Modeling Isolated Traffic Control Strategies in TraffSim

Abstract

Traffic signal controls have become an integral part of urban traffic management and operations and play a crucial role in both mitigating congestion and reducing or eliminating conflicts at intersections. Starting with the installation of the first traffic signal in London, England in the nineteenth century, signal control technology has evolved steadily. Nowadays, traffic signal controls are not only used to provide the right-of-way at intersections, but also to improve traffic efficiency by means of minimizing waiting times and optimizing traffic flow. In this paper we present recent efforts to introduce different types of traffic signal control for isolated intersections into the microscopic traffic simulator TraffSim. The developed traffic control model supports both time-based and actuated control strategies, and allows for a straightforward configuration of customized control logic. Furthermore, it provides the possibility to easily add new control strategies on demand, owing to a flexible data model. We demonstrate the applicability of selected control strategies by simulating a signalized four-way intersection under varying traffic flows.