Using Traffic Signals to Limit Speeding Opportunities on Arterial Roadways

Preventing speeding on multilane arterials is critical to safety. Traffic signal timing may be able to reduce incidence of dangerous speeding by removing opportunities to drive at high speeds through multiple intersections. New methods have been proposed for timing traffic signals in a way that supports traffic flow at a safe speed while also removing opportunities for drivers to progress through multiple intersections at dangerously fast speeds. Preliminary studies suggest that, compared to conventional arterial signal timing, they can reduce "speeding opportunities" - the number of cars arriving at an intersection on a stale green and with no vehicle ahead of them - by up to 50% with little or no change in average traffic delay. Objectives are: (1) to do field tests to confirm this theory, measuring changes in speeding, speeding opportunities, traffic delay, and stops; (2) to develop a software tool that enables traffic engineers to estimate the number of speeding opportunities a traffic signal timing plan produces, that will allow engineers to develop and choose timing plans that improve safety while still supporting traffic flow; and (3) to write a guidebook on timing traffic signals in a way that reduces speeding opportunities.

• Record URL:
  https://www.mass.gov/doc/using-traffic-signals-to-reduce-speeding-opportunities/download

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $140000
• Contract Numbers:

  114372

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Highway Administration

  Office of Planning, Environment and Realty (HEP)
  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Massachusetts Department of Transportation

  10 Park Plaza
  Boston, MA  United States  02116
• Project Managers:

  Flanary, Michael

• Performing Organizations:

  Northeastern University

  Division of Research Management
  360 Huntington Avenue
  Boston, MA  United States  02115
• Principal Investigators:

  Furth, Peter

• Start Date: 20210701
• Expected Completion Date: 20240228
• Actual Completion Date: 20240228

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Arterial highways; Speed control; Traffic signal timing
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01890024
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Massachusetts Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 114372
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 14 2023 1:46PM