact of such reduction in a heavily traveled road network may be quite significant, resulting in significant loss in travel time. In future works, the systemwide capacity reduction owing to the presence of RLCs can be studied in congested transportation networks. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.