Major Arterial Roads Research Articles

Unconventional Intersection Designs for Improving Traffic Operation Along Arterial Roads

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the effect of implementing four Unconventional Arterial Intersection Designs (UAIDs) including median U-Turn, Superstreet, Jughandle and Single Quadrant Intersection on a major arterial road using SYNCHRO microscopic simulation software. For this purpose, Wadi Saqra Signalized Intersection on Shaker Bin Zaid major arterial road in Amman, Jordan was selected. The simulation results showed that only the Jughandle improved the intersection Level of Service (LOS) slightly, F–E. Nevertheless, the intersection delay was significantly reduced by 64.81%, 76.6%, 91.28% and 75.60% on the proposed Median U-Turn, Superstreet, Jughandle and Single Quadrant unconventional intersection design, respectively. This indicated that these UAIDs don't perform well under heavy traffic volumes. Also, since the Jughandle was the only UAID which improved the LOS on the main intersection, the operational performance of Prince Shaker Bin Zaid arterial after implementing the Jughandle at the main intersection was evaluated including the main intersection: Wadi Saqra intersection, one prior to the main intersection and one after the main intersection. It was found that the use of the Jughandle increased the average travel speed by 35% and decreased the average stopped delay by 28.68% on the arterial road. Also, this paper evaluated the current transportation system and road user's attitude towards UAIDs' implementation through a questionnaire survey. The results indicated high acceptance of UAIDs. Finally, the construction cost for each UAID type was estimated. It was found that the Jughandle had the highest construction cost due to its high acquisition cost.

Infrastructure Optimization of In-Motion Charging Networks for Electric Vehicles Using Agent-Based Modeling

As the market share of electric vehicles increases, the associated charging infrastructure must be further developed to meet the growing demand for charging. While stationary plug-in methods have been the traditional approach to satisfying this demand, in-motion charging technologies have the potential to eliminate the inconvenience of long charging wait times and the high cost of large batteries. In this research, an agent-based model is developed to simulate vehicle charging demand and then validated against real traffic data. Driver behavior is estimated from travel survey data, and a method is introduced to estimate route-planning decisions in the presence of multiple charging options. The model is technology agnostic, allowing for its application to any kind of in-motion charging technology (i.e., inductive, conductive, and capacitive). A genetic algorithm is used to optimize the location of roadways with dynamic charging capabilities in the presence of the existing charging infrastructure. Both major highways and arterial roads were considered as potential candidates for dynamic charger installation. Results are presented for a case study in Salt Lake County, Utah.

Evaluating the Friction Characteristics of Pavement Surface for Major Arterial Road

The performance of the pavement in terms of vehicle safety and tire wear is affected by the friction behavior of the pavement. To highlight the main characteristics that affect the production of better friction resistance of the pavement surface in this work. The micro-texture and macro-texture of the asphalt surface of Baghdad Airport highway were studied using two methods: (sand patch method and the British pendulum test). The sand patch was examined by drawing sand grains of a specific volume, while the micro-texture was analyzed using a BPT under dry and wet surface conditions. All data obtained from the two examinations were analyzed and modelled statistically using SPSS 25 software. Results show that skid resistance of pavement surface increase with the increase of MTD, this increase may be due to the increase of coarse aggregate which lead to increase the roughness of the pavement surface, this increase ranged between (96 - 91%). MTD decreases with the increase of traffic flow due to the friction between the road surface and the vehicle tires leading to increase of smoothness of the road surface. This is mean that MTD is highly affected by the traffic flow and this effectiveness ranged between (84-97%). Skid resistance also is highly affected by the traffic flow with an effectiveness ranged between (81-94%) for both pavement conditions. According to the regression analysis for friction and other parameters, it can be concluded that surface friction values are highly affected by cumulative traffic (asphalt mix deterioration) over time. Doi: 10.28991/cej-2021-03091775 Full Text: PDF

Landscape depressions can create silent zones in noise polluted parks

Excessive road traffic noise exposure in (sub)urban parks hinders its restorative function and will negatively impact the number of visitors. Especially in such green environments, noise abatements by natural means, well integrated in the landscape, are the most desired solutions. Although dense vegetation bordering the park or raised berms could come first in mind, local landscape depressions are typically underused. In this work, a case-study of a small suburban park, squeezed in between two major arterial roads, is analyzed. The spatially dependent road traffic noise exposure in the park is assessed in detail by mobile sound pressure level measurements. Local reductions of up to 6-7 dBA are found at landscape depressions of only a few meters deep. It can therefore be concluded that this is an efficient measure and should be added to the environmental noise control toolbox for noise polluted parks.

