Traffic light management based on reinforcement learning: Q-Learning and SARSA

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15665/q4jsbg56

Keywords:

Vehicle traffic control, SUMO, TraCI, Q-learning, SARSA, SUMO-RL

Abstract

The accelerated growth of urban traffic has revealed the limitations of traditional traffic lights with fixed timing, which do not adapt to the variability of traffic patterns. In response, this work proposes the use of reinforcement learning algorithms, specifically Q-Learning and SARSA, to implement more efficient and dynamic traffic light control systems. Simulations are developed in the SUMO (Simulation of Urban Mobility) environment to compare the performance of these models against traditional traffic lights, with the average waiting time per vehicle as the main metric. The results allow us to evaluate the adaptability and superiority of intelligent models in most traffic scenarios, demonstrating their potential as an effective solution for managing vehicle flow in urban environments.

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Published

2026-06-30

How to Cite

Traffic light management based on reinforcement learning: Q-Learning and SARSA. (2026). Journal Prospectiva, 24(2). https://doi.org/10.15665/q4jsbg56