Using Colored Petri Nets to Simulate a Traffic Model

An urban traffic network is, in fact, a discrete event system in which traffic light is an efficient tool to control the flow of traffic. Proper timing of traffic lights can make a big impact on the flow of vehicles, the number of cars waiting behind the light, and on the citizen commuting time. In this paper, to achieve the timing of traffic lights, using colored Petri nets, a traffic model is built. The proposed model captures the control logic of traffic lights and flow of vehicles. Using computer simulation, different timing scenarios have been modeled and evaluated. Moreover, to demonstrate the application of the proposed model, an important intersection has been studied within the city of Bushehr. A suitable timing of traffic lights is determined based on simulation outputs. The proposed timing scenario was able to gain a great improvement on the intersection performance.