Applying Machine Learning to Develop Lane Control Principles for Mixed Traffic

The mixed traffic environment often has high accident rates. Therefore, many motorcycle-related traffic improvements or control methods are employed in countries with mixed traffic, including slow-traffic lanes, motorcycle two-stage left turn areas, and motorcycle waiting zones. In Taiwan, motorcycles can ride in only the two outermost lanes, including the curb lane and a mixed traffic lane. This study analyzed the new motorcycle-riding space control policy on 27 major arterial roads containing 248 road segments in Taipei by analyzing before-and-after accident data from the years 2012–2018. In this study, the equivalent-property-damage-only (EPDO) method was used to evaluate the severity of crashes before and after the cancelation of the third lane prohibition of motorcycles (TLPM) policy. After EPDO analysis, the random forest analysis method was used to screen the crucial factors in accidents for specific road segments. Finally, a classification and regression tree (CART) was created to predict the accident improvement effects of the road segments with discontinued TLPM in different situations. Furthermore, to provide practical applications, this study integrated the CART results and the needs of traffic authorities to determine four rules for canceling TLPM. In the future, on the accident-prone road segment with TLPM, the inspection of the four rules can provide the authority to decide whether to cancel TLPM to improve the accident or not.

Near-road air quality modelling that incorporates input variability and model uncertainty

Dispersion modelling is an effective tool to estimate traffic-related fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations in near-road environments. However, many sources of uncertainty and variability are associated with the process of near-road dispersion modelling, which renders a single-number estimate of concentration a poor indicator of near-road air quality. In this study, we propose an integrated traffic-emission-dispersion modelling chain that incorporates several major sources of uncertainty. Our approach generates PM2.5 probability distributions capturing the uncertainty in emissions and meteorological conditions. Traffic PM2.5 emissions from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. were estimated at 3400 ± 117 g. Modelled PM2.5 levels were validated against measurements along a major arterial road in Toronto, Canada. We observe large overlapping areas between modelled and measured PM2.5 distributions at all locations along the road, indicating a high likelihood that the model can reproduce measured concentrations. A policy scenario expressing the impact of reductions in truck emissions revealed that a 30% reduction in near-road PM2.5 concentrations can be achieved by upgrading close to 55% of the current trucks circulating along the corridor. A speed limit reduction of 10 km/h could lead to statistically significant increases in PM2.5 concentrations at twelve out of the eighteen locations.

Effect of Demographic Characteristics on the choice of Paratransit Modes

The absence of public transportation has led to the growth and expansion of paratransit modes. This has increased traffic congestion, traffic crashes and traffic pollution. This research assessed the effect of demographic characteristics on para transiting in Lagos with special focus on the mainland. To achieve the aim of this research, the mainland was divided into two zones based on the geographical location which are the Ikorodu and Ikeja zone. Domiciliary information techniques were used in data collection. This was backed up with an oral interview. Two hundred question (200) questionnaires were administered with 89% return rate. The information captured were demographic characteristics, the volume of trips, frequency of trips, trip types, operations of the paratransit transportation system, travel behaviour of passengers (travel time, travel cost, travel purpose). SPSS version 18 was used for the data analysis. The result of the survey revealed that paratransit modes serve as a feeder connection between neighbourhoods in the study area. Additionally, it provides a feeder connection between major arterial roads (truck A and B roads). Flexibility accounts for 41% of the reason why paratransit mode is preferred by respondents. The bivariate analysis showed a weak negative relationship for the correlation between frequency of trip and age. The outcome of this research will aid transportation planners, policymakers, and transportation experts on the appropriate strategy to adopt for effective mobility as a unimodal approach to providing effective movement may not be foreseeable in the study area.

