AM-Band: An Asymmetrical Multi-Band model for arterial traffic signal coordination

•An Asymmetrical Multi-BAND (AM-BAND) model is proposed for signal coordination.•The new model better utilizes available green times in each progression direction.•The proposed AM-BAND model is formulated as a mixed-integer linear program.•The AM-BAND model is applied to two arterials and demonstrates superior performance.

MAXBAND and MULTIBAND are two well-recognized methods for arterial signal control. In this paper, an Asymmetrical Multi-BAND (AM-BAND) model is developed by relaxing the symmetrical progression band requirement in MULTIBAND. Such a relaxation allows the AM-BAND model to better utilize the available green times in each direction and to provide additional opportunities for vehicular progression. Similar to MULTIBAND, the proposed AM-BAND model is formulated as a mixed-integer linear program. However, in AM-BAND the green bands in each directional section of the arterials do not have to be symmetrical with respect to the progression line. The performance of the AM-BAND model is evaluated for two arterial network data using the AIMSUN microscopic traffic simulation tool. The optimal signal coordination plans are computed by the IBM CPLEX Optimization Studio and compared with signal timing plans generated by AM-BAND, MULTIBAND, and MAXBAND. Simulation results indicate that the traffic signal coordination plans generated by AM-BAND can provide significant benefits compared to those generated by MAXBAND and MULTIBAND.