Control Method for Signalized Intersection with Integrated Waiting Area

Abstract

To alleviate traffic congestion in the city, an integrated waiting area is introduced to the signalized intersection in this paper. After the design idea and the typical form of the integrated waiting area is proposed, the control method at the signalized intersection is discussed. The coordination control process of the main and pre-signal at the signalized intersection with the integrated waiting area is analyzed and modeled. To assess the operational performance of the integrated waiting area at intersections, a microscopic traffic simulation software (VISSIM) is utilized to simulate intersections with and without integrated waiting areas. Key issues concerning signal timing plans are then discussed. With comparisons between the operation of intersections with and without integrated waiting areas, the implementation effect is quantified based on the statistical data of the simulation result. The results confirm the potential benefits of the integrated waiting areas at the signalized intersections and show that integrated waiting areas work best in heavy traffic demand.