Exploring the potential benefits of VII-Enabled dynamic speed control in signalized networks

Abstract

The idea of using speed as a control variables (as opposed to being a constraint) that can be optimized dynamically and used in controlling signalized networks is explored in this paper. Such speed is an operating speed, not a speed limit. The paper demonstrates how control with dynamic operating speed can be used to realize different control objectives including improved traffic flow and safety. The analysis shows that using dynamic speed control (DSC) in signalized networks can improve operation of signalized networks by increasing throughput, decreasing delay and number of stops, and reducing speed noises and speed variation thus lowering the likelihood of accidents. Using dynamic speed control synchronously with dynamic traffic signals in signalized networks can enable more sustainable traffic operations: higher throughput, safer, fuel-conservative, reduced-emissions signalized network systems. As physical capacity of networks and signal-only improvements are reaching a plateau and networks’ physical expansion being a no-option, it is time to embrace new control concepts. As information availability improves (through initiatives such as IntelliDrive) and advances in wireless communications, computation, sensor technologies and their deployment in intelligent transportation system settings mature, it is now possible to design and implement advanced control concepts. Dynamic speed control systems which communicates the near-optimal speed optimized based on real-time data to guide drivers on their best speed selection is one such concept.