Safe Track Protection and Advance Warning System

To improve safety and efficiency on high-speed signalized intersections a dilemma zone protection system has been designed to automatically configure site-specific protection boundaries on both main-street approaches by continously tracking vehicles within up to 1000 feet of each stop line. The system will further customize and refine protection by continously estimating the probability of a severe or a minor conflict for each vehicle, based upon its changing speed and position. The system will also automatically adjust signal timing based upon a marginal costs-benefits framework that compares the benefits of prolonging protection to the costs of competing demand. To provide traffic professionals a simple way to evaluate operational effectiveness, the system will automatically generate and report performance measures and health status. To ensure a large installation base the system is designed with a scalable architecture that allows for integration of up to two or more advance warning signals on each approach. The placement and timing of advance warning signals is designed to increase the clarity and authority of signalization. And for rapid acceptance and wide deployment the system is designed with commercial off-the-shelf technologies that integrate with all standard controllers and work within the confines of free or coordinated operations.