Microscopic simulation study of transit signal priority implementation along an arterial corridor

Abstract

Transit signal priority (TSP) is a control strategy that provides preferential treatments for transit vehicles. This strategy has shown potential to minimize delay with negligible or slight impact on non-transit vehicles. It is also an important strategy for improving and promoting schedule adherence and service reliability. This paper shows a microscopic simulation study to identify the impact of implementing TSP strategies on an arterial corridor segment at Michigan State University. The chosen segment is one of the busiest corridors on campus. It experiences vehicular traffic, pedestrian movements, and transit routes. It has four signalized intersection, and one pedestrian semi-actuated signal. Three peak periods were modeled; morning, midday, and evening. Microscopic simulation modeling is done in VISSIM microscopic simulation environment. TSP functions are programmed using vehicle actuated programming (VAP) to evaluate different TSP parameters, such as maximum green extension and red truncation. Simulation results show that transit vehicles benefit from the provided preferential treatment. On the other hand, TSP has minimal negative impact for on general traffic. In terms of TSP impact on pedestrians, TSP has no negative impact on pedestrians. The study also shows that the expected benefits from TSP depend on the congestion level, where less benefit could be gained when the congestion level is higher.