A CASE FOR IMPLEMENTING SELF-ORGANISING TRAFFIC SIGNAL CONTROL ON SOUTH AFRICAN ROADS

Authors

  • Samantha Jane Movius Stellenbosch University
  • Jan Harm van Vuuren Stellenbosch University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7166/30-2-1925

Keywords:

Traffic control, self-organisation, simulation, case study

Abstract

Traffic signal optimisation may lead to the alleviation, to some extent, of urban traffic congestion, particularly by using real-time data rather than expected traffic flow data. Recent advances in radar technology have made it possible to observe detailed traffic flow data in and around roadway intersections in real time. The notion of self-organisation has relatively recently been proposed as a promising alternative to improve the effective allocation of green time, particularly under lighter traffic conditions. A fixed-time control strategy and seven self-organising algorithms are compared in a microscopic traffic simulation model of a provincial road in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Actual arrival rates are used as input for the model, while the algorithms are compared using six performance measure indicators, under both light and moderate traffic conditions. The results are used to make a case for the adoption of self-organising traffic signal control algorithms, especially under conditions of light to moderate traffic densities, since this can lead to significant improvements in traffic flow in terms of delay time, vehicle stops, and time spent travelling at unacceptably slow speeds through the road network.

Author Biographies

Samantha Jane Movius, Stellenbosch University

PhD student in the Industrial Engineering department

Jan Harm van Vuuren, Stellenbosch University

Professor in the Industrial Engineering department

Downloads

Published

2019-08-30

How to Cite

Movius, S. J., & van Vuuren, J. H. (2019). A CASE FOR IMPLEMENTING SELF-ORGANISING TRAFFIC SIGNAL CONTROL ON SOUTH AFRICAN ROADS. The South African Journal of Industrial Engineering, 30(2), 131–145. https://doi.org/10.7166/30-2-1925

Issue

Vol. 30 No. 2 (2019)

Section

General Articles

License

Authors who publish in the Journal agree to the following terms:
  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this Journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the Journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this Journal.