Signalized Intersection

Level of Service

1
Introduction
 Recall that level of service (LOS) is a
qualitative assessment of facility
operations based upon a quantitative
performance measure.
 The performance measure that is used
to assess level of service for signalized
intersections is average control delay
per vehicle.
2
Introduction
 Analysis Procedure (assuming phasing, cycle
length, and effective green times have already been
determined)
 Establish Analysis Lane Groups
 Calculate Analysis Flow Rates and Adjusted
Saturation Flow Rates
 Calculate Capacities
 Calculate Delay
 Determine Level of Service (LOS)

3
Lane Grouping
 The methodology for signalized intersections
is disaggregate; that is, it is designed to
consider individual intersection approaches
and individual lane groups within approaches.
 Segmenting the intersection into lane groups
is a relatively simple process that considers
both the geometry of the intersection and the
distribution of traffic movements. In general,
the smallest number of lane groups is used
that adequately describes the operation of
the intersection.
4
Lane Grouping
 Lane groups will generally be dictated
by geometry (i.e., lane allocation) and
phasing
 Signalized intersection phasing can
range from simple to complex
 Pretimed single ring
 Fully actuated dual ring

5
Lane Grouping
 Dual-Ring Signal Control

6
 Lane Grouping

The following general guidelines are offered for

establishing lane groups [Transportation
Research Board 2010]:

• If an exclusive turn lane (or lanes) is present, it

should be treated as a separate lane group.
• If an approach includes an exclusive left-turn
and/or right-turn lane, the remaining lanes are
usually considered as a single lane group.
• Each shared lane on an approach should be
treated as a separate lane group.

7
Calculate Analysis Flow Rates
 Adjust hourly volumes for RTOR
 Adjust for peak hour factor (PHF)

8
Calculate Adjusted
Saturation Flow Rates
 Start with a base value, usually 1900 pc/hr/ln
per the Highway Capacity Manual
 This value is then adjusted for a variety of
roadway and traffic related conditions.
 Factors such as lane width, grade, heavy
vehicle percentage, bus activity, parking
activity, pedestrian and bicyclist activity, and
turn movement geometry and phasing

9
Degree of Saturation/ V/C ratio:
Calculate Lane Group Capacities
 Capacity is determined on a lane group
basis
c = s  g /C
Where:
s = adjusted saturation flow rate
g/C = eff. green to cycle length ratio

11
 Determining Delay
 Average control delay per vehicle
d  d1  d 2  d3 Eq. 7.27

Where:
d = average signal delay per vehicle in seconds,
d1 = average delay per vehicle due to uniform arrivals in seconds,
d2 = average delay per vehicle due to random arrivals in seconds, and
d3 = average delay per vehicle due to initial queue at start of
analysis time period, in seconds.

12
 Determining Delay
 Uniform delay
2
 g
0.5C 1  
d1   C Eq. 7.21
 g
1  min 1, X  
 C

Where:
d1 = average delay per vehicle due to uniform arrivals in seconds,
C = cycle length in seconds,
g = effective green time for lane group in seconds, and
X = v/c ratio for lane group.

13
 Determining Delay
 Random delay
 
d 2  900T X  1  X  12  8kIX  Eq. 7.25
 cT 

Where:
d2 = average delay per vehicle due to random arrivals in seconds,
T = duration of analysis period in h,
X = v/c ratio for lane group,
k = delay adjustment factor that is dependent on signal controller mode,
I = upstream filtering/metering adjustment factor, and
c = lane group capacity, in veh/h.

14
Delay Calculation Assumptions
 If intersection is isolated, under pretimed
control, and has no initial queue at beginning
of analysis period; thus:
 uniform delay does not have to be adjusted for
progression
 k  0.5
 I  1.0
 d3  0

15
Determining Delay
 Aggregating Delays
d v i i
dA  i
Eq. 7.28
v i
i

Where:
dA = average delay per vehicle for approach A in seconds,
di = average delay per vehicle for lane group i (on approach A) in seconds, and
vi = analysis flow rate for lane group i in veh/h.
d A A v
dI  A
Eq. 7.29
v A
A

Where:
dI = average delay per vehicle for the intersection in seconds,
dA = average delay per vehicle for approach A in seconds, and
16
vA = analysis flow rate for approach A in veh/h.
Level of Service
 Delay Thresholds (Table 7.4)

LOS Control Delay per Vehicle (s/veh)

A  10
B > 10-20
C > 20 – 35
D > 35 – 55
E > 55 – 80
F > 80

17
 Example

Traffic Volumes
& Lanes

18
Phasing

1 2 3

19
Analysis Flow Rates and
Adj. Sat. Flow Rates
 Adjusted Analysis Flow Rates
 Use given volumes
 Adjusted Saturation Flow Rates
 Phase 1 (E/W prot. LT’s): 1800 veh/h
 Phase 2 (E/W Th/RT’s): 3450, 3500 veh/h
 Phase 3 (N/S perm. LT’s): 500, 350 veh/h
(N/S Th/RT’s): 1800 veh/h

