Distributed Traffic Signal Control of Interconnected Intersections: A Two-Lane Traffic Network Model

TL;DR

Comprehensive VISSIM simulations on a six-intersection network in Dalian, China, demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms existing signal control strategies in both traffic efficiency and computational speed, showing its promise for real-time deployment.

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate traffic signal control in a network of interconnected intersections, aiming to balance lane-level vehicle densities through optimal green-time allocation. We develop a two-lane traffic flow model that explicitly captures lane-specific propagation dynamics, addressing key limitations of conventional road-level formulations. The proposed model offers a more granular and flexible representation of urban traffic, enabling controllers to react more accurately to lane-specific congestion patterns. Building on this model, we design a distributed model predictive control (MPC) framework and integrate it with the efficient alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) to enhance scalability and real-time performance. To accommodate time-varying traffic conditions, we further introduce a data-driven method for forecasting dynamic split ratios. Comprehensive VISSIM simulations on a six-intersection network in Dalian, China, demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms existing signal control strategies in both traffic efficiency and computational speed, showing its promise for real-time deployment.