Road Intersection Optimization with Resource-Constrained Metaheuristic: A Case Study

Configuring the traffic light scheduling for a complex intersection in dense urban environments can be challenging because of conflicting directions that have to receive fair servicing. While commercial traffic simulations allow these configurations be computed automatically, there is often a sense of missing optimization that could be implemented and which may yield additional traffic flow. This paper presents a case study for a major intersection in the city of Timisoara, in which traffic light coordination is achieved by implementing the Firefly algorithms, its performance being compared through simulations in VISSIM with the actual conditions for the same intersection. Results show that the intersection could still benefit from additional improvements to the traffic flow.