VISSIM-Based Smart Traffic Signal Control at Intersections: The Case of Ankara

Abstract

The rapid increase in urban population, along with the rising number of private vehicles and their usage, has significantly elevated the demand for urban mobility. This increased mobility, particularly at signalized intersections, has brought challenges such as traffic congestion, delays, waiting times, traffic accidents, and environmental pollution. Fluctuations in traffic flow during the day often lead to unnecessary delays, fuel consumption, time losses, and occasionally traffic rule violations at fixed-time controlled intersections. Traffic-responsive systems, an application of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), are widely used today as they assign signal timings based on real-time traffic data, minimizing delays and enhancing intersection performance. This study aims to demonstrate the benefits of operating four intersections with different geometries in Yenimahalle, Ankara, as traffic-responsive (smart) intersections. The VISSIM software was utilized to compare intersection performances. Simulations were conducted for morning peak hours by inputting the previous and proposed states of the selected intersections into the program. Improvements achieved were identified by comparing the current and optimized scenarios. The findings revealed that managing these intersections as smart intersections would result in significant improvements in delay times, queue lengths, and fuel consumption.

Keywords

• Intelligent Transportation Systems
• Smart intersection
• VISSIM

VISSIM Simülasyonuna Dayalı Akıllı Kavşak Sinyal Kontrolü: Ankara Örneği

Öz

Günümüzde, kentsel alanlarda yaşayan nüfusun hızla artması, bununla birlikte özel araç sayısı ve araç kullanımındaki artış, kentsel hareketlilik talebini artırmıştır. Bu hareketlilik, özellikle sinyalize kavşaklarda; trafik sıkışıklığı, gecikme ve beklemeler, trafik kazaları ve çevresel kirlilik gibi problemleri beraberinde getirmektedir. Gün içerisinde trafik akımındaki dalgalanmalar, sabit zamanlı olarak yönetilen kavşaklarda gereksiz beklemelere, yakıt sarfiyatına, zaman kayıplarına, hatta zaman zaman sürücülerin kural ihlallerine neden olabilmektedir. Bir Akıllı Ulaşım Sistemi uygulaması olan trafik uyarmalı sistemler, gerçek zamanlı trafik değerlerine göre süre ataması yaptıkları için, gecikmeleri minimuma indiren ve kavşak performansını artıran, günümüzde yaygın olarak kullanılan sistemlerdir. Bu çalışmada, Ankara Yenimahalle ilçesinde yer alan ve farklı geometriye sahip dört kavşağın, trafik uyarmalı (akıllı kavşak) olarak çalıştırılması durumunda, sağlanacak faydaların ortaya konulması amaçlanmaktadır. Çalışmada, kavşak performanslarının karşılaştırılabilmesi için VISSIM programı kullanılmıştır. Belirlenen kavşakların önceki ve sonraki durumları programa girilerek sabah zirve saatleri için simülasyonlar gerçekleştirilmiş, mevcut durum ve yeni durum karşılaştırması yapılarak meydana gelen iyileşmeler tespit edilmiştir. İncelenen kavşakların akıllı kavşak olarak yönetilmeleri durumunda; gecikme süreleri, kuyruk uzunlukları ve yakıt tüketiminde önemli iyileşmeler sağlayacağı tespit edilmiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Akıllı Ulaşım Sistemleri
• Akıllı Kavşak
• VISSIM

Kaynakça

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