PURPOSES : This study presents a general guideline for the initial management of traffic signal timings in response to traffic incidents, prior to the implementation of specific treatments in detail. The proposed solution includes a set of optimal reductions in the green time rates at three signalized intersections upstream. METHODS : To account for the various traffic and incident conditions that may be encountered, a total of 36 traffic-condition scenarios were prepared. These scenarios encompass a wide range of conditions, from unsaturated to near-saturated conditions, and were designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of traffic conditions on signal timing. For each of the traffic conditions, all 27 traffic signal timing combinations were subjected to testing. A total of 972 simulation analyses were conducted using the SUMO model. The results indicated that the scenario with the lowest control delay was the optimal choice. RESULTS : The results indicated that the most effective initial management for the traffic incident would be to reduce the green signal timings by 20% at the first two upstream intersections and by 40% at the third intersection. CONCLUSIONS : We propose reducing the green times by 20% at the first and second intersections and by 40% at the third intersection as the initial response of the traffic signal control center when a traffic incident occurs.