transportation

a jo

urna

l of

the

arch

itec

ts

reg

iona

l co

unci

l asi

a (A

RC

AS

IA)

issu

e 2

apri

l / m

ay /

june

201

1

ISS

N 1

675-

6886

Kengo Kuma Hoshakuji StationHINTAN Associates Sdn BhdSenai Airport Landside ExpansionWOHA Stadium MRT StationAedas Limited Sunny Bay StationMorphogenesis Marble ArchASA Forum 2011

22 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 article

The gross density of the city has been increasing from 638 persons per sq.km in 1951 to 5,272 persons per sq.km in 2001.

Aim of the StudyThe aim of this study is to analyze the problems that occur in the major intersections connected with the National Highway No-5 from the traffic conflict point of view.

Location of BhubaneswarBhubaneswar, the new capital of Orissa is located between 200-13’N latitude 850-50’E longitude and it comes at a height of about 140 feet above the ‘Mean Sea level’. The city is found almost at the middle portion of the State on its eastern side and it falls in the districts of Khurda.

Master plan, BhubaneswarThe Master plan of Bhubaneswar was prepared in 1948 for a population of 40,000 over an area of 16.48 km2 with a density of 10 to 12 families per acre. Plan envisaged horizontal development with administrative and services as the primary functions. Although the city was created to function as the administrative centre as the primary function, light industries and manufacturing activities were added after 1980.

Population GrowthBhubaneswar was a small sacred town in 1921 with population of 8,110 only; later on it became a class IV town and retained the same status until 1951. In 1951 the population increased to 16,512. The population further increased to 38,211 in 1961 due to shift of capital from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar in 1954. The population further increased to 105,491 and 219,211 in 1971 and 1981. In 1991 the population was 411,542 and in 2001 the population increased to 657,477. Bhubaneswar got the NAC status in 1952. It became a Class III town in the

ARTICLE

Interface of the urban arterial system with the National Highway No.5: A Case study of Bhubaneswar, India

IntroductionThe road traffic worldwide becomes more crowded and less safe every day. In the past, the transport was not a very big problem due to the small number of vehicles that were on the roads. Now-a-days the number of vehicles has increased tremendously thus causing traffic problems in the cities. Bhubaneswar is one of these cities that is the subject of this study.

Bhubaneswar was a ‘temple town’ up to 1948 with development surrounding the ‘Lord Lingaraja Temple’. The town was characterized by ribbon-type development with a mixed landuse pattern. The original plan was pre-pared by the international acclaimed urban planner, Otto H. Koenigsbarger in 1948 as the ‘Capital City’ of Orissa. Plan envisaged horizontal development to accommodate about 40,000 persons with administrative as the primary function. City developed on neighbourhood principles.

Dr Mayarani PraharajCollege of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Orissa

Location of Orissa in India & Bhubaneswar in Orissa

next Census (1961) and a Class I city with municipality status in 1971, depending on its population strength and other urban characteristics. The city was declared a Mu-nicipal Corporation in the year 1994 and according to the 2001 Census it accommodates 648,032 people in the main city area of 135 sq km. The sudden growth of popu-lation put enormous pressure on traffic and transportation system of the city.

Density of PopulationDuring 50 years from 1951 to 2001, the municipality has increased from 26.09 Km2 to 137.7 Km2 and the overall density of population per square kilometer in 1951 was only 633. This has gone up to 3,300 in 1999 to 4,800 in 2001 and 5,555 in 2005.

Transportation system in BhubaneswarBhubaneswar City traffic is mainly heterogeneous in character. It includes not only fast moving motor traffic but also slow moving cycles and cycle rickshaws. Pedestrian traffic is also very high along the main streets and major intersections. The National Highway No. 5

(NH-5) which runs through the city is a big problem for the traffic condition of the city.

Transportation development and land use controls are powerful tools for guiding the quality and quantity of growth along desired lines. In Bhubaneswar the main mode of transportation is vehicular circulation routes. The National Highway No-5 passes through the city. All the major roads connect to the national highway.

Bhubaneswar is connected to Cuttack via NH-5 which further extends itself to link Kolkata, Ranchi, Tata, Asansol–Durgapur and the rest of North India via Balasore and Kharagpur. Most of the interaction between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar takes place along this link. Stretches along NH-5, from Rasulgarh SQ to Khandagiri, exhibit critical conditions. Traffic crossings at Vanivihar, Acharyavihar and CRP square are highly congested during the office hours.

The city of Bhubaneswar has grown ten folds of what was projected at the time of planning the city. This is the basic reason for the traffic problems in the city. Most of the roads, though wide enough are still not able to sustain the traffic load of the city. Encroachments on both sides of the roads further reduced their width at some places. In many cases there is no proper alignment of roads and footpaths near intersections.

