Operational Evaluation of Effectiveness of Connected Vehicle Smartphone Technology on a Signalized Corridor

Various connected vehicle (CV) technology applications reported in current literature have the potential to solve the challenges faced by the transportation sector. Over the last decade, extensive research efforts have focused on performance evaluation and the benefits of innovative CV applications; findings indicate that CV technology can effectively mitigate the safety, mobility, and environmental challenges experienced on today’s transportation networks. The majority of previous research has evaluated CV technology through simulation studies. However, a field study is the ideal method of assessing CV technology effectiveness. Field observational studies to validate previous research findings have not been conducted. Therefore, a field study to obtain the actual effectiveness of CV technology was warranted, not only to validate previous findings, but to add to the body of knowledge surrounding this topic. This research presents a field study evaluation of the effectiveness of CV smartphone technology on a 1.1-mi segment of State Road 121, containing five intersections, in Gainesville, Florida. Field observations were conducted using a CV application that uses a smartphone application, EnLighten (Connected Signals, Inc., Oregon, United States), to communicate intersection information to a driver’s smartphone, which serves as a vehicle on-board unit. Traffic operation performance was evaluated using a start-up lost time and discharge distribution model. Findings showed that the CV smartphone technology improved intersection performance with a reduction in start-up lost time of approximately 86%. The CV technology had no impact on the distribution model of position-dependent discharge headways.