11/17/2009

Signalized Intersections LOS

Signalized Intersection
 Recall that level of service (LOS) is a
Analysis and Level of Service qualitative assessment of facility
operations based upon a quantitative
performance measure.
CE322 Transportation Engineering  The performance measure that is used
Dr. Ahmed Abdel-Rahim to assess level of service for signalized
intersections is average control delay
per vehicle.

Signalized Intersections LOS Lane Grouping

 Analysis Procedure (assuming phasing, cycle  The methodology for signalized intersections
length, and effective green times have already been is disaggregate; that is, it is designed to
determined) consider individual intersection approaches
 Establish Analysis Lane Groups and individual lane groups within approaches.
 Calculate Analysis Flow Rates and Adjusted  Segmenting the intersection into lane groups
Saturation Flow Rates is a relatively simple process that considers
 Calculate Capacities both the geometry of the intersection and the
distribution of traffic movements. In general,
 Calculate Delay
the smallest number of lane groups is used
 Determine Level of Service (LOS) that adequately describes the operation of
the intersection.

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Lane Grouping Lane Grouping

 Lane groups will generally be dictated  Dual-ring Signal Control
by geometry (i.e., lane allocation) and
phasing
 Signalized intersection phasing can
range from simple to complex
 Pretimed single ring
 Fully actuated dual ring

Calculate Analysis Flow Rates

 Adjust hourly volumes for RTOR
 Adjust for peak hour factor (PHF)

Assume already accounted for in

book problems

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Calculate Adjusted
Saturation Flow Rates Calculate Lane Group Capacities
 Start with a base value, usually 1900 pc/hr/ln  Capacity is determined on a lane group
per the Highway Capacity Manual basis
 This value is then adjusted for a variety of
roadway and traffic related conditions. c = s  g/C
 Factors such as lane width, grade, heavy Where:
vehicle percentage, bus activity, parking
activity, pedestrian and bicyclist activity, and s = adjusted saturation flow rate
turn movement geometry and phasing g/C = eff. green to cycle length ratio

Determining Delay Determining Delay

 Average control delay per vehicle  Uniform delay
2
Eq. 7.14  g
d  d1  PF  d 2  d 3 0.5C 1  
d1   C Eq. 7.15
 g
1  min 1, X  
 C
Where:
d = average signal delay per vehicle in seconds,
d1 = average delay per vehicle due to uniform arrivals in seconds, Where:
PF = progression adjustment factor, d1 = average delay per vehicle due to uniform arrivals in seconds,
d2 = average delay per vehicle due to random arrivals in seconds, and C = cycle length in seconds,
d3 = average delay per vehicle due to initial queue at start of g = effective green time for lane group in seconds, and
analysis time period, in seconds. X = v/c ratio for lane group.

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Determining Delay Delay Calculation Assumptions

 Random delay  For problems in this class, all intersections
are assumed to be isolated, under pretimed
 
d 2  900T  X  1   X  12  8kIX  Eq. 7.16 control, and have no initial queue at
 cT 
beginning of analysis period; thus:
Where:  d3  0
d2 = average delay per vehicle due to random arrivals in seconds,  PF  1.0
T = duration of analysis period in h,
X = v/c ratio for lane group,
 k  0.5
k = delay adjustment factor that is dependent on signal controller mode,  I  1.0
I = upstream filtering/metering adjustment factor, and
c = lane group capacity, in veh/h.

Determining Delay Level of Service

 Aggregating Delays  Delay Thresholds
d v i i
dA  i
Eq. 7.27 LOS Control Delay per Vehicle (s/veh)
v i
i A  10
Where: B > 10-20
dA = average delay per vehicle for approach A in seconds,
C > 20 – 35
di = average delay per vehicle for lane group i (on approach A) in seconds, and
vi = analysis flow rate for lane group i in veh/h. D > 35 – 55
E > 55 – 80
d A A v F > 80
dI  A
Eq. 7.28
v A
A

Where:
dI = average delay per vehicle for the intersection in seconds,
dA = average delay per vehicle for approach A in seconds, and
vA = analysis flow rate for approach A in veh/h.

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Example Phasing

Traffic Volumes
& Lanes

1 2 3

Analysis Flow Rates and Calculate Flow Ratios (v/s) and

Adj. Sat. Flow Rates Identify Critical Ones
 Adjusted Analysis Flow Rates
 Use given volumes Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
220 880 70
 0.122  0.255  0.140
 Adjusted Saturation Flow Rates EB L:
1800
EB T/R:
3450
NB L:
500
50
 Phase 1 (E/W prot. LT’s): 1800 veh/h 250 950
SB L:
350
 0.143
WB L:  0.139  WB T/R:  0.271 
 Phase 2 (E/W Th/RT’s): 3450, 3500 veh/h 1800 3500 NB T/R:
530
 0.294 
1800
 Phase 3 (N/S perm. LT’s): 500, 350 veh/h SB T/R:
450
 0.250
(N/S Th/RT’s): 1800 veh/h 1800

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Determine Effective Green Times

Determine Cycle Length for each Phase
n
v v  C 
Yc      0.139  0.271  0.294  0.704 g i     
i 1  s  ci  s i  X i 

Assuming 4 seconds of lost time per phase  100 

g1  0.139    17 .4
n  0.8 
L   t L ci  4  4  4  12
 100 
i 1 g 2  0.271   33.9
 0.8 
Assuming a critical intersection v/c ratio of 0.8
 100 
L Xc 12  0.8 g 3  0.294    36.8
C min =   100 .0  0.8 
n
v 0.8 - 0.704
X c   
i = 1  s  ci C = 17.4 + 33.9 + 36.8 + 12 = 100.1 

Determine Delays & LOS Determine Delays & LOS

Calculate EB approach delay Random Delay

Left turn lane group With:

g/C = 17.4/100 = 0.174 (moves in phase 1) T = 0.25 (15 min)
c = s  g/C = 1800  0.174 = 313.2 X = 0.702 (from above)
v/c = 220/313.2 = 0.702 k = 0.5 (pretimed control)
I = 1.0 (isolated mode)
Uniform Delay c = 313.2 veh/h (from above)

0.5100 1  0.174 

2
0.702  12  80.51.00.702   12.4 sec
 
d1   38.9 sec d 2  900 0.25 0.702  1 
1  0.702  .174   313 .20.25 

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Determine Delays & LOS Determine Delays & LOS

Calculate EB approach delay
Total Delay
Through/Right turn lane group
With PF = 1.0 (for isolated signal) g/C = 33.9/100 = 0.339 (moves in phase 2)
c = s  g/C = 3450  0.339 = 1169.6
d EB _ LT  38.9 1.0  12.4  0  51.3 sec
v/c = 880/1169.6 = 0.752

Uniform Delay

0.5100 1  0.339 

2
d1   29.3 sec
1  0.752  .339 

Determine Delays & LOS Determine Delays & LOS

Random Delay
Total Delay
With:
T = 0.25 (15 min) With PF = 1.0 (for isolated signal)
X = 0.752 (from above)
k = 0.5 (pretimed control)
I = 1.0 (isolated mode) d EB _ T / R  29.3 1.0  4.5  0  33.8 sec
c = 1169.6 veh/h (from above)

0.752  12  80.51.00.752   4.5 sec

 
d 2  900 0.25 0.752  1 
 1169 .60.25 

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Determine Delays & LOS

Aggregate delays for LT and T/R lane groups

d EB _ LT vEB _ LT  d EB _ T / R vEB _ T / R
d EB 
vEB _ LT  vEB _ T / R

51 .3  220  33 .8  880
d EB   37 .3 sec
220  880