Minimizing Intersection Waiting Time: Proposal of a Queue Network Model Using Kendall’s Notation in Panama City

• Published in: Applied sciences Vol. 13; no. 18; p. 10030
• Main Authors: Rovetto, Carlos, Cruz, Edmanuel, Nuñez, Ivonne, Santana, Keyla, Smolarz, Andrzej, Rangel, José, Cano, Elia Esther
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.09.2023
• Subjects: Artificial intelligence; congestion; Customer services; Energy consumption; FIFO; Mathematical models; optimal traffic light control; queuing network model; Queuing theory; Roads & highways; Simulation methods; Social networks; Traffic congestion; Traffic control; Traffic flow; urban intersection; Vehicles; vehicular traffic flow; Panama
• ISSN: 2076-3417; 2076-3417
• DOI: 10.3390/app131810030

The paper presents a proposed queuing model based on Kendall’s notation for the intersection of two streets in Panama City (53 East and 56 East). The proposed model is based on a set of traffic lights that controls the flow of vehicles at the intersection according to a predetermined schedule. The model analyzes the stability of the system and simulations are performed to evaluate its performance. The main objective of the paper is to optimize the vehicle flow by minimizing the waiting time for passage. In the study, it was observed that the current traffic light system on Calle 50 (50th Street) is unstable and oversaturated during weekdays, which generates large vehicle queues with no estimated exit times. It was proposed to increase the system capacity to 1300 vehicles per hour to achieve reasonable stability and provide a solution to improve traffic signal timing on 50th Street. The need to increase the system capacity has been demonstrated and an optimal value has been suggested. The evaluation of other models and the use of AI can further strengthen the system and improve the prediction accuracy in different traffic scenarios.