Australian traffic signalling

The report deals with a study tour of all the state capital cities during August 1978 undertaken by the Greater London Council for ARRB. The study has already been partly reported in the workshop on area traffic control in Brisbane, August 1978. The report finds that, relative to the traffic levels encountered, Australia has generous provision of traffic signalled intersections and traffic signals at each intersection. There could be advantage in developing warrants for a lower level provision. Australia had some of the most advanced microprocessor traffic signal controllers for vehicle actuated control of isolated intersections. Its area traffic control systems, particularly that in Sydney, are as advanced in the application of dynamic control as any in the world. However, the number of signalled intersections in a city requiring coordination may dictate that a simpler form of area traffic control should be used. At least one commercially available system is being applied successfully in a number of cities, which is capable of interfacing existing linked signal systems in city centres. The major impediment to effective area traffic control is the division of responsibility for traffic signals in some cities. The report deals with various engineering features of traffic signal equipment, concluding for example that solid state switching will become the acceptable norm. Most importantly comprehensive traffic signal maintenance arrangements are required and this again requires the signals in a city to be under one authority for this purpose (a).