Speed Analysis Approach to Evaluate Traffic Congestion in Pabna Town

Abstract

During the last decades urban migration rate has broken all records in Bangladesh due to several factors like climatic changes, increase in national income, technological advancements etc. These unusual urban dwellers create pressure on travel pattern within the cities. As a result intensive traffic flow has become a common scenario in almost every city in Bangladesh which creates severe traffic congestion that brings speechless woe for citizens. This situation challenges transportation planners and engineers to provide sustainable traffic management strategies to manage traffic congestion. This study has been conducted to measure the intensity of traffic congestion of Pabna town and to identify the traffic congestion spot within the town. Spot speed study and journey and delay studies were the main methodological approaches to conduct the study. The data collected has been analyzed through the use of different statistical computer packages. The study has explored that the average speed of Pabna town has found 13.67 K. P. H with average delays of 3.38 minutes or 203 seconds for a single journey. Pachmatha morr has been identified as the most congested prone intersection of the town. The study has also found that pedestrians movement on the streets due to unavailable footpath, unauthorized hawkers alongside the streets, illegal parking on streets, loading and unloading of passengers by auto-rickshaw and cycle rickshaw, right diverging and cross movement of traffic flow at intersections are the major causes of creating traffic congestion in the town. The suggestion from the study is one-way traffic flow and strict implementation of traffic regulation as a possible solution of congestion for the town.