Changes in Land Use and Its Impact on the Hierarchy of Roads in Ramadi City

Well-consideration should be given to the change in land use since it has a significant impact on the hierarchy of roads in terms of traffic congestion, traffic accidents, and low efficiency of roads as they serve traffic volumes higher than what has been planned for the master plans of cities. Therefore, this research investigates the impact of change in land uses on the hierarchy of roads in Ramadi city by utilizing Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) in the Geographic Information System (GIS) to analyze the relationship between changes in land uses and road class according to the functional classification system of Ramadi city. The GWR analysis method was adopted because it provides an accurate description of the study area and takes into account the spatial dimension of the phenomenon. It was concluded that all classes of roads (major arterial, minor arterial, collector, and local roads) have a linear relationship with changes in land uses. Moreover, results show that the secondary arterial roads are the most affected by changes in land uses while the local roads are uselessly affected.

Travel Time Prediction Models for Major Arterial Road in Baghdad City using Manufactured GPS device

Travel time on arterials can be rotten into two components, free flow travel time and delay. That’s where the difference between the observed travel time and travel time of free flow, the delay can be calculated. Which is one of the most important roadways Metrics for Traffic. Estimation of travel time and measurement of reliability are critical issues for improving the efficiency of traffic network operations and safety. The purpose of this review is to estimate overall travel time and to analyse the collected data and also to estimate the travel time through predicting model for total delay of signalized intersections. In addition, utilizing a more convenient method and tools to reflect and to achieve a more practical model of delay time for the selected urban arterial in Baghdad city. Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers have an ability to reliably measure intersection delay in terms of (deceleration delay, stopped delay, and acceleration delay). In addition to measuring the travel time for each link along the streets specified for this study (Al-Karada Kharidge street). 50 test runs were collected from GPS-equipped instrumented vehicle at off peak and peak hours of the day for each direction for selected street in this study. So, the required data collection period for two months was from December 2019 to February 2020 were identified to study the complete travel time variations and travel delay times for each link and each intersection along the identified arterial street. The field data were collected for the selected of Al-Karada Kharidge street the Baghdad University intersection to Mohamed al-Qasim intersection.

Effects of road traffic on photosynthetic pigments and heavy metal accumulation in tree species of Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana

This study was undertaken to examine changes in the content of pigments and accumulation of metals from vehicular pollution in selected species of roadside trees under vehicular pollution. A major arterial road with heavy vehicle emissions in the Kumasi Metropolis was designated as the polluted site, while Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Campus was designated as the control site. Four tree species (Terminalia catappa, Mangifera indica, Ficus platyphylla and Polyalthia longifolia) selected for the study were well distributed and abundant in the polluted and control sites. Photosynthetic pigments and levels of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Cd and zinc) were assessed in their leaves. Chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were determined by absorption spectrometry, while the metal accumulation index (MAI) was used to determine the total metal accumulation capacity of the tree species. We observed a reduction in photosynthetic pigments in the leaf samples from the polluted site. Ficus platyphylla had the maximum reduction in total chlorophyll (49.34%), whereas Terminalia catappa recorded the lowest reduction (33.88%). Similarly, the largest decrease (31.58%) of carotenoid content was found in Terminalia catappa trees and the lowest in Polyalthia longifolia (16.67%). The Polyalthia longifolia, Ficus platyphylla and Terminalia catappa leaf samples collected at the polluted site recorded a higher ratio of chlorophyll a/b. Heavy metal (Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd) accumulation in leaf samples was higher in the polluted site than in the control, as expected. The highest metal MAI value was recorded in Mangifera indica (5.35) followed by Polyalthia longifolia with 4.30. The findings from this study specifically demonstrate that air contamination induced by vehicles decreases the level of photosynthetic pigments in trees subjected to roadside emissions. It is clear that both chlorophyll a/b and chlorophyll/carotenoid ratios will act as very useful stress-level markers. Elevated heavy metal levels in the tree species along arterial roadsides indicate that they serve as heavy metals sink. The change in MAI resulting from different pollution burden is an indication that the removal capabilities of the tree species differ from each other. We therefore suggest M. indica and P. longifolia as potential species to be used in air pollution reduction plans in the city.

