Evaluation of adaptive traffic control system UTOPIA using microscopic simulation

Adaptive traffic control systems are designed to overcome the limitations of fixed time control of signalized intersections in urban environments. They respond to fluctuations in traffic patterns by adjusting signal timing in accordance with traffic demand and can reduce traffic congestion, delays, and decrease travel time. One of such systems is UTOPIA (Urban Traffic Optimization by Integrated Automation). It is advisable to evaluate such a system using microscopic simulation before implementation. A framework to connect UTOPIA with the microscopic simulator VISSIM is implemented in this paper to enable such evaluation. The framework is tested using real-world traffic data from a congested corridor of 7 signalized intersections in the wider center area of the City of Skopje, Macedonia. Obtained results are analyzed using chosen performance measures suitable for urban environments like delay, queue length, travel time, intersection level of service and number of stops.