FEDORA Scientific Publication: Urban Priority Pass: Fair signalised intersection management accounting for passenger needs through prioritisation

Over the past few decades, efforts of road traffic management and practice have predominantly focused on maximising system efficiency and mitigating congestion from a system perspective. This efficiency-driven approach implies the equal treatment of all vehicles, which often overlooks individual user experiences, broader social impacts, the fact that users are heterogeneous in their urgency and that they experience different costs when being delayed. Even though they are the major bottleneck for traffic in cities, no dedicated instrument enables prioritisation of individual drivers at intersections. The Priority Pass is a reservation-based, economic controller that expedites entitled vehicles at signalised intersections, without causing arbitrary delays for non-entitled vehicles and without affecting transportation efficiency de trop. Particularly applicable to large, congested cities with rich sensor infrastructure, the prioritisation of vulnerable road users, emergency vehicles, commercial taxi and delivery drivers, or urgent individuals, this approach can enhance road safety, and achieve social, environmental, and economic goals. A case study of Manhattan demonstrates the feasibility of individual prioritisation (up to 40% delay reduction), and quantifies the potential of the Priority Pass to gain social welfare benefits for the people. A market for prioritisation could generate up to $ 1 million in daily revenue for Manhattan, and equitably allocate delay reductions to those in need. The findings provide a foundation for integrating user-centric prioritisation mechanisms into emerging smart city traffic management systems, supporting data-driven policymaking and equitable mobility planning.