A CONTROLLED DEPARTURE METHOD FOR BUS PRIORITY OPERATION

This work proposes a bus priority method for semaphore control based on two modes of operation: immediate and controlled departure. The immediate departure mode is a standard procedure in which the intersection controller grants priority upon request of the bus. Controlled departure acts to avoid a second stop of the bus at the end of the queue formed during red by holding the bus at the bus stop, while still granting priority to the bus lane. Selection of one of the two modes is done according to the impact of a particular priority request on the overall traffic near the intersection. The method consists of a simple decision making procedure that implements the selection.