Design and Evaluation of Impact of Traffic Light Priority for Trucks on Traffic Flow

Under this project the plan is to investigate the impact of giving priority to trucks at traffic lights not only on the travel time of trucks but also on the travel time of passenger vehicles. The concept is similar to that of giving priority to buses even though the motivation for doing so for trucks is different. By timing the traffic signals to give priority to trucks when trucks are present we can achieve two benefits. First the trucks will clear the intersection faster without having to make frequent stops that introduce additional delays due to the time it takes for a truck to accelerate from zero speed to a desired speed and second the less decelerations/accelerations a truck goes through the less pollution it generates and the less fuel it consumes. Such traffic light priority may also have beneficial effect on the travel time of passenger vehicles due to elimination of delays caused by trucks stopping and going. The project analysis is to reveal these benefits and possible tradeoffs.

• Record URL:
  http://www.metrans.org/research/design-and-evaluation-impact-traffic-light-priority-trucks-traffic-flow

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $100,000
• Contract Numbers:

  DTRT13-G-UTC57

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  University Transportation Centers Program
  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Valentine Deguzman, Victoria

• Performing Organizations:

  National Center for Metropolitan Transportation Research

  University of Southern California
  650 Childs Way, RGL 107
  Los Angeles, CA  United States  90089-0626
• Principal Investigators:

  Ioannou, Petros

• Start Date: 20140101
• Expected Completion Date: 20150731
• Actual Completion Date: 20150731
• Source Data: RiP Project 37134

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Energy consumption; Traffic delays; Traffic flow; Traffic signal priority; Traffic signals; Travel time; Truck traffic
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01570825
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Center for Metropolitan Transportation Research
• Contract Numbers: DTRT13-G-UTC57
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jul 28 2015 1:00AM