BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr.

Basil David Daniel

TRAFFIC SIGNAL INSTALLATION CRITERIA

A request to install new traffic signals (or upgrading an existing

signalised intersection) may originate from various sources. The
most usual sources include:

Responsible agencies, e.g. JKR, City Hall, Municipalities etc.

Traffic Enforcement Agencies, e.g. Police

Industrial or commercial developers and operators

Media or General Public

The agency responsible for granting the request must determine

whether such requests are justified. It is for this purpose that a
criteria of selection was developed.

BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

TRAFFIC SIGNAL INSTALLATION CRITERIA

In general the following steps should be taken prior to the

installation of traffic signal control:

Determine the function of the intersection as it relates to the

overall road system. A system of major roads should be designated
to channel major flow from one section of the city to another.
Intersection controls must be related to the major road system.

A comprehensive study of traffic data and physical characteristics

of the location is necessary to determine the need for signal
control and for the proper design and operation of the control.

Determine if the geometric or physical improvements or regulations

will provide a better solution to the problem of safety or
efficiency than the installation of signal control.

Use established warrants to determine if intersection control is

justified.

BDD/BFC32302/4B 1
 BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

TRAFFIC SIGNAL INSTALLATION CRITERIA

WARRANTS FOR TRAFFIC SIGNAL

Vehicular Operation
Pedestrian Safety
Accident Experience

Warrant 1: Vehicular Operation

a. Total Volume

A signal control is warranted if the traffic volume for each of any 8

hours of an average day meets the minimum requirement in Table 4.4.

For the major road, the total volume of both approaches is used. For
the minor road, the higher volume approach is used.

BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

TRAFFIC SIGNAL INSTALLATION CRITERIA

Table 4.4: Vehicular volume requirements for Warrant 1

Number of Lanes on Minimum Requirements (pcu)

Each Approach Minor Road a Minor Road b
Major Minor
Urban Rural Urban Rural
Road Road
1 1 500 350 150 105
2 or more 1 600 420 150 105
2 or more 2 or more 600 420 200 140
1 2 or more 500 350 200 140

Note: a - Total Volume on both approaches, b - Higher volume approach only

BDD/BFC32302/4B 2
 BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

TRAFFIC SIGNAL INSTALLATION CRITERIA

Warrant 1: Vehicular Operation

b. Peak Hour Volume

This criteria warrants signalisation when the peak hour major road
volume (total vehicles per hour for both approaches) and the higher
volume minor road approach (vehicles per hour for are direction only)
fall above curve for a given combination of approach lanes shown in
Figure 4.10.

The requirements are lower when the 85 percentile speed of major

road traffic exceeds 60 km/hr, or when the intersection lies within a
rural area. The peak hour volume warrant is satisfied when the
volumes referred to fall above the curve for the given combination of
approach lanes shown in Figure 4.11.

BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

TRAFFIC SIGNAL INSTALLATION CRITERIA

Figure 4.10 Peak Hour

Volume Warrant – Urban
or Low Speed

Figure 4.11 Peak Hour

Volume Warrant – Rural
or High Speed

BDD/BFC32302/4B 3
 BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

TRAFFIC SIGNAL INSTALLATION CRITERIA

Warrant 1: Vehicular Operation

c. Progressive Movement

It may be desirable to install a signal to maintain a proper grouping or

platooning of vehicles and regulate group speed. Moving the traffic in
platoon at desirable speed would be reduce the number of stop and
delay. Accident reduction may be expected with reduction of stops
and speed.

BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

TRAFFIC SIGNAL INSTALLATION CRITERIA

Warrant 2: Pedestrian Safety

Signalisation of an intersection also promotes pedestrian safety. It is

warranted for signalisation when, for each of any 8 hours of an
average day the following traffic volume exists :

a. On the major road, 600 or more vehicles per hour enter the
intersection (total of both approaches): or where there is a raised
median island 1.2 m or more in width, 1,000 or more vehicles per
hour (total of both approaches) enter the intersection on the major
road, and

b. During the same 8 hours there are 150 or more pedestrians per
hour on the highest volume crosswalk crossing the major road.

BDD/BFC32302/4B 4
 BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

TRAFFIC SIGNAL INSTALLATION CRITERIA

Warrant 2: Pedestrian Safety

When the 85-percentile speed of major road traffic exceeds 60
km/hr in either an urban or a rural area or when the intersection lies
within the built-up area of an isolated community having a population
of less than 10,000, the minimum pedestrian volume is 70 percent of
the requirements above.

A signal installed under this warrant at an isolated intersection should

be of the traffic actuated type with push buttons for pedestrian
crossing the main road. If such a signal is installed at an intersection
within a signal system, it should be equipped and operated with control
devices which provide proper coordination.

