Urban Traffic Control for Autonomous Vehicles

A two-layer traffic control method is proposed to obtain an efficient traffic flow by removal of traffic light and velocity optimization of each individual vehicle in the vicinity of each junction and prioritizing the links to influence the traffic flow. The link prioritization is used for macroscopic optimization of the system while junction controller is responsible for microscopic optimization of vehicles in a junction region. The main aims of the proposed control system are twofold. On the one hand, overall network mobility is increased through the capability of robo-driver of autonomous cars, i.e. headways can be minimized. On the other hand, environment aspects can also be considered through the reduction of traffic emission. Simulation results have demonstrated the superior performance of the proposed method over traditional traffic control in terms of the above mentioned aims. Future work consists of analyzing the practical applicability and the limits of the method.

Autonomous intersection in SUMO traffic simulator