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The evolution of urban traffic control: changing policy and technology

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  • Andrew Hamilton
  • Ben Waterson
  • Tom Cherrett
  • Andrew Robinson
  • Ian Snell

Abstract

The history of urban traffic control (UTC) throughout the past century has been a continued race to keep pace with ever more complex policy objectives and consistently increasing vehicle demand. Many benefits can be observed from an efficient UTC system, such as reduced congestion, increased economic efficiency and improved road safety and air quality. There have been significant advances in vehicle detection and communication technologies which have enabled a series of step changes in the capabilities of UTC systems, from early (fixed time) signal plans to modern integrated systems. A variety of UTC systems have been implemented throughout the world, each with individual strengths and weaknesses; this paper seeks to compare the leading commercial systems (and some less well known systems) to highlight the key characteristics and differences before assessing whether the current UTC systems are capable of meeting modern transport policy obligations and desires. This paper then moves on to consider current and future transport policy and the technological landscape in which UTC will need to operate over the coming decades, where technological advancements are expected to move UTC from an era of limited data availability to an era of data abundance.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Hamilton & Ben Waterson & Tom Cherrett & Andrew Robinson & Ian Snell, 2013. "The evolution of urban traffic control: changing policy and technology," Transportation Planning and Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(1), pages 24-43, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:transp:v:36:y:2013:i:1:p:24-43
    DOI: 10.1080/03081060.2012.745318
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    Cited by:

    1. Xuedong Hua & YinHai Wang & Weijie Yu & Wenbo Zhu & Wei Wang, 2019. "Control Strategy Optimization for Two-Lane Highway Lane-Closure Work Zones," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-22, August.
    2. Yu, Hao & Ma, Rui & Zhang, H. Michael, 2018. "Optimal traffic signal control under dynamic user equilibrium and link constraints in a general network," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 302-325.
    3. Evers, Ruth & Proost, Stef, 2015. "The myth of traffic-responsive signal control: Why common sense does not always make sense," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 350-357.
    4. Yuncheng Zeng & Minhua Shao & Lijun Sun, 2023. "Network-Level Hierarchical Bottleneck Congestion Control Method for a Mixed Traffic Network," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-27, November.
    5. Vladimir NEMTINOV & Yulia NEMTINOVA & Andrey BORISENKO & Vladimir MOKROZUB, 2017. "Information Support Of Decision Making In Urban Passenger Transport Management," Transport Problems, Silesian University of Technology, Faculty of Transport, vol. 12(4), pages 83-90, December.
    6. Jia Shi & Xuesong Guo & Xiangnan Hu, 2019. "Engaging Stakeholders in Urban Traffic Restriction Policy Assessment Using System Dynamics: The Case Study of Xi’an City, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-16, July.
    7. Hou, Yue & Zhang, Di & Li, Da & Deng, Zhiyuan, 2024. "Regional traffic flow combination prediction model considering virtual space of the road network," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 637(C).
    8. Le, Tung & Vu, Hai L. & Walton, Neil & Hoogendoorn, Serge P. & Kovács, Péter & Queija, Rudesindo N., 2017. "Utility optimization framework for a distributed traffic control of urban road networks," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 539-558.
    9. Nam Seok Kim & Seung Sub Yoon & Donghyung Yook, 2017. "Performance comparison between pedestrian push-button and pre-timed pedestrian crossings at midblock: a Korean case study," Transportation Planning and Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(6), pages 706-721, August.
    10. Grote, Matt & Waterson, Ben & Rudolph, Felix, 2021. "The impact of strategic transport policies on future urban traffic management systems," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 402-414.
    11. Le Minh Kieu & Ashish Bhaskar & Edward Chung, 2015. "Empirical modelling of the relationship between bus and car speeds on signalised urban networks," Transportation Planning and Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(4), pages 465-482, June.

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