Modelling and Simulation of 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 in the nineteenth century, signal control technology has evolved steadily. Nowadays, traffic signal control is 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 both time-based and actuated traffic signal control strategies into the microscopic traffic simulator TraffSim. Furthermore, we demonstrate the applicability of selected control strategies by simulating both an isolated four-way intersection and a multi-intersection scenario under consideration of varying traffic densities. Moreover, we quantify the improvements in traffic efficiency imparted by these control strategies in terms of intersection throughput, waiting times, and network load.