Quantitative Evaluation of the Semi-Actuated Signal Control Systems

Abstract

This study evaluated the quantitative effects of the deployment of semi-actuated signal systems using field data. For this, a semi-actuted signal system was deployed in the regional roadway network extensively. This paper investigated an operating strategy of semi-actuated signal systems for field application, and implemented the functional strategy into the standard signal controller. The performance was evaluated using three measures of effectiveness such as traffic volume, travel time, and the number of delayed vehicle. From the analysis results, traffic volume increased about 9.4% and 11.3% for morning and evening peak periods, respectively. The average travel time was reduced about 6.3% and 7.8% during morning and evening peak periods, respectively because of the expansion of bandwidths for major streets. In addition, the number of delayed vehicles was reduced about 36.4% and 23.9% for morning and evening peak periods, respectively. It is expected that the effectiveness of signal control system can be improved by incorporating a properly designed semi-actuated signal system in regional roadways with directional demand variation.