Reexamining Vehicle-Actuation Strategies at Isolated Signalized Intersections

This paper uses simulation to assess intersection performance under enhanced vehicle-actuated signal control. The enhanced strategies seek to: (1) terminate green time in such a way as to promote use of the clearance interval by discharging vehicles; (2) shorten the required duration of the clearance interval by only serving, to the extent possible, queued vehicles; and (3) respond to gaps in individual travel lanes. Enhanced schemes are compared with conventional policies for an array of operating scenarios. Findings suggest that substantial reductions in vehicle delay result from use of the enhanced strategies.