Identifying the Safety Impact of Signal Coordination Projects along Urban Arterials Using a Meta-analysis Method

The safety impact of changes to roadway operations have been of interests in recent years with the publication of the Highway Safety Manual. One area that is in need of further study is the safety impact of traffic signal coordination projects in urban areas. Specifically, this study seeks to identify the safety benefit from traffic signal coordination projects on major arterial roadways through urban areas using a before and after study with a comparison groups approach and a meta-analysis method. The findings suggest that traffic signal coordination could decrease total crashes by 21 percent, injury crashes by 52 percent and property-damage-only crashes by 21 percent. The results can be utilized by engineering practitioners to estimate the safety benefits for projects that seek to coordinate traffic signals along an urban corridor. Because these projects can both improve the safety of roadways while improving traffic flow, the application of these findings could be broad.