Best Practices for Road Weather Management Version 2.0
Title:
Factors Affecting the Benefits of Implementing Special Signal Timing Plans for Inclement Weather Conditions
Abstract:
Gridlock along arterial systems in cold climates is often the result of adverse weather conditions, which could render the normal signal coordination plans unsuitable, as a result of changes in the traffic flow parameters. This study aims to understand the impact of different factors on the magnitude of the "operational" benefits to be expected from implementing special timing plans for inclement weather. The factors investigated include: (1) the characteristics of the signalized corridor; (2) the type of the simulation model used in the evaluation; (3) the level of traffic demand; and (4) the duration of the inclement weather event. Two signalized arterial corridors are selected as case studies, and several simulation experiments are conducted. The results show that signal retiming during inclement weather can result in significant operational benefits (as high as a 20 percent reduction in control delay in some cases). The results also show that the benefits appear to be greatest when traffic loads are close to capacity, and tend to decrease when the available capacity is exceeded. Finally, there is a significant increase in the benefits realized with the increase in the duration of the inclement weather event. For example, in one experiment, retiming the signals resulted in a 36 percent reduction in control delay for a two-hour snow event, as opposed to only 18 percent for a one-hour event.
Source(s):
84th Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting, University of Vermont. For an electronic copy of this resource, please direct your request to WeatherFeedback@dot.gov.
Date: 2005
Author:
Agbolosu-Amison, Sadek, Henry
Keywords:
Traffic control
Adverse weather
Benefits
Mobility
Capacity
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