Synchronizing Traffic Signals for Maximal Bandwidth

John T. Morgan and John D. C. Little
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John T. Morgan: The Australian National University, Canberra City, A. C. T.
John D. C. Little: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Operations Research, 1964, vol. 12, issue 6, 896-912

Abstract: Traffic signals can be synchronized so that a car, starting at one end of a street and traveling at preassigned speeds, can go to the other end without stopping for a red light. The portion of a signal cycle for which this is possible is called the bandwidth for that direction. Ordinarily the bandwidth in each direction is single, i.e., is not split into two or more intervals within a cycle. We solve two problems for this case: (1) Given an arbitrary number of signals along a street, a common signal period, the green and red times for each signal, and specified vehicle speeds in each direction between adjacent signals, synchronize the signals to produce bandwidths that are equal in each direction and as large as possible. (2) Adjust the synchronization to increase one bandwidth to some specified, feasible value and maintain the other as large as is then possible. The method of calculation has been programmed for a digital computer and results have been used to synchronize signals on a street in Cleveland.

Date: 1964
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