Abstract Manager

The City of Edmonton is undertaking a comprehensive review to update their traffic signal guidelines. This initiative is driven by the need to align traffic signal operations with current city policies, including the City Plan, Bike Plan, Safe Mobility Strategy, Complete Streets Design and Construction Standards, Winter City Policies, and Accessibility Policies. The study is focused on generating decision guidelines applicable to several aspects of traffic signalization, signal phasing, signal modes, safety countermeasures at signalized intersection, active modes crossing controls and emerging/new practices and technologies. Following a comprehensive literature review, best practices survey from peer municipalities and review of current practices and policies, recommended decisions guidelines were generated to align current practices with current policies, adapting practices from research and best practices from peer municipalities. 

Procedures, application guidelines, prioritization and supporting infrastructure requirements and measures were provided for the following signalization aspects: 

• Signalized Intersections: Full signalization and bicycle signals at signalized intersections.
• Crossing Controls (Non-signalized Intersections): Pedestrian and bicycle crossing controls at non-signalized intersections.
• Intersection Safety Countermeasures (Signalized Intersections): Need and type of safety countermeasure required at signalized intersections, including protected left turns, protected right turns, no right turn on red, exclusive pedestrian phasing, exclusive bicycle phasing, leading pedestrian intervals and leading bicycle intervals.
• Intersection Actuation (Signalized Intersections): Actuation at signalized intersections including vehicle detection (advance and queue), pedestrian recall and pushbuttons, bicycle pushbuttons, passive and advance pedestrian detections, passive and advance bicycle detection,
• Signal Phasing Modes: Guidance to determine signal phasing mode including pre-timed, semi-actuated and fully actuated.
• Coordination: Guidance to determine when coordination is beneficial, including strategies to mitigate impacts on side streets such as dynamic breaks.
• Accessibility: Accessible pedestrian signals.  
• Other Considerations: Other considerations including maximum pedestrian, bicycle wait times and maximum cycle lengths.
• New/Emerging Practices: New/emerging technologies/practices including bicycle countdown to green timers, inclement weather detectors (rain and cold), flashing amber arrow, solid red arrow and Adaptive Traffic Control Systems (ATCS).

The presentation will include a brief summary of the current policies, best practices and literature reviews used as inputs for the project, followed with a more in-depth presentation and discussion of recommended guidelines. This presentation will be of interest to other City's planning to review thier guidelines and those which have already done similar work to see how this looks in Edmonton.