Path-Based Progression Model for Long Arterial Signal Coordination Considering Partition Cost

As one of the most important traffic signal coordination models, the multi-path progression model can provide dedicated green bands for multiple critical path-flows in an artery. However, as the number of intersections and critical paths in the system increases, the bandwidth often becomes narrower or even ineffective. In this paper, a multi-path progression model for long arterial signal coordination is proposed. The proposed method permits the progression bands to be broken if necessary and optimizes system partition and signal coordination within a unified framework. To ensure the continuity of the progression band, the bandwidth loss caused by partitioning is taken into consideration. Furthermore, to obtain a more feasible solution, we optimize offsets and phase sequences at each intersection simultaneously. The proposed model is formulated as a mixed-integer linear program, which can be precisely solved by the standard branch-and-bound technique. A case study was conducted to prove the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed model. The results show that the proposed model can generate more ideal green bandwidths for critical paths compared with the benchmark. Further simulation demonstrates that the proposed model can outperform the benchmark model in reducing average path-flow delay and average number of stops, and improving average travel speed.