Effects of Connectivity and Automation on Saturation Headway and Capacity at Signalized Intersections

Abstract

This paper analyzes the potential effects of connected and automated vehicles on saturation headway and capacity at signalized intersections. A signalized intersection is created in Vissim as a testbed, where four vehicle types are modeled and tested: (I) human-driven vehicles (HVs), (II) connected vehicles (CVs), (III) automated vehicles (AVs), and (IV) connected automated vehicles (CAVs). Various scenarios are defined based on different market-penetration rates of these four vehicle types. AVs are assumed to move more cautiously than HVs. CVs and CAVs are supposed to receive information about the future state of traffic lights and adjust their speeds to avoid stopping at the intersection. As a result, their movements are expected to be smoother with a lower number of stops. The effects of these vehicle types in mixed traffic are investigated in relation to saturation headway, capacity, travel time, delay, and queue length in different lane groups of an intersection. A Python script code developed by Vissim is used to provide the communication between the signal controller and CVs and CAVs to adjust their speeds accordingly. The results show that increasing CV and CAV market-penetration rate reduces saturation headway and consequently increases capacity at signalized intersections. On the other hand, increasing the AV market-penetration rate deteriorates traffic operations. Results also indicate that the highest increase (80%) and decrease (20%) in lane-group capacity are observed respectively in a traffic stream of 100% CAVs and 100% AVs.