Understanding Transit Signal Priority (TSP): A Key Strategy for Enhanced Urban Transit

Transit Signal Priority (TSP) is an advanced strategy that optimizes traffic signal timing to improve transit vehicle reliability and reduce delays. Designed for urban areas, TSP tools adjust signal phasing to accommodate transit vehicles experiencing delays or arrivals, ensuring smoother traffic flow and enhanced schedule adherence.


Key TSP functionalities include:

  • Extending Green Lights: Holding a green light for a few seconds to allow a transit vehicle to pass.

  • Shortening Red Lights: Minimizing red light duration for waiting transit vehicles.

  • Coordinating Green Phases: Timing green signals with the arrival of transit vehicles.

  • Additional measures such as prioritizing bus re-entry into traffic lanes or implementing bus-only signal phases further optimize operations.


TSP is especially effective on routes with high transit delays, long distances between signals, or extended signal cycles. It benefits environments with short block lengths and high transit frequency, such as urban centers or areas with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems. However, excessive TSP activation can disrupt traffic flow, necessitating careful implementation and balance.


A successful TSP deployment requires coordinated planning among transit and traffic agencies, comprehensive system configurations, and well-defined policies on equipment and operations. Additionally, geometric and operational factors, including traffic volume, signal spacing, and cycle lengths, must be evaluated.


By reducing transit vehicle wait times at red lights, TSP significantly enhances travel time reliability and supports efficient urban mobility.

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visit: https://www.emtracsystems.com/

location: Manufactured By STC, Inc. 1201 W. Randolph St, McLeansboro, IL 62859

phone: Richard D’Alessandro: (214) 607–0100

Fax: (214) 607–0105

Email: info@emtracsystems.com

 


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