Its Based Demand Management Model for Congestion Mitigation on an Urban Traffic Corridor in Ilorin, Nigeria

Abstract

Traffic congestion has become a growing concern in most urban areas in Nigeria. The traffic congestion has been attributed to rural-urban migration, increased vehicle ownership and vehicle trips, poor road networks as well as the absence, non-functionality or poor timing of traffic signals. The aim of the study is to propose a model to ameliorate traffic congestion across an urban traffic corridor in Ilorin metropolis, Nigeria using Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) demand management technique. The study investigated the level of performance of the corridor by undertaking a performance analysis of traffic census data obtained via a video graphic data capture. The results obtained established that 93% of the approaches under consideration exceeded the 0.85 vehicle capacity ratio recommended for optimal road performance and thus the need for a traffic management system. A traffic management system using ITS tools was then proposed to address congestion from the demand perspective with considerations of inter-agency for traffic incident management. The proposed model consists of a Traffic Management Centre, dynamic traffic signals, street surveillance (CCTV) systems, route guidance and traffic advisory system which consists of seven Variable Message Signs (VMS). This proposed model upon implementation will achieve the result of mitigating traffic congestion on the corridor by providing road users with real-time information on road traffic flow as well as improving incident management and road safety.