On the Optimal Division of Traffic Signal Systems Controlled by the Band Width Maximization Principle

This paper describes the optimal division of traffic signal systems controlled by the band width maximization principle into some subareas. The band width maximization principle has been widely used to optimize the offset patterns of signal coordinations. It also seems that from a viewpoint of delay minimization, this principle can give good control under the condition of light traffic. However, there is a problem in this principle that the more the number of signals in the study section is, the narrower the band width is. Therefore, it may be better to divide all the signals into some groups and to control each group of signals as a subarea that is independent of each other. So, in this paper, an optimization technique is proposed to divide the signal systems into some subareas and to optimize the cycle lengths and the offset patterns of each subarea by dynamic programming. A BASIC program was made to perform the optimization and to draw the through-bands on the graphic display easily by using personal computer.