SOFTWARE FOR TIMING SIGNALIZED ARTERIALS

This report documents the results of research conducted in a two-year Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) project dealing with the coordination of traffic signals on signalized arterials. This TxDOT project had two primary research objectives. The first objective was to develop guidelines for selecting software for use in signal timing projects. In order to achieve this objective, the researchers compared three popular signal timing optimization programs. These programs are Synchro, TRANSYT 7F, and PASSER II. The comparison was performed using several real arterials. The second objective of the project was to develop an enhanced version of PASSER II. This objective was achieved by developing a new graphic user interface, by re-engineering the underlying technology used in PASSER II-90 for maximizing arterial progression, and by developing a new delay estimation routine for undersaturated and oversaturated arterials. The new program has been named PASSER V-03. In addition to the above features, PASSER V provides several new models. These include: a genetic-algorithm-based optimizer for timing signals for optimum delay or progression, a re-engineered version of PASSER III technology for timing diamond interchanges using a single controller, and a tool for locating potential bottlenecks and for determining maximum throughput capacity of network.