Comparison of PASSER, Synchro, and TRANSYT-7F for Arterial Signal Timing based on CORSIM Simulation

Among the many software packages for arterial traffic signal timing, PASSER, Synchro, and TRANSYT-7F are the three most popular ones in the United States. Each of them has its own pros and cons, and it is very important to choose the appropriate software for a traffic study in order to obtain the most suitable signal timing plan. Although several studies have been conducted in the past to compare the performance of these three software packages a lot of logic changes and new features have been implemented recently and an up-to-date comparison based on the latest versions of these software packages is necessary. This paper uses PASSER V, Synchro, and TRANSYT-7F to develop arterial signal timing plans independently for a four-intersection arterial segment in College Station, Texas. Real-world traffic volume data during morning, noon and afternoon peak hours are used to generate the timing plans using all three packages. The performance of these timing plans are evaluated using CORSIM simulation. Delay, stops, and speed are compared based on outputs of CORSIM simulation runs. Based on the comparison results under various traffic conditions, an assessment of performance and suitability is provided with recommendations on selection criteria.