Evaluation of Traffic Signal at an Intersection in an Indian City

Abstract

In the present day scenario the traffic is growing enormously due to the rapid growth in urbanization and industrialization. This growth in traffic leads to several problems such as congestion, environmental and noise pollution and also causes severe accidents. These problems are more profound, especially at intersections. Hence there is a need for traffic control devices such as road markings, traffic signs, and signals to alleviate these problems and to insure highway safety. It is seen that delays and stops can be reduced considerably when signal timings are properly designed and maintained. This study evaluates the existing signals at an intersection in a medium city like Warangal for the measured turning movements and vehicular delays. For this purpose, field surveys such as volume count with turning movements, physical inventory, and delay studies have been conducted at the selected intersection. Saturation flow curves developed for Indian conditions have been incorporated in the analysis. Signal time settings and delays were computed by adopting Webster method and comparative analysis was carried out. Further, the delay values obtained through Webster delay equation are compared with field-measured values.