Traffic signal control enhancements under vehicle infrastructure integration systems.

DTRT07-G-0003Most current traffic signal systems are operated using a very archaic traffic-detection simple binarylogic (vehicle presence/non presence information). The logic was originally developed to provide input for oldelectro-mechanical controllers that were developed in the early 1920s. It is currently in urgent need to improve theperformance of traffic control devices. With the development of automatic controls, sensors, and devices, it is nowpossible to design advanced intersection control systems that can fully utilize advanced technologies of detectionand communication as well as the high quality data acquired by such technologies. One example of such systems isVehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII). VII links vehicles, drivers, and surrounding infrastructure (which includesroadways, traffic controls, etc.) to improve the efficiency of traffic systems and promote transportation safety. Itpromises to \u201cbridge the gap\u201d between the infrastructure and individual drivers. The purpose of this research is to 1.Investigate the potential to utilize VII data to characterize system operation and estimate system-wide measure ofperformance, and 2. Develop advanced signal timing procedures that can capitalize on VII data and enhance theoperations of traffic signal system operations. Three advanced traffic signal control systems are developed andtested in this research. The advantages of such systems were tested in terms of time savings, the environment, andsystem improvements