Data errors in urban traffic control systems. Paper prepared for the 54th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board TRB, Washington, D.C., January 1975.

The presence of data errors in a traffic control system is unavoidable. These errors result from the inadequacies of the surveillance system, inherent characteristics of vehicle traffic, and inaccuracies in modelling the traffic system. Errors associated with the processing of vehicle volumes are emphasized since the effectiveness of the control the control strategy is most dependent upon the accuracy of this variable. Consideration is also given to the limitations inherent in the prediction process and the effect of system errors on vehicle delay at the controlled intersections.