How Transit Signal Priority is useful for Small and Medium Cities?

The urban sector prioritizes Transit Signal Priority (TSP) as there is more moderate to high demand for transit service, and bus headways are less than 15 minutes. The urban sector system is executed to expedite buses' movement with high occupancy, thus supporting any negative consequences on other traffic and lowering the overall person-delay at intersections. 

The experts have laid research to assess the impacts of transit priority deployments in the smaller cities. They evaluated the anticipated impacts and also field tests. Bus travel time is the most generally used means to evaluate the impact of transit priority.

Transit agencies in small-medium-sized cities have fewer users and work at less frequency (i.e., headway more significant than 30 minutes). During peak periods, traffic congestion causes missed intersections at crossings and can increase the transit commuter's time even for around one hour. Therefore, we use TSP in small-medium size areas to alleviate missed connections, enhance service, and attract more transit riders.

TSP can advance traffic conditions in the area where it is implemented for both transit and non-transit vehicles. The authorities plan and use such signal priority strategies and treatments safely and efficiently and conduct proper analyses using fundamental traffic engineering and transit management and operating principles. 

Progression in traffic signal technologies and other factors have created a great deal of interest in providing particular traffic signal strategies and treatments for transit minibusses and other vehicles at signalized intersections in different cities.  

The structure for implementing TSP strategies in this methodology may be explained as follows: 

• Minimize obstructions during traffic signal coordination, 
• Follow the minimum green and pedestrian timing requirements for all signal phases, 
• Provide the most benefit to the transit vehicle, 
• Use one detection zone and a timer or clearance interval for the transit vehicle, and 
• Grant priority to the transit vehicle on a priority basis.

Summary and Recommendations:

With the improvement in traffic signal technology and other related factors, there has been an increase in the interest in TSP in small and medium-sized cities. Of course, we need to evaluate the impacts, benefits, and limitations of TSP strategies and apply the system effectively. It is always recommended to use signal priority strategies for transit minibusses in harmony with other preferential signal treatments such as traffic signal preemption strategies. With both TSP and preemption strategies in place for different vehicles, the people can expect better preserving of safety, facilitation of emergency response, enhancement of traffic flow, and improved overall mobility.