Rural agencies frequently struggle to provide reasonable traffic signal operations, as they lack the financial resources and traffic expertise common to large cities. More advanced traffic signal controllers have many features which may be able to help. One such feature is variable maximum green time (VMGT) which allows the controller to continually adjust the maximum green in response to changes in traffic demand. This paper compares rural traffic signal operations given optimized timing with rural traffic signal control operations using a generic set of VMGT parameters. The research methodology included the use of software-in-the-loop simulation (SILS) with VISSIM as the traffic simulation model and the Econolite ASC/3 traffic controller software. Using one high and one low volume site, the results indicate that when compared to optimized timings, a generic set of VMGT parameters can provide equivalent throughput, nearly equivalent average intersection delays, reasonable cycle lengths, and a more equal distribution of delay among approaches and movements.
Abstract