Analysis of Signalized

Intersection
Razon C. Domingo
Types of Intersection
Signalized Vs. Unsignalized Intersection
 Definition of Terms
Approach – A lane or group of lanes through which traffic enters an intersection.

Cycle – one complete sequence (for all approaches) of signal indications (greens,
yellows, reds).

Cycle length – The total time for the signal to complete one cycle (identified by the
symbol c and usually expressed in seconds).

Traffic Signal Phase – The part of the cycle length allocated to a traffic movement
that has the right of way, or any combination of traffic movements that receive
the right of way simultaneously. The sum of the phase lengths (in seconds) is the
cycle length.
Traffic Signal Phase
Phase Diagram
 Definition of Terms
Indication – The illumination of one or more signal lenses (greens, yellows, reds)
indicating a permitted or prohibited traffic movement.

Interval – a period of time during which all signal indications (reds) remain the
same for all approaches.

Green Time – The time within a cycle in which an approach has the green indication
(expressed in seconds and given the symbol GT).

Red Time – the time within a cycle in which an approach has the red indication
(expressed in seconds and given the symbol RT).
 Definition of Terms
Yellow Time – the time within a cycle in which an approach has the yellow
indication (expressed in seconds and given the symbol YT).

Change Interval – The yellow time plus all-red time (the short period of time in
which all approaches have a red signal) that provides for clearance of the
intersection before conflicting traffic movements are given a signal intersection
that allows them to enter the intersection (expressed in seconds).

Lost Time – time during which the intersection is not effectively used by any
approach. These times occur during the change interval (when the intersection is
cleared) and at the beginning of each green indication as the first few vehicles in a
standing queue experience start-up delays. The lost time is given the symbol LT.
 Definition of Terms
Effective Green – the time that is effectively used by the approach for traffic
movement. This is generally taken to be the green time plus the change interval
minus the lost time for the approach. Effective green is stated in seconds and
given the symbol g.
(g = GT + CI − LT )

Effective Red – The time that is effectively not used by the approach for traffic
movement. Stated in seconds, it is the cycle length minus the effective green time
and is given the symbol r.

Saturation Flow – The maximum flow that could pass through an intersection from
a given approach, if that approach was allocated all of the cycle time as effective
green with no lost time (given the symbol s).
g = GT + CI − LT

CI = YT + AR
 Definition of Terms
Approach Capacity - The maximum flow that can pass through an intersection
under prevailing highway and traffic conditions, given the effective green time
allocated to the approach. It is equal to the saturation flow multiplied by the
ratio of effective green to cycle length (C=s x g/c)

Major Street – The Street at an intersection that has the higher traffic-volume
approaches.

Minor Street – the Street at an intersection that has the lower traffic-volume
approaches.
 Definition of Terms
Protected Turn – A turning movement made without the conflict of opposing traffic or
pedestrians. This turn is made during an exclusive turning phase (e.g., left-turn arrow).

Permitted Turn – A turning movement that is made through opposing traffic flow or
through conflicting pedestrian movement. This turn is made during gaps (time
headways) in opposing traffic and conflicting pedestrian movements.

Signal Timing – The operating characteristics of the signal with the parameters being the
signal cycle length, green time, red time, yellow time and all-red time (the settings
produce, for all approaches, effective green and red times).

Pretimed Signal - A signal whose timing (cycle length, green time, etc.) is fixed over
specified time periods and does not change in response to changes in traffic flow at the
intersection. No vehicle detection is necessary with this mode of operation.
 Definition of Terms
Semi-Actuated Signal – A signal whose timing (i.e., cycle length, green time, etc.)
is affected when vehicles are detected (e.g., by magnetic-loop detectors in the
pavement) on some, but not all, approaches. These types of signals are usually
found when a low-volume road intersects with a high-volume road. In such cases
green time is allocated to the high-volume approaches until vehicles are
detected on the low-volume approaches and then returned to the high-volume
approaches.

