Intelligent transportation systems applications for reducing delays at at-grade highway-rail crossings

Transportation engineers are generally concerned with safety and congestion at at-grade highway-rail intersections. Travel delays created by the queuing of vehicles at an at-grade railway crossing when a train is passing through is of special interest. One way of solving the travel delay problems is the construction of grade separated crossings but this is very expensive and not always feasible. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) applications offer cheaper and more acceptable alternatives.; The principle objective of this research is to investigate the different ITS possibilities in reducing delay for motorists. This research looked at a case study of how ITS applications can reduce delay caused by a rail crossing (an at-grade railway crossing just south of 50 Avenue on Barlow Trail in Southeast Calgary) in the study area. In this paper, potential solutions to the travel delay problem will be introduced and tested using the microscopic traffic simulation software, PARAMICS.