Time Dependent Delay at Unsignalized Intersections

This paper shows that the well-known solutions for average delays at unsignalized intersections are specific members of a larger family of approximate solutions, where other elements of the whole set of delay equations proved more advantages. A classification of different possibilities for average delay function is also offered. Among all possible cases the traditional formulas only constitute a solution for specific and unrealistic cases. These considerations also make clear that a sound understanding of the formulas’ background is crucial for a correct application. The key to the assessment of a useful delay estimation technique, is, however, the comparison with exact results, which for this paper have be elaborated using Markov chain techniques, simulations, and some empirical data.