Area traffic control systems: Some aspects of planning and design

This paper provides a historical review of the development of traffic control from fixed-time isolated intersection control to fully traffic adaptive area control, and attempts to outline a basic framework for the planning and design of an area traffic control (ATC) system. The importance of measuring control performance according to the four criteria reliability, economy, compatibility and capability, is discussed. In particular, the capability criterion is concerned with the efficiency of operation, safety and environmental aspects, and the prevention of confusion and chaos in a signalized street network. An analysis of the three generations of ATC systems shows that the Sydney (Australia) Co-ordinated Adaptive Traffic (SCAT) system is the only system that has promised definite advantages over a fixed-time control system, and is currently in 24-hourly operation. The other dynamic systems reported in the literature are still in various stages of development. Language: en