(Source: NTOC)

The latest national traffic signal assessment conducted by the National Transportation Operations Coalition (NTOC), a group of transportation associations, shows that gradual but steady progress is being made on the management and operation of traffic signals despite continued funding challenges. NTOC today released the 2012 National Traffic Signal Report Card with a grade of 69, equivalent to a D+ letter grade, based upon the assessment. The 2012 score is a modest four point improvement over the 2007 result of a D letter grade (65). The effort to improve the Nation’s traffic signal systems is driven by benefits such as reduced fuel consumption and congestion mitigation. Grading themselves in five areas, 241 respondents, representing approximately 39 percent of all traffic signals in the United States, completed the self assessment. The complete grades are as follows:

The 2012 National Traffic Signal Report Card shows that while there is still much work to be done, many jurisdictions have used objectives-based approaches that result in improvements to their management and operations of traffic signals. The 2012 National Traffic Signal Report Card Technical Report and Executive Summary can be found at www.ite.org/reportcard.