Design of Traffic-Signal Progression for the Modern Streetcar: Case Study of Qilin Line One, Nanjing, China

Abstract

Mass streetcars operating record data used in a proper way can reveal the operational characteristics of streetcars to the full extent. This paper aims to design the traffic-signal progression for the modern streetcar by mining and analyzing these data. Each unit in the study consists of two adjacent signalized intersections. The k-means clustering algorithm is used to cluster the streetcar travel time data between two intersections and to determine whether the streetcar has stopped waiting for a red light at an intersection or not. An offset calculation model for streetcars is proposed to lower the impact of the conventional transit signal priority (TSP) for streetcars on motor vehicles. A real-world case study of Line One of the Nanjing, China, Qilin modern streetcar shows that the traffic-signal progression design proposed in this paper can reduce the conventional TSP’s negative impacts on motor vehicles by about 20%.