EVALUATION OF THE OPERATIONAL METHODS FOR THE ANALYSIS OF SIGNALISED INTERSECTIONS

Abstract

The problem of traffic congestion in urban areas is worse at road intersections. Junction design, traffic light capacity, and driver behaviour are prevalent influences on traffic congestion. Since the traffic signal is one of the traffic controls to alleviate road congestion, adequate traffic capacity with a good design and an optimum delay is the key to improving the signalised junction. Hence, this research aims to determine the performance of signalized junctions with different traffic methods compared to on-site data. Two methods were selected for the analysis: Signalised Intersection Design and Research Aid (SIDRA) and the Malaysia Highway Capacity Manual (MHCM). Prominent signalised intersections along Jalan Kempas in the Kempas neighbourhood of Johor Bahru were selected for this study to measure the length of the vehicle line-up during rush hour. Based on these two (2) methods used, the significant different are related to traffic parameters, namely capacity analysis and level of service and by different conditions of traffic, geometric and type of traffic signal. It was determined that the parameter used for both SIDRA and MHCM is suitable; however, the output of SIDRA resulted in a more similar performance to the site observation. Based on the findings, this research is able to measure the efficiency of traffic assessment tools compared to the actual situation on site and assist the traffic engineer in efficiently investigating and evaluating the performance at signalised junctions.