Fully Actuated Signal – A signal whose timing (i.e., cycle length, green time, etc.)
is completely influenced by the traffic volumes, when detected, on all of the
approaches. Fully actuated signals are most commonly used at intersections
where substantial variations exist in approach traffic volumes over the course of
a day.
Traffic Signal Actuation
 Analysis of Signalized Intersections with D/D/1 Queuing

Where: 𝜆 = arrival rate (typically in vehicles per second)

𝜇 = departure rate (in vehicles per second)
g = effective green (in seconds)
r = effective red (in seconds)
t = total transpired time (in seconds)
𝜆𝑡 = total number of vehicle arrivals at time t
𝜇𝑡=number of vehicles that depart during effective greens
𝑡0 = time from the start of the effective green until queue dissipation (in
seconds)
c = cycle length (in seconds)
1. For the time to queue dissipation after the start of the effective green, 𝑡0 ,
with traffic intensity, 𝝆 = 𝝀Τ𝝁
𝝆𝒓
𝒕𝟎 =
(𝟏 − 𝝆)

2. The proportion of the cycle with a queue, 𝑃𝑞 , is

𝒓 + 𝒕𝟎
𝑷𝒒 =
𝒄
3. The proportion of vehicles stopped, 𝑃𝑠 , is

𝝀 𝒓 + 𝒕𝟎 𝒓 + 𝒕𝟎
𝑷𝒔 = = = 𝑷𝒒
𝝀 𝒓+𝒈 𝒄

Also,

𝝀 𝒓 + 𝒕𝟎 𝝁𝒕𝟎 𝒕𝟎
𝑷𝒔 = = =
𝝀 𝒓+𝒈 𝝀𝒄 𝝆𝒄

4. The maximum number of vehicles in the queue, 𝑄𝑚 , is

𝑸𝒎 = 𝝀𝒓
5. The total vehicle delay per cycle, 𝐷𝑡 , is

𝝀𝒓𝟐
𝑫𝒕 =
𝟐 𝟏−𝝆

6. The average delay per vehicle, d, is

𝝀𝒓𝟐 𝟏 𝒓𝟐
𝒅= 𝒙 =
𝟐 𝟏 − 𝝆 𝝀𝒄 𝟐𝒄 𝟏 − 𝝆

7. The maximum delay of any vehicle (assuming a FIFO queuing discipline), 𝑑𝑚 ,

is

𝒅𝒎 = 𝒓
Example Problem:

An approach at a pre-timed signalized intersection has a saturation flow of

2400 veh/h and is located 24 seconds of effective green in an 80-second
signal cycle. If the flow at the approach is 500 veh/h, provide an analysis of
the intersection assuming D/D/1 queuing.
Solution:

