GENERALIZED COMBINATION METHOD FOR AREA TRAFFIC CONTROL.

A simple generalization of the British combination method is given for optimizing offsets in synchronized, traffic-signal networks of a general structure. The method is used in a recursive procedure to determine values for the offsets along each street, the splits of green time at each intersection of the network, and the common cycle time of the controlled area. The signals' cost to travelers is evaluated as the sum of 2 components: one associated with a deterministic traffic-flow model and the other associated with randomness in traffic behavior.