Bluetooth based dynamic critical route volume estimation on signalized arterials

Bluetooth Data collection technique is recently proven as a reliable data collection technique that provides the opportunity to modify traditional methodologies to improve system performance. Actual volume in the network is a result of the timing plans which are designed and modified based on the volume which is generated using existing timing plans in the system. This interdependency between timing plan and volume on the network is a dynamic process and should be captured to obtain actual traffic states in the network. The current practice is to calculate synthetic origin destination information based on detector volume that doesn't necessarily represent the volume scenario accurately. The data from Bluetooth technology can be utilized to calculate dynamic volume on the network which can be further used as input for signal timing design. Application of dynamic volume improves the system performance by providing the actual volume in system to design optimal timing plans. This thesis proposes a framework that can be used to integrate data obtained from the Bluetooth technology with the traditional methods to design timing plans. The proposed methodology utilizes the origin destination information obtained from Bluetooth data, detector data, characteristics of intersections such as number of lanes, saturation flow rate and existing timing plans as a basis for the calculation of the dynamic volume for the various movements at each intersection. The study shows that using the Bluetooth based OD matrix to calculate accurate dynamic volumes results in better system performance compared to the traditional way of using the static detector volume alone.