A kolléga megjegyzései: ABC irodaház

When developing office space adjacent to major arterial roads the need to create a balance between an extrovert exterior and an introvert interior requires careful handling of volumes and functions. This development which comprises the corner part of an urban block's redevelopment aims to enclose a mincity within a city. Allowing freedom of movement at street level whilst maintaining privacy for commercial users. The built volumes and more specifically the use of elevational treatments clearly describe the play between, public, intermediate and private.

Development of traffic noise prediction model for major arterial roads of tier-II city of India (Surat) using artificial neural network

Abstract In the issue of expanding noise levels the world over, road traffic noise is main contributor. The investigation of street traffic noise in urban communities is a significant issue. Ample opportunity has already passed to understand the significance of noise appraisal through prediction models with the goal that assurance against street traffic noise can be actualized. Noise predictions models are utilized in an increasing range of decision-making applications. This study’s main objective is to assess ambient noise levels at major arterial roads of Surat city, compare these with prescribed standards, and develop a noise prediction model for arterial roads using an Artificial Neural Network. The feed-forward back propagation method has been used to train the model. Models have been developed using the data of three roads separately, and one final model has also been developed using the data of all three roads. Among the prediction in three arterial roads, the predicted output result from the model of Adajan-Rander showed a better correlation with a mean squared error (MSE) of 0.789 and R2 value of 0.707. But with the combined model, there is a slight deterioration in mean squared value (MSE) 1.550, with R2 not getting changed much significantly, i.e., 0.755. However, the combined model’s prediction can be adopted due to the variety of data used in its training.

Choosing footbridge or signalized crossing in an urban area: what triggers pedestrians?

Pedestrians face difficulties when trying to cross a road in the urban environment since they are exposed to vehicular traffic. One of the measures to overcome the problems in the case of multilane roads with high traffic volumes is the construction of footbridges. However, pedestrians are not always in favor of footbridges for various reasons (e.g., excessive effort to use the footbridge, deviation from their scheduled route etc.). Thus, pedestrians often face a dilemma, whether to use the footbridge or the signalized crossing. In the framework of this paper an attempt has been made to examine the factors that influence the use of footbridges in the urban environment and the factors that influence the use of signalized crossings in the near area of the footbridge. The case study refers to a major arterial road with heavy traffic volumes in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece. A statistical model was developed, quantifying the impact of quantitative and qualitative factors, as well as pedestrians' social characteristics on the frequency of using the footbridge. The study area included two signalized crossings and the footbridge. Pedestrians can choose either the footbridge or the signalized intersections to cross the road. Counts were made concerning traffic volume, vehicle speed and pedestrian flow. A questionnaire- based survey including 130 interviewees was conducted among pedestrians referring to the three ways of crossing the road (2 level crossings and the footbridge). Almost half of the pedestrians (49%) stated that they never use the footbridge. Most of the responders (87%) consider the footbridge very safe even though they do not use it. In the analysis made in this paper, an ordinal regression model was developed that utilizes questionnaire survey data and field measurements. The aim of the ordinal regression model is to investigate the variables affecting the operation of the footbridge through measuring the frequency of choosing the footbridge to cross the road. The model indicated that pedestrians aged between 25-39 years old have less possibilities to cross using the footbridge. The odds ratio calculation revealed that interviewees who state that the footbridge is very easy to use are more likely to use the footbridge frequently compared to those who state that the footbridge is not at all or almost at all easy to use. The ordinal regression model predicted 0,2 times higher possibility to use the footbridge seldom when interviewees say that their distance from the footbridge affects a little or a lot their crossing point decision. Finally, amongst other important outcomes, the model revealed that interviewees spotted on the footbridge are more likely to use it regularly, thus using the footbridge is more a habit than a random act. Statistical models of this type may help researchers understand pedestrians' attitudes better and potentially contribute to a far better design of new infrastructures or better management of existing infrastructures, considering the user's point of view.

