Guidelines for Selecting Signal Timing Software (0-4020-P2)

This report contains guidelines for selecting software for use in arterial signal timing projects. These guidelines are based on an extensive comparison of four signal timing programs using several real arterials and a range of traffic conditions. These programs include: TRANSYT 7F, Synchro, PASSER II, and PASSER V. PASSER V is a new program developed in this project. It contains many of the best features of the other programs. These features include: PASSER II's bandwidth maximization algorithm, a traffic model that is similar to TRANSYT 7F's link-based model, and a genetic algorithm to develop timings forminimizing delay or maximizing bandwidth. We found that Synchro produces best solutions when delay-minimization is the primary objective, and PASSER V produces the best timings when bandwidth maximization is the primary objective. In addition PASSER V's delay-minimization tool produces timings similar to Synchro.