20
 Calculate Flow Ratios (v/s) and
Identify Critical Ones

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

220 880 70
EB L:  0.122 EB T/R:  0.255 NB L:  0.140
1800 3450 500
50
SB L:  0.143
250 950 350
WB L:  0.139  WB T/R:  0.271 
1800 3500 530
NB T/R:  0.294 
1800
450
SB T/R:  0.250
1800

21
Determine Cycle Length
n
v
Yc      0.139  0.271  0.294  0.704
i 1  s  ci

Assuming 4 seconds of lost time per phase

n
L   t L ci  4  4  4  12
i 1

Assuming a critical intersection v/c ratio of 0.8

L Xc 12  0.8
C min =   100.0
n
v 0.8 - 0.704
X c   
i = 1  s  ci

22
Determine Effective Green Times
for each Phase
 v   C 

gi    
 s i  X i 
 100 
g1  0.139   17.4
 0.8 

 100 
g 2  0.271   33.9
 0.8 

 100 
g 3  0.294   36.8
 0.8 

C = 17.4 + 33.9 + 36.8 + 12 = 100.1 

23
Determine Delays & LOS
Calculate EB approach delay

Left turn lane group

g/C = 17.4/100 = 0.174 (moves in phase 1)
c = s  g/C = 1800  0.174 = 313.2
v/c = 220/313.2 = 0.702

Uniform Delay

0.5100 1  0.174 

2
d1   38.9 sec
1  0.702  .174
24
 Determine Delays & LOS
Random Delay

With:
T = 0.25 (15 min)
X = 0.702 (from above)
k = 0.5 (pretimed control)
I = 1.0 (isolated mode)
c = 313.2 veh/h (from above)

 80.51.00.702 
d 2  9000.250.702  1  0.702  1 
2
  12.4 sec
 313.20.25 
25
Determine Delays & LOS
Total Delay

Assuming isolated signal

d EB _ LT  38.9  12.4  0  51.3 sec

LOS = D

26
Determine Delays & LOS
Calculate EB approach delay

Through/Right turn lane group

g/C = 33.9/100 = 0.339 (moves in phase 2)
c = s  g/C = 3450  0.339 = 1169.6
v/c = 880/1169.6 = 0.752

Uniform Delay

0.5100 1  0.339 

2
d1   29.3 sec
1  0.752  .339
27
 Determine Delays & LOS
Random Delay

With:
T = 0.25 (15 min)
X = 0.752 (from above)
k = 0.5 (pretimed control)
I = 1.0 (isolated mode)
c = 1169.6 veh/h (from above)

 80.51.0 0.752 
d 2  9000.250.752  1  0.752  1 
2
  4.5 sec
 1169 .60.25 
28
Determine Delays & LOS
Total Delay

Assuming isolated signal

d EB _ T / R  29.3  4.5  0  33.8 sec

LOS = C

29
Determine Delays & LOS
Aggregate delays for LT and T/R lane groups

d EB _ LT vEB _ LT  d EB _ T / R vEB _ T / R
d EB 
vEB _ LT  vEB _ T / R

51.3  220  33.8  880

d EB   37.3 sec
220  880

LOS = D

30
 LOS Control Delay per Vehicle (s/veh)
A  10
B > 10-20
C > 20 – 35
D > 35 – 55
E > 55 – 80

Example
F > 80

v  C 
g i      Xi=0.8
 s i  X i 

C=100

g/C = ? (moves in phase 3)

c = s  g/C =?
X= v/c = ?
T=15 min=0.25 h
2
 g
0.5C 1   k = 0.5 (pretimed control)
 
d1   C d 2  900T X  1  X  12  8kIX  dNB_LT=? I = 1.0 (isolated mode)
 g  cT 
1  min 1, X  
 C LOS=?
31
 LOS Control Delay per Vehicle (s/veh)
A  10
B > 10-20
C > 20 – 35
D > 35 – 55
E > 55 – 80

Example
F > 80

v  C 
g i      Xi=0.8 C=100
 s i  X i 

dNB_LT=?
LOS=?

g/C = 36.8/100=0.368 (moves in phase 3)

 g
2
c = s  g/C =500*0.368=184
0.5C 1   X= v/c = 70/184=0.38
 
d1   C d 2  900T X  1  X  12  8kIX  d1= 23.21
T=15 min=0.25 h
 g  cT 
1  min 1, X   d2= 5.87 k = 0.5 (pretimed control)
 C
D (NB_LT)=23.21+5.87=29.08 I = 1.0 (isolated mode)
LOS C 32
 LOS Control Delay per Vehicle (s/veh)
A  10
B > 10-20
C > 20 – 35
D > 35 – 55
E > 55 – 80

Example
F > 80

v  C 
g i      Xi=0.8 C=100
 s i  X i 

T=15 min=0.25 h

dNB_T/R=? k = 0.5 (pretimed control)

I = 1.0 (isolated mode)
LOS=?

2
 g
0.5C 1  
  g/C = ? (moves in phase 3)
d1   C d 2  900T X  1  X  12  8kIX  c = s  g/C =?
 g  cT 
1  min 1, X   X= v/c = ?
 C

33
 Example 7.3

Solution

Total lost time for each

timing stage= 4 seconds

Total lost time for

intersection=12 seconds