Article ID: | iaor1993245 |
Country: | United States |
Volume: | 25A |
Issue: | 2/3 |
Start Page Number: | 121 |
End Page Number: | 128 |
Publication Date: | Mar 1991 |
Journal: | Transportation Research. Part A, Policy and Practice |
Authors: | Mahalel David, Shiftan Yoram, Gur Y. |
Keywords: | control |
This paper presents the results of a study that evaluated the contribution of manual operation (by a police officer) compared to the automatic control of an actuated signal. It is shown that manual operation improved the operation of congested signalized intersections, as measured by the degree of saturation and total throughput. It is found that the major advantage of manual control is due to the use of long cycle times, resulting in a decrease in lost time during congestion. It is argued that such a strategy can be successfully implemented as part of the automatic control. Measurements have indicated a significant decline in the saturation flow with the increase in the green period. The paper describes the phenomenon and its importance to intersection capacity.