SIGNAL2000 Ver 2 - Enhancement to Optimization...

SIGNAL2000 Version 2 Offers Major Enhancement to Optimization Features

The fundamental optimization strategy used in SIGNAL2000 derives back to the first version of SIGNAL which optimized delay -- SIGNAL85 (based on the 1985 Highway Capacity Manual). Although the method has adapted to changes in the HCM over the years, the basic optimization technique has stood the test of time for the 17 years since that initial release. Experience shows the optimization works, and it provides users of the program with signal timings that clearly optimize the resulting capacity analysis, and that have been implemented in the field with great success. See the Testimonials section of our web page to hear from many of TEAPAC's satisfied users.

Now, with this release, a major enhancement to this time-proven optimization strategy has been implemented in Version 2 of SIGNAL2000. Of course, the fundamental optimization method hasn't changed, but the user control over the method has been vastly enhanced. For example, users could previously specify the level of service (LOS) to be targeted for the critical movements of each phase, a hallmark feature of the SIGNAL software for nearly 30 years. Now that feature has been expanded to allow the user to enter the specific amount of delay targeted for the critical movements as an alternate to the level of service. This allows two significant improvements over the previous method:

• A specific value of delay between two LOS boundaries can be targeted, rather than just the actual LOS boundaries, and
  
• Delay values greater than the arbitrary limit of 80 seconds for LOS E can be targeted.

This offers significant superior control over the delay targets, a frequent requirement for specific situations and design policies. Further, the increment of delay can now be specified, and will be used during the optimization process when the target delay cannot be met, permitting much more precise balancing of the critical movement delays when the target delay cannot be met.

In addition, the user may specify a limiting value of delay which, when exceeded in the design, will switch the optimization strategy over to a v/c optimization, with targeted v/c limits and increments specified by the user (similar to the delay targets). When desired, the user can also force this v/c optimization to be used without regard to the delay of the critical movements.

The optimization method is now permitted to create timings with 'negative' overlap phase times for NEMA-style, dual-ring controllers, as discussed elsewhere on this web page. Also, the allocation algorithm to prioritize specified movements has been improved, including the special condition when right turns are critical.

Lastly, a new table of optimization results can be produced which shows the critical delay and/or v/c achieved for each combination of cycle length and phasing which was optimized, and the selection of the optimum cycle from these results more precisely identifies the best cycle. The minimum cycle length is also determined and displayed, and will never be violated.

All in all, these represent huge enhancements to the optimization strategy of SIGNAL2000, all of which lead to better, more precise optimizations which can be seen in the optimized capacity analyses which result.

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this page last updated April 15, 2019