Intersection signal timing optimization considering the travel safety of the elderly

• Published in: Advances in mechanical engineering Vol. 11; no. 12
• Main Authors: Ma, Changxi, Liu, Pengfei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.12.2019; Sage Publications Ltd; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Adaptive control; Cycle ratio; Cycle time; Delay; Genetic algorithms; Older people; Optimization; Parameters; Pedestrian crossings; Pedestrians; Safety; Traffic control; Traffic intersections; Traffic signals; Intersection; signal control; traffic simulation; improved genetic algorithm; travel safety
• ISSN: 1687-8132; 1687-8140
• DOI: 10.1177/1687814019897216

With the rapid growth of the elderly population in China, the proportion of middle-aged and elderly pedestrians crossing streets at signalized intersections has been increasing gradually, mandating the consideration of the crossing characteristics and travel safety of the elderly in signal matching. This article proposes a new signal control parameter optimization method for intersections based on an improved genetic algorithm. According to the crossing characteristics and travel safety of the elderly, the average vehicle delay is used as the control objective, and the green signal ratio and cycle time are used as control variables. The improved genetic algorithm with an improved fitness calibration method and an adaptive cross-mutation function is used to solve the signal control model. Based on the optimization analysis of traffic signal control parameters at a traffic intersection, the study shows that the improved signal control method can effectively reduce the average vehicle delay compared to the Webster algorithm and the traditional genetic algorithm.