𝑣𝑒ℎ 1ℎ 𝑣𝑒ℎ
𝜆 = 500 𝑥 = 0.139
ℎ 3600 𝑠 𝑠

𝑣𝑒ℎ 1ℎ 𝑣𝑒ℎ
𝜇 = 2400 𝑥 = 0.667
ℎ 3600 𝑠 𝑠

0.139𝑣𝑒ℎ/𝑠
𝜌= = 0.2083
0.667 𝑣𝑒ℎ/𝑠

𝑔 = 24 𝑠

𝑐 = 80 𝑠

𝑟 = 𝑐 − 𝑔 = 80 𝑠 − 24 = 56 𝑠
 𝜌𝑟 0.2083 56 𝑠
𝑡0 = = = 14.73 𝑠
1−𝜌 1 − 0.2083

𝑟 + 𝑡0 56 𝑠 + 14.73 𝑠
𝑃𝑞 = = = 0.884
𝑐 80 𝑠

𝑡0 14.73 𝑠
𝑃𝑠 = = = 0.884
𝜌𝑐 0.2083 80 𝑠

𝑄𝑚 = 𝜆𝑟 = 0.139 𝑣𝑒ℎൗ𝑠 56 𝑠 = 7.784 𝑣𝑒ℎ

 𝜆𝑟 2 0.139 𝑣𝑒ℎൗ𝑠 56 𝑠 2
𝐷𝑡 = = = 275.3 𝑣𝑒ℎ − 𝑠
2 1−𝜌 2 1 − 0.2083

𝑟2 56 𝑠 2
𝑑= = = 24.76 𝑠
2𝑐 1 − 𝜌 2 80 𝑠 1 − 0.2083

𝑑𝑚 = 𝑟 = 56 𝑠
Analysis of Signalized Intersections with Probabilistic Arrivals

Webster formula for approach delay at a pre-timed signalized intersection is:

𝟐 𝟏ൗ
′
𝒙 𝒄 𝟑 𝟐+𝟓
𝒈ൗ
𝒄
𝒅 =𝒅+ − 𝟎. 𝟔𝟓 𝟐 𝒙
𝟐𝝀 𝟏 − 𝒙 𝝀

Where: 𝑑 ′ = average vehicle delay.

𝑑 = average vehicle delay computed by assuming D/D/1 queuing.
𝑥 = ratio of approach arrivals to approach capacity (also referred to as the
volume-to-capacity ratio and equal to 𝜆𝑐Τ𝜇𝑔).
𝑐 = cycle length
g = effective green
𝜆 = average vehicle arrival rate.
Allsop’s delay formula:

𝟗 𝒙𝟐
𝒅′ = 𝒅+
𝟏𝟎 𝟐𝝀 𝟏 − 𝒙

Example Problem:

An approach at a pre-timed signalized intersection has a saturation flow of

2400 veh/h and is located 24 seconds of effective green in an 80-seconds
signal cycle. If the flow at the approach is 500 veh/h, compute the average
approach per cycle using Webster’s and Allsop’s formulas
Solution:

𝑣𝑒ℎ 1ℎ 𝑣𝑒ℎ
𝜆 = 500 𝑥 = 0.139
ℎ 3600 𝑠 𝑠

𝑣𝑒ℎ 1ℎ 𝑣𝑒ℎ
𝜇 = 2400 𝑥 = 0.667
ℎ 3600 𝑠 𝑠

0.139𝑣𝑒ℎ/𝑠
𝜌= = 0.2083
0.667 𝑣𝑒ℎ/𝑠

𝑔 = 24 𝑠

𝑐 = 80 𝑠

𝑟 = 𝑐 − 𝑔 = 80 𝑠 − 24 = 56 𝑠
 𝑟2 56 𝑠 2
𝑑= = = 24.76 𝑠
2𝑐 1 − 𝜌 2 80 𝑠 1 − 0.2083

𝜆𝑐 0.139 𝑣𝑒ℎൗ𝑠 80 𝑠
𝑥= = = 0.695
𝜇𝑔 0.667 𝑣𝑒ℎൗ𝑠 24 𝑠
Webster’s Formula:

𝟐 𝟏ൗ
′
𝒙 𝒄 𝟑 𝟐+𝟓
𝒈ൗ
𝒄
𝒅 =𝒅+ − 𝟎. 𝟔𝟓 𝟐 𝒙
𝟐𝝀 𝟏 − 𝒙 𝝀

𝑑′
0.695 2
= 24.76 +
2 0.139 𝑣𝑒ℎൗ𝑠 1 − 0.695
1ൗ
80 𝑠 3
2+5 24 𝑠ൗ80 𝑠
− 0.65 2 0.695
0.139 𝑣𝑒ℎൗ𝑠
= 27.54 𝑠
Allsop’s Formula:

𝟗 𝒙𝟐
𝒅′ = 𝒅+
𝟏𝟎 𝟐𝝀 𝟏 − 𝒙

9 0.695 2
𝑑′ = 24.76 + = 27.41 𝑠
10 2 0.139 𝑣𝑒ℎൗ𝑠 1 − 0.695