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System 2 give buses priority at traffic lights on 6mth trial


Jammy_buttons
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Interesting, I wonder if it will work or cause more issues

 

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/system-to-give-buses-priority-at-traffic-lights-on-6-month-trial

 

post-107101-0-47853200-1544667056_thumb.jpg

 

Public buses are less likely to get stuck in traffic in future, with a new system that can prompt traffic lights to change in the buses' favour.

 

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced yesterday that it is carrying out a six-month trial of the Smart Bus Priority System, starting today.

 

During the trial, which ends next April, services 98 and 99 buses are fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) trackers, which transmit the buses' real-time locations to a back-end assessment system.

 

As a bus with the GPS tracker approaches a traffic junction, the system will communicate with the traffic lights and prioritise its movement, if required, by either extending the green-light duration or shortening the red-light duration.

 

For instance, if a bus that has been delayed by a traffic jam approaches a green light that is about to turn red, the traffic light will stay green longer to allow the bus to pass. This will also benefit other vehicles travelling alongside the bus.

 

After the bus passes the junction, the timing of the traffic light will revert to normal.

 

The LTA said the system, which has a similar concept to one already in place in Australia, is aimed at providing faster and more reliable bus journeys for commuters. It added that a total of 56 buses which currently ply the routes of services 98 and 99 will have GPS trackers.

 

 

Services 98 and 99 ply Jurong East Avenue 1 and Jurong West Avenue 1 between Jurong Town Hall Road and Jurong West Street 42/52.

 

They were chosen for the trial because both routes have multiple traffic-light junctions, which will enable the LTA to better evaluate the effectiveness of the system.

 

At the end of the trial period, data collected will be analysed to determine whether the system can effectively complement existing bus priority measures - such as bus lanes, B-signals for buses at junctions and bus priority boxes - to improve bus journey times and reliability.

 

 

Edited by BabyBlade
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Imagine if all public buses are fitted with this GPS system, if there are multiple bus in all different direction, then traffic light gonna give who to go 1st? the one going straight or the one going from left to right?

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https://www.facebook.com/WeKeepYourWorldMoving/videos/741648166185191/

 

The thing is will this system screw up the traffic light for other road users?

 

 

The trial, which will be done between November and April, will involve bus services 98 and 99 in Jurong, said LTA in a news release on Wednesday (Oct 31). 
Bus services 98 and 99 ply Jurong East Avenue 1 and Jurong West Avenue 1 between Jurong Town Hall Road and Jurong West Street 42/52.
 

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/lta-bus-signalling-system-to-extend-green-traffic-light-10883312

 

Better siam all the affected routes. [laugh]

Edited by Watwheels
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Nothing interesting.

Trial before in the 90s, called Rapid bus with one service 700 on trial.

Didn't really succeed.

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Imagine if all public buses are fitted with this GPS system, if there are multiple bus in all different direction, then traffic light gonna give who to go 1st? the one going straight or the one going from left to right?

 

Multiple buses competing for the same junction ?

see whose gps is bigger loh [laugh]

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Based on my understanding about traffic flow and control. 

 

Already fixed timing traffic lights at the junctions need to be fine tuned and coordinated  such that you will have less likelihood of traffic build up in one junction which will lead to tailback jams across a few junctions.

 

Note these sign:

maxresdefault.jpg

they are there because the LTA had adjusted the timing of the traffic lights there....so that people will know not to rely on muscle memory of how the timing changes.

 

Now you introduce a moving variable into the traffic light timing system, it will just mess up the traffic....

 

unless they have a dedicated super computer just tasked to run prediction traffic models on the fly to manage the traffic timing all over Singapore so that any ripple effect is minimized.

 

Edited by Vratenza
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Related to my previous post on the science of traffic light timing...it is not just suka suka want to change change thing:

 

 

 

There’s a science to timing traffic lights

WASHINGTON – On your commute there’s probably one traffic light that just drives you crazy. You’re not alone, but there’s a reason traffic signals work they way they do.

Traffic lights facilitate the flow of traffic, and an array of traffic signals working harmoniously regulates the flow of traffic across a broader region.

In densely populated areas, however, a network of signals can quickly become overloaded during peak travel times. That’s when frustration sets in.

 

An unofficial WTOP poll conducted in late May asked local motorists to identify the intersections that cost them the most time. The map below illustrates the widespread nature of the grievances aired by these commuters.

 

The process of coordinating a network of traffic lights can be complex and exhaustive. Detailed studies and weekly surveys account for drivers traveling roads of varying capacity across a broad area to various points at different times of the day. The balance between optimal and gridlock is often tenuous.

Wayne Wentz, chief of transportation, engineering and operations for Arlington County’s Department of Environmental Services, says highway engineers often work on razor-thin margins when timing a series of traffic signals.

“You have to essentially time a whole corridor for the worst intersection in that corridor, two major arterials (that) both need a certain amount of time to serve them. All the other streets on each corridor then need to match that same cycle length if we’re going to synchronize,” Wentz says.

It’s not just vehicles – planners also have to factor in pedestrian traffic patterns at nearby crosswalks.

Wentz says that long cycle lengths are pedestrian-unfriendly and can lead to jaywalking and other unsafe behaviors, which can result in bigger problems for road users.

Highway engineers classify the batch of vehicles that accelerate away from a green light as a “platoon.”

“We try to do a time-space analysis,” Wentz says. “If any particular signal lets a platoon of cars go and that platoon is going to travel at a certain speed our goal is to progress every platoon all the way through the length of roadway.

