Search

This textbook introduces the basics principles of intersection signalization including need studies, signal phasing, sequencing, timing, as well as more advanced topics such as detectors, controllers, actuated control schemes, and signal coordination. The book covers a variety of topics critical to the set up and operation of intersections controlled by traffic signals. Professor Ni imparts a basic understanding of how intersections work, what justifies intersection signalization, how to properly design phasing and timing plans for intersections, what is needed to run traffic-responsive signals, the workings of traffic controller cabinets, and how to set up signal coordination at multiple intersections—competencies essential to transportation professionals in charge of traffic operation at federal, state, and local levels. Aimed at students in transportation engineering programs with a focus on intersection signalization, the book is also ideal for researchers of traffic dynamics and municipal civil and transportation engineers.

This textbook provides a comprehensive and instructive coverage of vehicular traffic flow dynamics and modeling. It makes this fascinating interdisciplinary topic, which to date was only documented in parts by specialized monographs, accessible to a broad readership. Numerous figures and problems with solutions help the reader to quickly understand and practice the presented concepts. This book is targeted at students of physics and traffic engineering and, more generally, also at students and professionals in computer science, mathematics, and interdisciplinary topics. It also offers material for project work in programming and simulation at college and university level.The main part, after presenting different categories of traffic data, is devoted to a mathematical description of the dynamics of traffic flow, covering macroscopic models which describe traffic in terms of density, as well as microscopic many-particle models in which each particle corresponds to a vehicle and its driver. Focus chapters on traffic instabilities and model calibration/validation present these topics in a novel and systematic way. Finally, the theoretical framework is shown at work in selected applications such as traffic-state and travel-time estimation, intelligent transportation systems, traffic operations management, and a detailed physics-based model for fuel consumption and emissions.