Traffic Study - Lane Efficiency for Cross-Intersections

For this experiment, we aim to study the real-life dynamics of vehicle movement in a 4-way intersection controlled by traffic signals

A traffic study is a detailed analysis aimed at understanding traffic conditions, predicting future traffic trends, and proposing solutions to improve traffic flow and safety. This involves gathering data on traffic volume, influx, capacity, congestion, and delays, which guides decision-making related to transportation infrastructure and traffic management.

Traffic studies are essential for urban planning, road design, and efficient transportation management. They offer valuable insights into how new developments might affect traffic by creating bottlenecks, safety hazards, and congestion areas. This information is crucial for implementing effective solutions to enhance overall traffic flow and safety. 

Despite the numerous benefits of performing traffic studies, they might pose several challenges that can slow down the process. Machinations can streamline this process by providing less expensive and more efficient analytics and data-driven insights. 

The traffic lights system is synchronized between all lanes using a 50-second interval of activation. It ensures that no overlapping lanes in the intersection are accessible at the same time to avoid collisions or congestion and to ensure a continuous traffic flow. Moreover, the traffic lights were designed to maximize the number of lanes that can be used simultaneously to reduce the waiting time at the red light. Lastly, when the intersection was modeled, the traffic flow for each lane represented a crucial role in determining the timing of the traffic lights. As such, the duration for the green light was prioritized for lanes with a high traffic influx such as North L1, South L2, and West L1 + L2.