After drivers in Austin, Texas blamed heavy traffic congestion on inadequately timed and poorly maintained traffic signals, the city decided to evaluate its traffic signal system. This article describes this evaluation, and the steps that the city took to improve timing and maintenance of its traffic signals. After a 2004 review by professional traffic signal engineers from throughout the U.S. and a comprehensive self-assessment, the city chose some priorities for improvement. The city's preventive maintenance (PM) program was identified as the most critical activity with the highest cost-effectiveness. Under the PM program, each traffic signal would undergo an extensive review of its hardware and equipment to identify pedestrian pushbuttons, vehicle detectors etc. before they failed. Most important was a change in philosophy that emphasized a proactive rather than reactive approach. The new approach has significantly reduced travel time and increased the efficiency of the PM program. Austin's experience highlightsthe importance of a proactive approach to identifying and solving problems in order to improve not only traffic flow, but the public's perception of the transportation agency.
Abstract