Active signal priority control method for bus rapid transit based on Vehicle Infrastructure Integration

Abstract

The implementation of signal priority control to reduce delays of BRT vehicles at signalized intersections is of practical and theoretical significance. In this paper, we propose an active signal priority control method for BRT vehicles that run on median-road exclusive BRT lanes at single intersections based on Vehicle Infrastructure Integration system. This method aims at maximizing average passenger benefit of BRT and other road users, and provides 8 signal priority control scenarios respectively for 8 BRT arrival modes that are based on estimating BRT vehicle travel time and locating arriving time window in a cycle. The delay, energy efficiency and passengers’ comfort of BRT vehicles, and community vehicles’ efficiency are also being considered. Finally, a model simulation was conducted by VISSIM modeling in a representative signalized intersection with BRT in Jinan City, China. The results indicate that the proposed method reduces average passenger delay by 13.43–25.27% and improves travel speed of BRT vehicles by 7.10–7.55% comparing to existing signal control scenarios. The proposed method is highly promising and can be applied to improve efficiency and safety of BRT at signalized intersections.

Keywords

• Intelligent transportation system
• Active signal priority control
• Bus rapid transit
• Vehicle Infrastructure Integration
• VISSIM