The interrelationship between two traffic signal parameters—passage time and detection
zone length—is explored. It is shown that both parameters must be selected jointly if an
intersection is to function efficiently. Simulation data are used to show the effect of stochastic
variation in headways and unoccupancy times as a queue moves through the intersection at
the beginning of the green and that, because the data are stochastic, this problem is one of
risk management. The data show that shorter passage times should be used as detection …