Improving Safety at Signalized Intersections during Inclement Weather Conditions: A Real-Time Weather-Responsive System
This report presents a prototype of a secure, dependable, real-time weather-responsive system. The prototype executes 2 tasks: 1. Accesses weather information that provides near real-time atmospheric and pavement surface condition observations. 2. Adapts signal timing in response to inclement weather. The proposed system architecture employs 2 revolutionary software design approaches: 1. Design for Survivability. 2. Software performance measurement at the task level. Furthermore, the software design incorporates self-diagnostic techniques for fault detection and recovery to maximize the survivability and the security of the system. Minimal hardware is required for full implementation of the system as it operates and achieves its potential using current traffic signal controller and cabinet standards and technologies. As a result, it is compatible with future applications within the FHWA’s connected-vehicle framework. The weather-responsive traffic signal system presented in this report serves as a major milestone in the development of secure and dependable real-time traffic control system applications. The system was initially tested in a hardware-in-the-loop simulation environment. It was also field implemented at an intersection in the City of Moscow, Idaho. The results of the simulation environment testing indicated that the weather responsive traffic signal system reduces the potentials for crashes while having minimal impact on delay and stops. The results showed that the system, on average, reduces the potentials for rear-end crashes, crossing crashes, and lane change crashes by 5.7 percent, 31.3 percent, and 6.3 percent, respectively. The results from the field implementation were consistent with those obtained from the simulation model. They show that, when the snow/ice signal timing plan was implemented with longer yellow interval and passage time values, the number of vehicles running the red-light during snow and ice conditions dropped significantly from 7.94 percent for passenger vehicles and 14.18 percent for trucks to 3.5 percent for passenger vehicles and 7.81 percent for trucks. This significant reduction in the number of red-light runners improves the safety of the intersection operations during inclement weather conditions.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Completed
- Funding: $91896.00
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Contract Numbers:
RP 216
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Sponsor Organizations:
Idaho Transportation Department
P.O. Box 7129, 3311 West State Street
Boise, ID United States 83707-1129 -
Project Managers:
Jennings, Brent
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Performing Organizations:
University of Idaho, Moscow
Office of Sponsored ProgramsNational Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology
P.O. Box 443020
Moscow, ID United States 83844-3020 -
Principal Investigators:
Krings, Axel
Dixon, Michael
Abdel-Rahim, Ahmed
- Start Date: 20120501
- Expected Completion Date: 0
- Actual Completion Date: 20160429
- Source Data: RiP Project 32072
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Road weather information systems; Signalized intersections; Traffic signal timing; Weather conditions
- Identifier Terms: Clarus
- Geographic Terms: Idaho
- Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01560834
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Idaho Transportation Department
- Contract Numbers: RP 216
- Files: RIP, STATEDOT
- Created Date: Apr 23 2015 1:00AM