Road Accident and Safety Huge volume of regional traffic pass through the Bhubaneswar town which leads to significant conflict between slow moving and fast moving vehicles. Mixing of slow and fast moving vehicles not only slow the move-ment along the regional corridors but also increases the risks of accident. Conflict points at intersectionsConflict points define the situations where a crossing vehicle interrupts the progress of another vehicle, but the vehicles only interact at a specific point in space. Conflict lines describe the situations where two vehicles interact in the same lane for a period of time.

In the area of intersection, a road user may either proceed in the same direction as he was traveling across earlier – thereby necessarily crossing the traffic flow across, or change from the route he was following to another route. In this process of changing from one flow to the other or continuing in the same flow, there are three elemental maneuvres: diverging, merging and crossing. In all these maneuvres there is a potential conflict between two or more road users. These are shown in Fig-1 for rotary in which there are 8 conflict points, Fig.2 for a common four-way intersection in which there are 32 conflict points, 8 of diverging type, another 8 of merging type and the rest of crossing type. If one of the streams is removed to make a T-intersection, there are only 9 conflict points of which only three are crossing (Fig-3) Conflict can be separated by designing the intersection properly.

From left: Fig.1; Fig.2; Fig.3

Experimental Investigation and analysisAs part of the investigation twenty intersections were selected in Bhubaneswar City. These intersections are situated on five important stretches of Bhubaneswar City (Fig.4). Spot speeds were determined in the middle of two intersections. Traffic volume counts were carried out at various legs of the intersections. Parking studies, sight distance and geometric design studies were also carried out on all these stretches. All these details have been presented in a tabular form (Table 2A to 2E). These studies are very much useful to understand the traffic flow char-acteristics of the road. Highway capacity and level of serviceThe capacity of a given section of roadway, either in one direction or in both directions for a two-lane or three-lane roadway, may be defined as the maximum hourly rate at which vehicles can reasonably be expected to traverse a point or uniform section of a lane or roadway during a given period of time. Although the maximum number of vehicles that can be accommodated remains fixed under similar roadway and traffic conditions, there is a range of lesser volumes that can be handled under differing operating conditions. If the traffic volume and congestion decreases there is an improvement in the level of service. Level of service is a qualitative measure that describes operational conditions within a traffic stream and their perception by drivers or passengers. Six levels of service, A to F, define the full range of driving conditions from best to worst in that order.

The capacity of a signalized intersection is not only dependent on the type of signal control being used but also on the physical geometry of the roadway. The highway capacity manual therefore recommends that separate analysis be used to determine the capacity and level of service for a signalized intersection. The level of service for signalized intersections is defined in terms of delay. Specifically, level of service is based on the average stopped delay per vehicle for a 15-min analysis period has been given in Table-2.

The stretches selected for the investigation are 1. Stretch from Airport Chowk (Forest Park) to Fire Station Square (SL NO -1-5)2. Stretch from Fire Station Square to Rasulgarh Square along NH-5 (SL NO -5-9) 3. Stretch from Governor House Square to Damana Square through Jayadev Vihar Square (SL NO -10-13)4. Stretch from AG Square to Acharya Vihar Square (SL NO -14-16 )5. Stretch from Kalpana Square to Ramamandir Square through Rajamal Square (SL NO -17-20)

(Note: ‘T’ Intersection, ‘FAI’–Four Arm Intersection, and ‘O’ dor rotary.)Table 2A

SL NO.

Locations And Types of Intersection

Parking

Provisions

Sight

Distance

Conflict

Points

Avg

Lane

width(m)

Shoulder

width (m)

Level of

service

(A to F)

1 Airport Chowk at forest Park (T)

Space not Available

Not adequate

9 7 2.5 E

2 Capital Hospital Chowk (T)

Space not Available

Not adequate

9 10.5 3.0 D

3 Siripur Chowk (FAI)

Space not Available

Not adequate

32 7 1.5 F

4 Trinath Mandir chowk (FAI)

Space not Available

Not adequate

32 6 1.0 F

5 Fire station SQ. (FAI)

Space not Available

Not adequate

32 6.5 2.0 E

Fig.4 Road Map of Bhubaneswar showing Stretch 1 to 5

Case study of intersections: Bhubaneswar

SL NO.

Locations And Types of Intersection

Parking

Provisions

Sight

Distance

Conflict

Points

Avg Lane width (m)

Shoulder

width (m)

Level of service (A to F)

6 CRP Square (FAI) Space not

Adequate adequate 32 7 2.5 F

7 Acharya Vihar Square (FAI)

Space not Adequate

adequate 32 7 2.5 F

8 Vanivihar Square (FAI)

Space not Adequate

adequate 32 7 2.5 F

9 Rasulgarh Chowk (O)

Space not Adequate

Not adequate

9 7 2.5 E

Table 2B

SL NO.

