TRAFFIC SIGNAL WARRANTS: GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING A TRAFFIC SIGNAL WARRANT ANALYSIS

Traffic signals are one of the most restrictive forms of traffic control that can be used at an intersection. In order to ensure that the use of traffic signals is limited to favorable situations, a series of traffic signal warrants has been developed to define the minimum traffic conditions that must be present before signal installation can be considered. Installation of a traffic signal should not be considered if the traffic conditions do not meet the minimum criteria established by at least one of the warrants. The use of traffic signals and the related signal warrants can be complicated. The general public, elected and government officials, and even some practitioners, often misunderstand the signal warrants. Furthermore, there is no recent document that provides a step-by-step description of the warranting process. This document provides transportation officials with detailed information about conducting a traffic signal warrant analysis. It addresses many of the issues that have typically been left to interpretation and is intended to improve the consistency of the warranting process.