Design of Variable Traffic Light Control Systems for Preventing Two-Way Grid Network Traffic Jams Using Timed Petri Nets

Abstract

Cell transmission model (CTM) is useful for evaluating the performance of urban traffic networks due to its mathematical formalism. This paper explores the application of CTM to develop control strategies for dispersion accident-induced traffic jams and evaluates the efficiency of these strategies. On the other hand, Timed Petri nets (TPNs) perform in discrete event systems because they provide a balance between modeling power and analyzability. This paper focuses on using the developed TPNs to model variable traffic light control systems. One advantage of the proposed methods is that the traffic light behavior is clearly represented in terms of conditions and events, which result in changes in the pre-emption phase. Moreover, this paper also proposes a new control strategy to eliminate the traffic jam propagation by preventing the traffic flow heading in the direction of an accident. The analysis is performed to demonstrate how the models enforce the phase of traffic transitions by a reachability graph with time information. The liveness and reversibility of the proposed model are verified. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to use TPNs to model a variable phase traffic light control system and identify its accident scenarios for the purpose of their complete avoidance. This helps the latest advanced technology in traffic safety related to the intersection of roadways.