Fluctuations in arrival rates significantly affect the performance of traffic signal controls. In this paper, we propose an arrival-based distributed control algorithm based on the backpressure control framework, and show that this arrival-based backpressure (ABP) algorithm preserves the attractive features of backpressure control, including queue mitigation and global stability. Moreover, numerical results show that the ABP algorithm outperforms the fixed, actuated, and original backpressure signal controllers in low, medium, and heavy loading demand levels in increasing throughput, reducing queue length and waiting time.The benefits are evident under periodic traffic scenarios.