Search

The various theoretical analyses that have been made of delay to traffic at a fixed time traffic signal are critically reviewed. The more practicably applicable expressions for the average delay per vehicle, especially those derived by Webster, Miller, and Newell, are examined in some detail, and this paper provides an introduction to numerical comparisons to be reported by Hutchinson in the sequel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns itself with the kinematic analysis of traffic flow on a signalized one-way artery. Using as mathematical model the continuum flow theory of LIGHTHILL -WHITHAM-RICHAJWS, the flow pattern is carefully investigated under the assumptions of parabolic volume-density diagram and constant flow on the artery. The interesting symmetry existing between fluid and congested regimes is noted and used in proving various results. The delay caused by an interruption of arbitrary regimes is analyzed as a function of space and time. It is shown that an interruption of an arbitrary regime is equivalent to a particular interruption of a corresponding uniform regime: this provides a very simple and general method for delay computation. The delay caused by a periodic interruption (traffic signal) is bounded by and is asymptotically equal to the duration of the red signal; more- over, both the maximum and the average delay at fixed distance from the signalized intersection are increasing functions of the cycle time. It is further shown that the results concerning the delay function apply to all convex volume-density diagrams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations of motorist delays at the intersection of a major and minor road have involved variations of one or the other of two merging strategies: (i) MILLER'S[8] model that assumes that a minor-road motorist makes consecutive decisions consistently, and (ii) that of WEISS AND MARADUDIN[7] that assumptions that a different, independent decision is made for each headway. In this paper we show that results for both models may be obtained easily, using the results of queuing theory, if certain reasonable assumptions are made. Simple expressions for the Laplace-Stieltjes transforms and means of the delays are derived in the case of independent major-road headways with a common, general distribution. For exponential headways, a numerical study shows the mean Miller delay to increase with the variation in the merge times, while the mean Weiss-Maradudin delay decreases. To illustrate the application of the expressions obtained, we investigate the reduction in the delay achieved by inserting a traffic island between two streams of major-road traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]