Segmentation effect on developing safety performance functions for rural arterial roads in Egypt

This paper presents the development of safety performance functions (SPFs) for major rural arterial roads in Egypt. Four segmentation methods were used for the SPFs development: (1) constant section length of one kilometer (S1), because crash data are reported for every kilometer; (2) homogenous sections (S2), following the highway safety manual (HSM) recommendation; (3) variable sections with respect to the presence of curvatures (S3); and (4) variable sections with respect to the presence of both curvatures and U-turns (S4). The generalized linear modeling technique was used for SPFs development using the stepwise procedure, with/without considering time effect (i.e. year-to-year variation). The Akaike information criterion, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, and mean prediction bias along with the cumulative residual (CURE) plots are used to evaluate the prediction accuracy of the proposed models. The segmentation method was found to affect the prediction accuracy of the calibrated SPFs. For total crashes, the calibrated SPF model based on the S3 segmentation method with the time-trend model form is superior to SPFs calibrated based on other segmentation methods. While S1 and S4 segmentation methods without the time-trend model form produced the best SPFs for “fatal and injury” crashes and property damage only crashes, respectively. In addition, the results showed that by increasing each of the pavement, shoulder, and median widths, the probability of crash occurrence is likely to decrease. In addition, the presences of either horizontal curves and/or accesses are most likely to reduce the probability of crash occurrence.

A gradient boost approach for predicting near-road ultrafine particle concentrations using detailed traffic characterization

This study investigates the influence of meteorology, land use, built environment, and traffic characteristics on near-road ultrafine particle (UFP) concentrations. To achieve this objective, minute-level UFP concentrations were measured at various locations along a major arterial road in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) between February and May 2019. Each location was visited five times, at least once in the morning, mid-day, and afternoon. Each visit lasted for 30 min, resulting in 2.5 h of minute-level data collected at each location. Local traffic information, including vehicle class and turning movements, were processed using computer vision techniques. The number of fast-food restaurants, cafes, trees, traffic signals, and building footprint, were found to have positive impacts on the mean UFP, while distance to the closest major road was negatively associated with UFP. We employed the Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) method to develop prediction models for UFP concentrations. The Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) measures were used to capture the influence of each feature on model output. The model results demonstrated that minute-level counts of local traffic from different directions had significant impacts on near-road UFP concentrations, model performance was robust under random cross-validation as coefficients of determination (R2) ranged from 0.63 to 0.69, but it revealed weaknesses when data at specific locations were eliminated from the training dataset. This result indicates that proper cross-validation techniques should be developed to better evaluate machine learning models for air quality predictions.

Macroscopic Flow Models of State Highway Midblocks under Mixed Traffic Flow Conditions: Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard Case Study

Macroscopic flow modelling has been fundamentally used to characterize and predict the traffic flow parameters of a continuous road utilizing the analogy for one-dimensional fluid flow. In the Philippines, Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard is a major arterial road that links Manila City to various important cities in the Metropolis. Due to its noticeable deteriorating performance in addressing the increasing traffic flow demand, this work investigated the corridor capacity and characterized the key traffic elements along the major mid blocks using Greenshields model. It is assumed that road users behave uniformly and continuously distributed over the highway to choose a path to minimize their total travel time based on instantaneous traffic information. Investigation shows volume demands exceeding the design traffic capacities equivalent to 0.7429, 1.7959, 0.7226, and 1.4726 VCR ratios.

Evaluation of emission level increment in urban and sub urban highway work zones

A highway work zone is where a rehabilitation of an existing highway is being carried out. It can result in reduced flow, reduced capacity, and average speed. Also there is a high risk of safety involved in every work zone. Highway work zones are of particular importance when it comes to efficient travel operations of a road network, especially in areas where there is high traffic flow, such as urban areas. Impact of work zones related to emission and air quality monitoring is often overlooked in such projects. Impact of a work zone for emission is higher in a developing country due to the nature of vehicle fleet. In this study, in order to evaluate the impact of work zones in emission in urban highway work zones and major arterial roads in Sri Lanka, emission modelling was done for a major arterial road in Sri Lanka, using HDM-4 (2008) software for five main vehicle types. Analysis included two road sections, one where rehabilitation is carried out and one where the road is operating under normal flow conditions, for emission levels during peak and off peak, for each vehicle type, and various volumes. It was shown that emission levels significantly vary with vehicle type and volume, which suggests that vehicle composition and road traffic volumes are significant factors when considering the impact of a work zone. Also roughness variation has resulted in 50-70% increase on emissions over a normal section. Further, increase of motor bikes and three wheels has resulted in 8-12% in emission increase on the same type of road based on the roadway classification. These findings can be used to set up a minimum standard in work zone maintenance which could result in millions of cost savings to the economy.

