Operational and Institutional Agreements That Facilitate Regional Traffic Signal Operations. National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 420. A Synthesis of Highway Practice

摘要

Traffic signal operations and management can be defined as the process of planning, designing, operating, integrating, and the proactive maintenance and administration of a traffic signal system so that the efficiency, safety, and reliability of the arterial roadway network are optimized. Often these systems extend across jurisdictional boundaries, requiring cooperation among two (or more) agencies. As a result, there is often a need to form cooperative and collaborative efforts to provide for more efficient planning, operations, and maintenance, and to leverage the talents of staff members for the benefit of the region. Regional Traffic Signal Operations Programs (RTSOPs) represent one tool that regions can use to improve traffic flow as it crosses jurisdictional lines. RTSOPs are programs whereby state, county, and city departments of transportation work collaboratively and cooperatively to address a region's mobility issues on the arterial street networks. Often, the central focus of these programs is on providing and improving the coordinated operations of traffic signals on arterial roadways that cross jurisdictional boundaries. However, today's RTSOPs are much more than conduits for the development of coordinated traffic signal timings. In addition to developing coordinated timing plans, RTSOPs in the United States perform a number of valueadded functions and services, including the following: o Serving as a forum for discussing traffic signal operations.