“We know the length of the average platoon of 15, 20, 30 cars and we know how far apart the signals are. If you take the distance divided by the speed, you know how long it should take that platoon to get from signal to signal to signal.”

This simplified approach to traffic management relies on an idealized traffic flow. Wentz says it gets more complicated with added volume.

“The greens are supposed to be long enough for every platoon, but because we load some blocks up with (traffic from) side streets and driveways and because speeds aren’t perfectly regulated, platoons start to break up. We can’t perfectly predict the volumes.”

Throughout the region, various jurisdictions are charged with the responsibility of traffic signal coordination and control. Although a series of lights may be coordinated along a stretch of roadway, they may not be synchronized across jurisdictional lines. Backups can therefore result in corridors that span county and city lines.

WTOP contacted a few of these local governments and inquired about the most troublesome intersections identified in the poll.

Most of the representatives insist that a mistimed signal is a rare occurrence.

In many cases, what seems like a poorly-timed intersection from one vantage point is functioning properly in a larger system. In other cases there is simply too much input.

The road network is then said to be over capacity, and the traffic signals are overwhelmed.

“Every intersection has a capacity. There are times when the demand volumes can exceed that capacity and that’s when the level of service falls,” Wentz says.

When traffic volumes increase, synchronization of signals on one road gives way to the optimization of the regional traffic flow on all of the roads. This, Wentz says, comes at a cost.

“If you have two main streets that are crossing each other, you’ve got to (regulate) both of those corridors.”

In other words, what is good for the individual is not necessarily best for the whole.

Still, there will always be a running list of traffic signals that seem to defy the greater good.

“Sometimes there are faults in the system. Sometimes it’s worth calling your jurisdiction and saying, ‘Have you noticed there’s a change?’ But it can also be that there are just situations that people aren’t aware of. It may be that the particular signal they’re going to is optimized for the intersecting street,” Wentz says.

The agencies that oversee traffic lights on major arteries do their best to flush out weaknesses that may arise from irregularities in the traffic pattern. Accommodating everyone’s needs can often be challenging, if not impossible.

“Like anything you can think of, sometimes stuff breaks — no conspiracy, just the way it is,” WTOP Traffic Reporter Bob Marbourg says.

“Even when the engineers try to optimize and maximize the flow of traffic, the solution will almost always be a compromise but hopefully without compromising safety.”

 

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Based on my understanding about traffic flow and control. 

 

Already fixed timing traffic lights at the junctions need to be fine tuned and coordinated  such that you will have less likelihood of traffic build up in one junction which will lead to tailback jams across a few junctions.

 

Note these sign:

maxresdefault.jpg

they are there because the LTA had adjusted the timing of the traffic lights there....so that people will know not to rely on muscle memory of how the timing changes.

 

Now you introduce a moving variable into the traffic light timing system, it will just mess up the traffic....

 

unless they have a dedicated super computer just tasked to run prediction traffic models on the fly to manage the traffic timing all over Singapore so that any ripple effect is minimized.

 

LTA not so smart. anyway everything they rely on external vendors.

 

if it works well, take credit. if cock up, screw and Buah the vendor.

 

Edited by Mkl22
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Twincharged

i forsee more incidents of running red light violations

good mah ... more contribution to nation building !! [thumbsup]

Better take bus

its really better and faster taking a bus in Seoul Korea where they have full day bus lanes ... personally I don't mind giving priority to buses.

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good mah ... more contribution to nation building !! [thumbsup]

its really better and faster taking a bus in Seoul Korea where they have full day bus lanes ... personally I don't mind giving priority to buses.

 

Has a study been done comparing number of people getting from A to B with full day bus lane versus no bus lane .

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Nothing interesting.

Trial before in the 90s, called Rapid bus with one service 700 on trial.

Didn't really succeed.

What is this rapid bus?

 

Does that mean the current bus lane doesnt really work? Thats why they come up with this traffic lights thing?

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Next time I will ride beside a bus to enjoy more GREEN Time!

 

Anyway with technology available now all junction should convert to SMART junction where computer analyse the flow and allocate the traffic lights accordingly for ALL.. if bus have priority the other traffic will be affected for sure. But well i am a commoner can't think like scholars.. maybe i wrong..

 

Another improvement is to synchronize pedestrian only traffic light to the main junction. 

 

A SMART monitoring system should cancel the Request to cross too. How many times pedestrian press the button and jaywalk across then we LL need to stop at Red lights for GHOST to cross..

 

 

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Next time I will ride beside a bus to enjoy more GREEN Time!

 

Anyway with technology available now all junction should convert to SMART junction where computer analyse the flow and allocate the traffic lights accordingly for ALL.. if bus have priority the other traffic will be affected for sure. But well i am a commoner can't think like scholars.. maybe i wrong..

 

Another improvement is to synchronize pedestrian only traffic light to the main junction. 

 

A SMART monitoring system should cancel the Request to cross too. How many times pedestrian press the button and jaywalk across then we LL need to stop at Red lights for GHOST to cross..

Although there is a button for pedestrian to press to cross at some pedestrian crossing lights, but the button is for show only cause the pedestrian lights is already preset to change at certain interval whether or the button is pressed. But for some pedestrian crossing lights, the lights really only turned to red when the button is press, if not it would be green throughout.

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 But for some pedestrian crossing lights, the lights really only turned to red when the button is press, if not it would be green throughout.

 

This the one i referring to.

 

Pressed oredi they crossed even light not in their right of way.. then we driver LL need to stop at RED for Ghost to cross. So a sensor or monitoring system could be introduce to cancel this request if no Human detected.

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