01660531

Component

High crash rate is a major concern for traffic signal operation during nighttime, with speeding as one of the main causing factors. For nighttime signal operation, existing practice mainly includes red/red flashing and yellow/red flashing operation. However, neither operation is satisfactory, as the former operation leads to large delay, while the latter leads to high crash rates. Considering such, many traffic management agencies are switching to regular traffic signal operation. However, existing signal optimization models primarily focus on efficiency without consideration of safety. To fill in this gap, this paper proposes a new signal optimization program, namely SAFEBAND, for signal operation during nighttime. Built upon the classical MAXBAND model, the proposed model aims to reduce vehicle speeding while ensuring certain level of progression for nighttime traffic. The difference between SAFEBAND and MAXBAND is analyzed in the paper. A case study is conducted to illustrate and test the proposed model, based on real-world data collected from the Safety Pilot Model Deployment project, the world’s first large-scale connected vehicle deployment project. Simulation shows that the proposed model is effective in reducing vehicle speeding. Trade-off between safety and efficiency is also analyzed.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AHB25 Standing Committee on Traffic Signal Systems.

18-04086

English

16p

2018

Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; Maps; References; Tables

Arterial highways; Case studies; Highway safety; Night; Optimization; Signalized intersections; Simulation; Speeding; Traffic flow; Traffic signal timing

Ann Arbor (Michigan)

Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2018 Paper #18-04086

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 8 2018 11:00AM