Special considerations should be given at schools where large number

of children crosses a major road on the way to and from school. The
requirement for school children to cross is based on the number of
adequate gaps available in the vehicular traffic on the major road
available. A signal may be installed to artificially create these gaps if
other methods for improvements are not adequate.

BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

TRAFFIC SIGNAL INSTALLATION CRITERIA

Warrant 3: Accident Experience

Accident prone areas with accident types which are correctable by
signal control warrants signalisation. This claim should be
substantiated by accident records for a period of two to three years.

The requirements are satisfied when:

a. An adequate trial of less restrictive remedies with satisfactory

observance and enforcement has failed to reduce the accident
frequency.

b. There exists a record of five or more reported accidents in a

year. These accidents should be of types susceptible to correction
by traffic signal control.

c. There exists a volume of vehicular and pedestrian traffic not less

than 80% of the requirements specified in warrants 1 and 2.

d. The signal installation will not seriously disrupt progressive traffic

flow.

BDD/BFC32302/4B 5
 BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

TRAFFIC SIGNAL INSTALLATION CRITERIA

Warrant 3: Accident Experience

Any traffic signal installed solely on this warrant should be semi

traffic-actuated (with control devices which provide proper
coordination if installed at an intersection within a coordinated
system}) and normally should be fully traffic-actuated if installed at
an isolated intersection.

BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

TRAFFIC CONTROL SIGNAL

Traffic control signal is primarily used for control of vehicular and
pedestrian movements, especially at intersections.
It is a device that directs traffic to stop and permits traffic to
proceed.

Red: Vehicles must stop

Amber: Vehicles must slow down and prepare to stop
Green: Vehicles can proceed

To maintain orderly and smooth flow of vehicles

To reduce vehicle conflicts
OBJECTIVES To reduce delays
OF TRAFFIC
CONTROL To reduce accidents
SIGNALS To reduce limited space entirely
To allow pedestrians to cross safely
To reduce use of traffic police

BDD/BFC32302/4B 6
 BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

TRAFFIC SIGNAL TIMING: DESIGN PRINCIPLES

(1) DETERMINATION OF SATURATION FLOW, S

Saturation flow (S) is the maximum flow that can cross the stop
line of an approach where there is a continuous green indication
and a continuous queue of vehicles on the approach.
S is expressed in passenger car unit per hour (pcu/hr).
Where there is no on-street parking,
i) where effective approach width, W ≥ 5.5 m
S = 525 x W
ii) where effective approach width, W < 5.5 m, S can be obtained
from the following table:

BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

S has to be corrected for effects of gradient, turning radius and

the proportion of turning vehicles.

BDD/BFC32302/4B 7
 BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

Adjusted S = S x fg x ft x fl x fr

BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

(2) DETERMINATION OF Y

y = q / S
where q = actual flow on a traffic-signal approach in pcu/hr
S = saturation flow for the approach in pcu/hr

The y value for a single phase is the highest y value from the
approaches in the phase.

For the whole junction, Y = ∑yi

where yi = is the highest y value from the approaches within phase I

The Y value is a measure of occupancy of the intersection.

Preferably Y ≤ 0.85

BDD/BFC32302/4B 8
 BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

If Y > 0.85, it is suggested that the geometric design and the

layout of the intersection or the number of lanes be improved.

Conversion of veh/hr to pcu/hr is made using the table below:

BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

(3) DETERMINATION OF TOTAL LOST TIME PER CYCLE, L

L = ∑ (I – a) + ∑ l
where I = Intergreen time = R + a
where R = all-red interval, a = amber time
a = amber time (usually 3 or 4 sec)

l = driver reaction time, or lost time, at the beginning of

green per phase
(usually set at 2 sec, but 0 – 7 sec can also be used)

BDD/BFC32302/4B 9
 BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

(4) DETERMINATION OF OPTIMUM CYCLE TIME, Co

Optimum cycle time is the minimum average delay for the

intersection, but the delay is not greatly increased if the cycle time
varies within the range of 0.75 to 1.50 of the calculated Co.

Co = 1.5L + 5
1 – Y

For practical purposes, 45 s ≤ Co ≤ 120 s, although an absolute

minimum of 25 s can be used.

BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

(5) DETERMINATION OF SIGNAL SETTINGS

Effective green time (g) is the green time plus the change interval
minus the lost time for a designated phase.

Total effective green time = Cycle time – Total lost time

g1 + g 2 + g 3 + … + g n = C – L

Effective green time is given by the following formula:

gn = yn x (C – L)
Y
where gn = effective green time for the n-th phase
yn = calculated y-value for the same n-th phase

BDD/BFC32302/4B 10
 BFC32302 Traffic Engineering & Safety Lecturer: Dr. Basil David Daniel

Actual green time, G = g + l + R

Controller setting time, K = G – a – R

K = g – l - a

BDD/BFC32302/4B 11