Study Details

Study Title: Identifying the Safety Impact of Signal Coordination Projects along Urban Arterials Using a Meta-analysis Method

Authors: Williamson et al.

Publication Date: 2018

Abstract: The safety impact of changes to roadway operations have been of interests in recent years with the publication of the Highway Safety Manual. One area that is in need of further study is the safety impact of traffic signal coordination projects in urban areas. Specifically, this study seeks to identify the safety benefit from traffic signal coordination projects on major arterial roadways through urban areas using a before and after study with a comparison groups approach and a meta-analysis method. The findings suggest that traffic signal coordination could decrease total crashes by 21 percent, injury crashes by 52 percent and property-damage-only crashes by 21 percent. The results can be utilized by engineering practitioners to estimate the safety benefits for projects that seek to coordinate traffic signals along an urban corridor. Because these projects can both improve the safety of roadways while improving traffic flow, the application of these findings could be broad.

Study Citation: Williamson, M. R., R. N. Fries, Y. Qi, and P. Mandava. "Identifying the Safety Impact of Signal Coordination Projects along Urban Arterials Using a Meta-analysis Method". Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, No. 6, (2018) pp. 61-72.

Study Report: Download the Study Report Document


CMFs Associated With This Study

Category: Intersection traffic control

Countermeasure: Coordinate arterial signals

CMF CRF(%)QualityCrash TypeCrash SeverityRoadway TypeArea Type
1.15-151 StarAllAllNot specifiedSuburban
0.42582 StarsAllA,B,CNot specifiedSuburban
2.63-1631 StarAllONot specifiedSuburban
0.9551 StarAllAllNot specifiedUrban
0.42582 StarsAllA,B,CNot specifiedUrban
1.25-251 StarAllONot specifiedUrban
0.38621 StarAllAllNot specifiedSuburban
0.331 StarAllA,B,CNot specifiedSuburban
0.41591 StarAllONot specifiedSuburban
1.01-11 StarAllAllNot specifiedSuburban
1.25-251 StarAllA,B,CNot specifiedSuburban
0.86141 StarAllONot specifiedSuburban
1.1-101 StarAllAllNot specifiedSuburban
2.24-1241 StarAllA,B,CNot specifiedSuburban
0.8201 StarAllONot specifiedSuburban
0.79212 StarsAllAllNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.48521 StarAllA,B,CNot specifiedUrban and suburban
0.79212 StarsAllONot specifiedUrban and suburban