Delay Estimates of Mixed Traffic Flow at Signalized Intersections in China

Two characteristics of Chinese mixed traffic invalidate the conventional queuing delay estimates for western countries. First, the driving characteristics of Chinese drivers lead to different delays even though the other conditions are the same. Second, urban traffic flow in China is often hindered by pedestrians at intersections, such that imported intelligent traffic control systems do not work appropriately. Typical delay estimates for Chinese conditions were obtained from data for over 500 vehicle queues in Beijing collected using charge coupled device (CCD) cameras. The results show that the delays mainly depend on the proportion and positions of heavy vehicles in the queue, as well as the start-up situations (with or without interference). A simplified delay estimation model considers vehicle types and positions that compares well with the observed traffic delays.