Paper Details

TRB 90th Annual Meeting (January 23-27, 2011)

Event Number:	596
Event Title:	Advances in Traffic Control Devices
Event Date:	Jan 25 2011 7:30PM- 9:30PM
Event Location:	Marriott, Salon 2
Event Description:
Event Agenda:

Critical Traffic Volume of Traffic Signal Warrant at Unsignalized Intersections (11-1374)

In order to find the critical flow warrant of signal setting applied to Chinese actual situation, the feasibility of regarding multiple traffic flows as one is demonstrated by probability analysis and gap acceptance theory, and the functional relationship between critical gap and traffic volume of major road was proposed from microscopic angle, introducing time risk model and waiting time model when vehicles on minor road crossed the traffic flow of major road. On this basis, two models of average vehicle delay for unsignalized intersections under absolute and limited priority condition were established. Then, from the viewpoint of traffic efficiency and safety, the minimum value of critical gap was established by 4.5s under limited priority condition. The critical volume curve of traffic signal warrant of three common cross patterns, i.e. 1/1, 1/2, 2/2 cross, was obtained by comparing the average vehicle delays before signal control with after. Comparing to the absolute priority condition, the results showed that the average increments of critical volume under the limited priority condition were 20.33%, 20.95% and 21.43% respectively. The results of this paper may provide a new theory reference for drafting critical traffic volume of traffic signal warrant.

Authors
     Ma, Dongfang , Jilin University, China
     Wang, Dianhai , Zhejiang University, China
     Bie, Yiming , Advanced Transit Association, China
     Tao, Pengfei , Jilin University, China