A Computationally Efficient Formulation for Traffic Signal Timing Optimization of an Isolated Intersection

Online optimization of traffic signal timing in response to varying demand is an effective way to tackle traffic congestion. This necessitates the development of optimization models with fast solution times. This paper presents an efficient formulation, derived from a novel cell-based model of intersection traffic, for optimizing signal plans of an isolated intersection. The formulation is applicable to real-world intersections, which involve movements controlled by multiple phases, permitted turns and inter-phase intervals. It has been found to be orders of magnitude faster than a baseline formulation that represents the state-of-the-art. The effectiveness of the proposed approach, in terms of mean trip delay and throughput, has been evaluated through simulation under realistic conditions and found to be only marginally lower than the baseline.