Estimation of Traffic Delay Due to U-Turns at Uncontrolled Medians: Case Study in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Maksat Omarov, Syuhaida Ismail, Wan Nurul Mardiah Wan Mohd Rani and Serdar Durdyev
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Maksat Omarov: Razak Faculty of Technology and Informatics, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 54100, Malaysia
Syuhaida Ismail: Razak Faculty of Technology and Informatics, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 54100, Malaysia
Wan Nurul Mardiah Wan Mohd Rani: Razak Faculty of Technology and Informatics, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 54100, Malaysia
Serdar Durdyev: Department of Engineering and Architectural Studies, Ara Institute of Canterbury, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Lack of infrastructure capacity to the demand in mobility results in delays in traffic. U-turns restrict the movement of the opposing through-traffic during the maneuver, hence triggering delays. Significant delays can be observed, especially in high volume traffic, where U-turning is not restricted. Hence, it is imperative to study the delays incurred by the U-turning vehicles to assess their impacts on traffic congestion. This study thus proposes a quantitative method to estimate the aggregate and average delay per vehicle caused by U-turns at uncontrolled medians of urban roads. Traffic data were collected at a corridor where vehicles were allowed to U-turn on a four-lane divided mixed traffic urban road in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The delay in the opposing lane of traffic was calculated by analyzing the data using a novel analytical method; a derivative of the Webster’s delay model. The results reveal that the suggested technique evaluates the caused delay with good accuracy. Excessive traffic delay and about three seconds delay per vehicle in the through-traffic of the opposite lane align well with the experienced delay at the site. The method can be used to assess the delay at straight corridor sections where U-turns are not restricted, understand the causes of the delay, and develop control measures for improved traffic performance.

Keywords: traffic delay estimation; congestion; traffic flow; U-turn; Phnom Penh; Cambodia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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