Structural examination of historical heritage bridges

Culture and heritage are important aspects of a civilization after meeting basic needs. The heritage structures also called monuments are generally quite old and may be ever older than hundred years. In case of bridges, the life span as stated by codes/ standards is 50 years to 75 years. Further, the material used in heritage structures are unique in sense the composition at the time of construction is generally not available. Therefore, it is a challenging task to assess the performance of the heritage structures including bridges. In this respect, some of the heritage bridge s in Delhi have been studied and results of one bridge connecting the Red fort and Salimgarh fort namely Mangi Bridge are discussed. The methodology of study involves collection of site data (geometry), numerical modelling, experimental studies at the site and useful inferences. The vibration study and the ongoing traffic affects the bridge as the bridge lies on the major arterial road called Ring Road in Delhi. The study will be helpful for continued use of the bridge.

Retail Outlets and City Centrality: Perspectives from a Sub-Saharan African City

Sub-Saharan African cities are uniquely characterized by retail competition influencing outlet location. This work focused on revealing retail outlet location in Uyo and its relationship with distances from the Central Business Districts. Distance was measured along the six major arterial roads that link the city to the central business districts by the use of Google Map[5] Distance Calculator and itouch maps [7] technology. Six arteries were divided into four distinct spaces in kilometers namely 0-1km, 1-2km, 2-3km, 3-4km. Retail Outlets were grouped into ten classes. Data was analysed using distance in kilometers from the Central Business District as variable Y1. The independent variables X1, X2, X3, X4, X5 and X6 were the six major arteries represented by the location of each specific retail outlet group. Utilising SPSS version 20 software the results reflected centre a 47.9 percent variation in retail outlets location with correlation coefficient (R) of 69.2 % revealing a strong relationship between the distances from the Central Business Districts and the location of retail outlets located across the six major arteries. H1 was accepted which states a significant relationship in the location of retail outlets as distance increase from the city centre across the linkages. This confirms a strong intensity of location of retail outlets in the city centre with a gradual decline as distance increase from the centre. Although there was an increase in intensity of retail outlets in junctions away from the Central Business Districts according to multiple nuclei concept. It is recommended that urban expansion through growth poles.Aim: To access the relationship between retail outlets location and distance from central business district in a Uyo. Research Questions: This work provided answers to the following questions: 1. Where are these retail outlets located in the city space? 2. What is the relationship between Retail outlets and the distance from the City Centre? Objectives: 1. To explain the distribution of location of retail outlets in city space. 2. To reveal the relationship between Retail Outlets and distance from the City Centre. Hypothesis: There is no significant relationship between the distance from the central business district and the location of retail outlets.

Absorption of lead (Pb) by Codiaeum variegatum plants in different Surabaya protocol roads: a preliminary research

Increasing the number of motor vehicles in urban areas raises its own problems for the enviromental. One of them is the increasing air pollution caused by Pb emission. Puring (Codiaeum variegatum), is a plant that serves as an ornamental plant along the Surabaya major arterial road. This study aims to determine the ability of puring (Codiaeum variegatum) in absorbing Pb in Surabaya protocol road. The sample of the research was taken from two different places on Jl. A. Yani and area of Campus C Unair. The samples were collected up to 10 gram using randomize sampling. Sample collected from leaf of puring (Codiaeum variegatum) used as research material. The content of Pb in puring (Codiaeum variegatum) was tested using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometery (AAS) method. The result of the study is content Pb differences in protocol road solid vehicle with a quiet street. The conclusion that puring (Codiaeum variegatum) has potential as Pb emission reduction plant in Surabaya city protocol road.