Future Traffic Control with Connected and Automated Vehicles

Abstract

Traditionally traffic signal systems are designed in such a way that different time slots are allocated to conflicting traffic streams in order to ensure vehicle safety. In the future, such design constraints may be relaxed with connected and automated vehicle (CAV) streams because crash avoidance can be achieved through distributed control of vehicle trajectories, therefore traditional traffic signals may no longer be needed. Although the duration of the transitional period from the state-of-the-practice with very low percentage of CAVs to the future “signal-free” state is uncertain, it is important for both traffic management agencies and traffic control industry to understand what might be happening during the transitional process and how we can better prepare and facilitate the transition. In this talk, we will discuss the opportunities and challenges for traffic control systems with varying percentage of connected and automated vehicles. In particular, we will present our findings using the massive data set collected from the Safety Pilot Model Deployment project and Ann Arbor Connected Vehicle Test Environment, both supported by USDOT. 

Dr. Liu will be speaking on March 30, 2017 at 2:30 pm in Floyd Hall, room G-209.

Dr. Henry Liu

Dr. Henry Liu is the Director of USDOT Midwest Center for Connected and Automated Transportation at the University of Michigan. He is also a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Research Professor at the UM Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). Prior joining the University of Michigan, he was an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Dr. Liu received his Ph.D. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 2000 and his Bachelor degree in Automotive Engineering from Tsinghua University (China) in 1993.

Dr. Liu’s research interests focus on traffic network monitoring, modeling, and control, including traffic flow modeling and simulation, traffic signal operations, network traffic assignment, and mobility and safety applications with connected and automated vehicles. Dr. Liu is the managing director of Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems, associate editor of Transportation Research Part C, Network and Spatial Economics, and Transportmetrica Part B. He is also on the editorial board of Transportation Research Part B and IET Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems.