Analysis of Signalized Traffic Control Systems in Uyo Metropolis

Abstract

In Nigeria's largest cities, particularly in Uyo metropolis, traffic congestion is a critical issue. This paper examines the delays in traffic flow at sixteen signalized intersections in the metropolis for over three days during peak hours. Traffic data were extracted from aerial videos for each signalized intersection using drones. Performance indicators were computed to evaluate traffic characteristics. The Akçelik time-dependent model was used to determine the delay for under-saturated and over-saturated traffic conditions as well the uniform, random, and overflow components of delays and queues at all signalized junctions. This overcomes the limitations of existing works which implemented models that do not account for the effects of variable traffic demand and time periods of analysis, and considered three and eight intersections only. Findings show that the intersections that suffer continuous oversaturation for any day during these peak hours have overall average delay values of 814 and 1216 seconds respectively, and the highest average delay value of 1822 seconds was experienced at the intersection of Oron Road and Udo Umana Street. These values are significant to the efficiency of key major roads in the city, and they indicate a crucial metric in transportation engineering through which traffic engineers are able to optimize signal timings at intersections and implement various traffic management approaches to reduce congestion and enhance traffic flow.