A method for determining the signal time and lane group size based on the equilibrium movement flow

It is well known that the flow on transportation networks is in the user-equilibrium (UE) status. For the UE flow to be consistent with the signal time and lane group size, the link flow in the UE status should be differentiated into movement flow and the signal time and lane group size of each phase at signalized intersections should be decided based on the movement flow. The study on jointly deciding the signal time and lane group size (STLGS) is rare. In this paper, we presented a practical method for the STLGS based on the equilibrium movement flow. The link flow in the UE status are differentiated into movement flow, the cycle time and green split for each phase at each intersection was calculated based on the movement flow given an initial lane group size. The lane group size is adjusted if the cycle time is not within a reasonable range. The updated signal time and lane group size was used in the UE reassignment. The iterative procedure leads to the gradual decrease of the total travel time on the network. The method enhances the consistency of the UE flow and the signal time and lane group size at signalized intersections. The application of the method to the signalized Sioux Falls network shows the validity of the method. It is useful in deciding signal time and lane group size of each phase at signalized intersections on a real-size transportation network.