Locations And Types of Intersection

Parking

Provisions

Sight

Distance

Conflict

Points

Avg Lane width (m)

Shoulder

width (m)

Level of service (A to F)

10 Governor House

SQ (O) Space not Adequate

adequate 32 7 2.5 B

11 Power House Square (FAI)

Space not Adequate

Not at all 32 7 2.5 E

12 Kalinga Hospital Square (FAI)

Space not Adequate

Not adequate

32 7 2.5 E

13 Damana Square (FAI)

Space not Adequate

Not adequate

32 7 2.5 F

Table 2C

SL NO.

Locations And Types of Intersection

Parking

Provisions

Sight

Distance

Conflict

Points

Avg Lane width (m)

Shoulder

width (m)

0

9

‘m”

Level of service (Ato F)

14 AG Square (FAI) Space not

Adequate adequate 32 10.5 2.5 F

15 PMG Square (FAI) Space not Adequate

Not adequate

32 10.5 2.5 F

16 Housing Board Chakk (T)

Space not Adequate

Not adequate

9 7 2.5 F

Table 2D

SL NO.

Locations And Types of Intersection

Parking

Provision

s

Sight

Distance

Conflict

Points

Avg Lane width (m)

Shoulder width (m)

Level of service (A to F)

17 Kalpana Square (T) Space not Available

adequate 9 7 2.5 F

18 Rajamahal Square (FAI)

Space not Available

adequate 32 7 2.5 F

19 Master Canteen Square (O)

Space not Adequate

adequate 32 7 2.5 F

20 Ramandir Chawk (T)

Space not Adequate

Not adequate

9 6 2.5 F

Table 2E

Table-1 Level of service criteria for signalised intersections

LEVEL OF SERVICE Stopped Delay per Vehicle(Sec) A Less than 5.0 B 5.1 to 15.0 C 15.1 to 25.0 D 25.1 to 40.0 E 40.1 to 60.0 F Greater than 60.0

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 article 25

ARTICLE

Intersection Analysis The summary of intersection analysis has been carried out for 20 selected intersections. This provides a comparative understanding of the traffic characteristics in terms of parking provision, sight distance, conflict points and level of service. A large number of the intersections along NH-5 have very high share of freight vehicles. Moreover the share of slow moving traffic is also very high in the links with considerable fast moving traffic. The pedestrian count in many intersections is very high coupled with high approaching vehicular traffic volume.

Conclusions and recommendationsFrom the analysis it is found out that in maximum cases the level of service at selected intersections has fallen to E and F (A- Best and F – Worst).

The absence of adequate flyovers, access roads and pedestrian crossing resulted in reducing the level of service (LOS) which may cause road accidents. It is proposed to widen the major roads from (2 to 4 / 4 to 6 w / service lanes) and Flyovers, Subways and pedestrian subways at main intersections.

References:1. P.K. Sahoo, Dr. S.K. Rao and V.M. Kumar “A study of Traffic Flow Characteristics on two stretches of National Highway No. 5, April, 1996 Indian Highways2. L.R. Kadiyali, traffic Engineering and Transportation Planning, 1987, Khanna Publishers3. Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, (2008) Draft Proposal: Comprehensive Development Plan for Bhubaneswar Development Plan Area (BDPA): Traffic and Transportation4. USAID FIRE (D III) Project, Preparation of city development plan for Bhubaneswar, 20065. Pedestrian Safety at Intersections, U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, April, 20046. Ariadna, Janos, Daniel, Corneliu, Study Concerning the Conflict Points within an Urban Signalized Intersection, Conference Proceedings of TEHNONAV 2008, ISBN 978-973-614-447-9 7. Preparation of city development plan: Bhubaneswar, Orissa (http://jnnurm.nic.in)

It is concluded from the studies that the various transportation planning and traffic engineering measures should immediately be implemented to reduce the road accident and make Bhubaneswar a zero accident city.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to build five flyovers, a number of underpasses for vehicles and pedestrians as well as service lanes in Bhubaneswar. The work has started on the flyovers at Rasulgarh and Fire Station and for the construction similar projects at CRPF Square, Acharya Vihar and Vani Vihar will commence soon.

These upcoming flyovers will have controlled access to the highway. Commuters will have to take turns at the respecting connecting roads to reach their destinations. This will reduce road accidents on important intersection and also on National highway.

Safety should be given special attention at the initial design stage of any road or Intersection. It will often be possible at the initial design stage to develop traffic plan-ning and design to reduce accident risks substantially.

The speed of a vehicle travelling along a road will vary with vehicle type and condition, road geometry and the presence of the other road users and speed controls. Geometric features presented to a driver should be consistent. The consistency is usually achieved through the concept of ‘design speed’.

In most current standards, the speeds used for the estimation of design parameters, such as sight distance, are closely related to actual speeds. Therefore horizontal curves should be designed so that they can be negotiated safely by approaching vehicles. Tight horizontal curves can lead to accidents. Pedestrian zones, parking facilities, signage and proper traffic management are also proposed for improving the traffic and transportation system and reduce road accidents in Bhubaneswar.