Geospatial based Travel Time and Delay Analysis for Urban Road Network

Abstract

Traffic congestion is widely viewed as a growing problem in many urban areas because the overall volume of vehicular traffic in many areas continues to grow faster than the overall capacity of the transportation system. It has become one of the plagues of modern life particularly in developing countries like India where many cities operate under severely congested traffic conditions on a daily basis. Geographical Information Systems and Global Positioning Systems for their accuracy and reliability of the collected traffic data along with Remote Sensing have become staple tools in various fields of research especially those involving spatial analysis in the field of transportation. The most principal and direct effect of traffic congestion on road users is the increase of Vehicle Operating Cost. The present study focuses on the application of integrated Geographic Information System and Global Positioning System in estimating travel time and delay due to congestion in Tiruchirappalli city, Tamil Nadu, India using Remote Sensing images. It also aims at locating the congestion hotspots along the designated corridor and defining the parameters responsible for it. Further the effects of congestion on Vehicle Operating Cost in Tiruchirappalli urban road network are analyzed for. Congestion effects were quantified on the basis of Acceleration Noise, Congestion Index and Delay occurred due to congested conditions, which were then used as a measure of Level of Service.