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Chapter 1: The Traffic Signal Control System: Its Pieces and How They Fit Together
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In this first chapter, we set the stage for learning about (understanding, then designing) signal timing for
the traffic signal control system.
When you have completed the activities in this chapter, you will be able to
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Describe the basic components and the operation of the traffic control system
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Determine your current level of competency with traffic signal system concepts
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Describe how drivers respond to signal displays
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Identify and describe various physical components of a signalized arterial
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Assess the realism of a simulation environment by comparing it with a video of actual field operations
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Develop your ability to “see” and “observe” video and animation of traffic flow at a signalized
intersection and relate these observations to traffic flow theory and principles
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Identify essential team behaviors that lead to successful completion of activities and the design project
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Explain how team behaviors support different team roles
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Develop group consensus on how the team will work with, treat, and communicate with each other
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Describe the content, scope, and organization of the
Traffic Signal Timing Manual
This chapter begins with a
Reading
activity (Activity #1) that describes the system itself and its components
and how they fit together. The basic prerequisite to a course using this book is an introductory course in
transportation engineering, offered in most undergraduate programs in civil engineering. Activity #2 is
designed to review some of the basic concepts that you learned in this introductory course that are relevant
to traffic signal timing, identifying what you know (and don’t know) about this subject.Activity #3 explores
a system that you already, in many respects, know quite well: a signalized arterial. You will begin to “see”
this system in a new way, using the terms and concepts commonly used by the transportation engineer.
Activity #4 introduces you to the notion of seeing what is important at a signalized intersection. We often
describe the experienced traffic signal engineer as having one eye on the traffic flow and one eye in the
cabinet, looking at the controller and its timing processes. You will learn to use a simulation environment
that includes a realistic traffic signal controller emulator. While you will use a specific simulation model
and traffic controller, your work is about neither. Rather, they are both tools to help you learn about traffic
operations and signal timing. It may be a surprise to you to see two activities about working in teams in
a book about traffic signal timing. Yet most engineers work in teams and explicitly learning to do so is a
critical skill for the transportation engineer. Activity #5 is based on three readings on team building, while
Activity #6 takes you through the process of team building and creating a team agreement that will provide
a context for your work as a team.
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The Traffic Signal Control System:
Its Pieces and How They Fit Together