Traffic Light Signal Timing Using Simulation

Abstract

Increasing trend in the number of vehicles and consequently intensifying the traffic volume, traffic lights optimum timing plays a vital role in congestion mitigation in the critical intersections of urban areas. This paper gives an insight into traffic light timing using simulation modeling methods. In fact, this study aims at minimizing the average time that entities (vehicles) spend in the system (intersection). First, real data including vehicles arrive and leave times, and the time spent waiting at a red light etc. is collected through monitoring an intersection in downtown Urmia, Iran. Then, a simulation model is developed using Arena Simulation Software. The most important feature of the proposed model is the replacement a four-stroke traffic light with the current three-stroke one. After model validation, several alternatives are considered for traffic light timing and the one which resulted the minimum average time spent in the system is selected. According to the simulation results, the four-stroke traffic light yielded a better performance compared to the three-stroke one.