Cooperative Automation Research: CARMA Proof-of-Concept TSMO Use Case Testing: Transit Management (Transit Signal Priority) Concept of Operations

Head, Larry; Sprinkle, Jonathan; Ghiasi, Amir; Vadakpat, Govind; Racha, Sujith · 2022 · ROSA P / United States. Federal Highway Administration

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Summary

This document presents a Concept of Operations (ConOps) for Transit Signal Priority (TSP) within the Federal Highway Administration’s Cooperative Driving Automation (CDA) Program. The research addresses the need to reduce traffic congestion, improve energy efficiency, and enhance transit mobility on signalized arterials. It builds upon the CARMA ecosystem, an open-source software framework that facilitates communication between vehicles and roadside infrastructure. The specific objective is to define how CDA technologies can support Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) strategies, particularly for transit vehicles, by leveraging vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) communications to optimize signal timing and vehicle trajectories. The proposed framework integrates three primary CARMA components: CARMA Streets for local traffic signal optimization, CARMA Cloud for corridor-coordinated TSP, and CARMA Platform for transit dwell hold strategies. The document outlines seven specific use cases, including adapting signal timing to accommodate priority requests, clearing queues for nearside stops, considering downstream congestion, providing queue jumps for lane changes, establishing hierarchical control for different transit services, implementing Bus Lane Intermittent Priority (BLIP), and enabling eco-transit driving based on Signal Phase and Timing (SPaT) data. The analysis considers various classes of cooperation defined by the SAE J3216 standard, ranging from status sharing to prescriptive control, and details the necessary infrastructure configurations, such as roadside equipment and edge computing capabilities. The paper identifies potential benefits, including improved schedule adherence for transit vehicles and reduced travel time delays attributable to traffic signals. It proposes a system validation plan involving both simulation testing and field testing to evaluate performance metrics related to traffic flow, traveler behavior, and traffic performance. The document also highlights disadvantages and limitations, noting that certain trajectory-aware applications require significant market penetration of connected vehicles to be effective. By distinguishing between levels of vehicle automation and classes of cooperation, the ConOps provides a structured approach for developers and infrastructure operators to implement TSP strategies that enhance network efficiency and safety. The significance of this work lies in its contribution to the evolution of automated driving systems that leverage infrastructure for cooperative automation. It provides a detailed operational concept for stakeholders, including system developers, researchers, and infrastructure owners, to understand how CDA can be applied to transit management. The document serves as a foundational reference for future development and testing of TSMO strategies, aiming to reduce congestion and improve the reliability of public transit through advanced signal priority mechanisms.

Key finding

The study proposes a CARMA-based cooperative control framework for transit signal priority that integrates local signal optimization, corridor coordination, and dwell hold strategies to improve transit schedule adherence and reduce travel delays.

Methodology

theoretical

Provenance

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• v2x connected vehicle