Question

INNOVATIVE INTERSECTION TREATMENTS
In recent times, traffic engineers in Australia and around the world have been developing new intersection designs to improve Road Safety and traffic flow. For example, the intersection of Hoddle Street and Swan Street was redesigned to reduce traffic congestion at this intersection (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK33JysHC4c). A number of intersections in Thomastown are being redesigned to become a “raised intersection”
You are to carry out research using the internet and identify at least five different innovative ideas for intersection or road design to improve Road Safety and/or traffic flow. For each idea, provide a description of the idea, a photo or illustration of the design, where has it been used, advantages and disadvantages of the idea, and the source of the information (internet webpage/link will be sufficient).

Answer 1

Local Smart Traffic Control

Local smart traffic control refers to detecting vehicles at intersections between major and minor streets where the presence of vehicles on the minor street will trigger a red light on the major street. In the absence of vehicles, the major street gets an uninterrupted green. This reduces the congestion on minor streets which saves time as well as fuel for the drivers on minor streets who often tend to wait more when the intersections has both major streets and minor streets.

All Urban cities are coverting to smart traffic control for its efficiency

But this approach would mean to stop the vehicles at the major streets when there is vehicle presence on the minor streets even if it is less. So it results in reduction in traffic flow on the major streets which is undesirable.

Source:https://www.geotab.com/blog/improving-road-safety/

Wide Area Smart Traffic Control

The idea is to constantly adapt traffic lights and speed limits based on traffic patterns detected beforehand with the intention to keep traffic flowing as efficiently as possible. Smart traffic control relies on sensors, cameras, remotely controlled signs and traffic lights, as well as traffic management centers that collect information and make decisions to adapt the light and traffic signs. The city can also get alerts when a pedestrian is in a roadway when the light is about to change so they can delay the light if needed, increasing the safety of the streets as well.

One example currently being tried is Surtrac (Scalable Urban Traffic Control), and it is being tested in some areas of Pittsburgh.

The main drawback of this technology is the tranformation to smart traffic control requires money, manpower and time which many corporations lack.

Source:https://www.geotab.com/blog/improving-road-safety/

Streamlining intersections

Streamlines crossing is a road intersection with no signals where everybody just keeps driving. This could also avoid collisions between vehicles. It also saves time and fuel since there is not waiting period. This is done by providing seperate right lanes to move the right turn movements and U-turns away from the main flow which effectively reduces congestion and increases traffic flow. Also, bus and tram facilities, walking, cycling paths can be placed in and around for the safety of the pedestrians.

Example: The intersection of Hoddle Street and Swan Street

Streamlining requires to provide seperate lane to differentiate all the movements and avoid collision. This requires more space and land acquisition is not an available option at all locations.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK33JysHC4c

Adaptive traffic signals

Traffic signals are getting smarter through V2I technology. The city of Columbus, Ohio, for example, is using data its gathering from government fleet vehicles as part of other smart city pilot programs to also improve the timing of traffic signals. By getting a better idea of traffic flow and how long a vehicle idles at stop lights, the city can better modify traffic signal timing with the changes in traffic throughout the day.

Adaptive traffic signals are one piece to some smart corridors. Smart corridors can address traffic congested roads as well as hazardous areas, such as one major highway in Wyoming used heavily for freight transportation in addition to regular passenger cars.

In Atlanta, a 2.3-mile smart corridor that just opened in September is expected to reduce travel times on the route by 25%. With adaptive traffic signal technology, connected video cameras and more, the city hopes it can serve as a real-world testing grounds for smart corridor technology.

This technology would require many equipments costing money and large amounts of data should be collected and analysed to come to a solution which requires heavy manpower and time.

Source:https://www.geotab.com/blog/improving-road-safety/

Autonomous vehicle technology

Platooning is one example of an autonomous vehicle technology. If all roads on the vehicle had autonomous technology, vehicles would be able to speed up and slow down, and merge onto and off freeways without human direction, creating a much smoother driving pattern. Platooning is a first-step toward self-driving cars since it requires vehicles on a freeway to communicate with each other about speed and conditions, allowing the vehicles to travel consistently. It would eliminate human error that causes issues like “phantom traffic,” which is caused by the ripple effect of a driver braking in the middle of a freeway.

What will also help with traffic congestion by actually reducing the number of passenger vehicles on the road is further bolstering public transit with more first- and last-mile solutions. For example, companies like Lyft and Uber are looking at how autonomous vehicles could make their services a more viable service in conjunction with public transit.

But this necessarily does not reduce the number of cars on the road, so no significant effect on the increasing of traffic flow. Also, everyone cannot afford autunomous vehicles.

Source:https://www.geotab.com/blog/improving-road-safety/