Diagnosing of Black Spot Signalized Intersection in Erbil Street Network

Abstract

Road safety is highly relevant in today’s societies as vehicle accidents claim lives every day. Intersections are especially prone to crashes which lead to the worst outcomes. Usually, accident hotspots are places in which there is a probability of high risk or accident occurrence. Accident black spots can be intersections, road sections and other areas which can refer to different contents. One of the most cost-effective road safety interventions is to eliminate so-called black spots, that is, to remedy accident-prone locations along the road. Signalized intersections in urban areas tend to involve more risk than other types of intersections. It is important to diagnose the cause of the problem before developing potential countermeasures. Diagnosis often involves a review of the crash history, traffic operations, and general site conditions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a high accident signalized intersection in the city of Erbil then to apply the procedures of Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), also the Positive Guidance Procedures initiated by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), was completely executed on the above location. The study characterized the accidents, diagnosis, field conditions, then found the contributory factors to the accidents and finally suggesting countermeasures that if applied can increase safety to a considerable amount This study will help transportation planners to understand the factors causing accidents and take appropriate measures to reduce the casualties in the intersection construction planning stage and existing conditions. Thus, it gives an idea to take appropriate action to reduce accidents in the short term and over a long period of time.