Integrated Real-Time Transit Signal Priority Control for High-Frequency Transit Service

Abstract

Bus bunching affects transit operations by increasing passenger waiting time and variability. To tackle this phenomenon, a wide range of control strategies has been proposed. However, none of them have considered station and interstation control together. In this study station and interstation control were tackled to determine the optimal vehicle control strategy for various stops and traffic lights in a single service transit corridor. The strategy minimized the total time that users must devote to making a trip, taking into account delays for transit and general traffic users. Based on a high-frequency, capacity-constrained, and unscheduled service (no timetable) for which real-time information about bus position (GPS) and bus load (automated passenger counter) is available, this study focused on strategies for traffic signal priority in the form of green extension considered together with holding buses at stops and limiting passenger boarding at stops. The decisions on transit signal priority were made according to a rolling horizon scheme in which effects over the whole corridor were considered in every single decision. The proposed strategy was evaluated in a simulated environment under different operational conditions. Results showed that the proposed control strategy achieves reductions in the excess delay for transit users close to 61.4% compared with no control, while general traffic increases only by 1.5%.