Abstract:
Road network is a very important aspect of transportation system as it connects even the smallest towns and cities. Intersections are very important part of this network and are to be designed properly so as to handle the traffic efficiently. Unsignalized intersections play an important role in road network to divert the traffic properly. They help in free movement of traffic without any constraint as in case of signalized intersection. A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic flows almost continuously in one direction around a central island. Roundabouts at intersection had many advantages other than eliminating the conflict points which lead to perpendicular crashes. It reduces driver confusion associated with perpendicular junctions and also reduces the queuing caused due to signalization. Hence, this study on the performance of intersection for Debre Markos city will be important to maximize traffic efficiency and safety in the intersection areas to now and for the future.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of selected intersections in Debre Markos city. Traffic flow and geometric data for the selected intersections have been collected and SIDRA(signalized and unsignalized intersection Design and Research Aid)software is used for analysis and evaluation of the performance of intersections. . The result of FM roundabout and near to Riyana café intersection shows high magnitude of degree of saturation, delay and queue length and low magnitude of capacity but the other Bus station and Addis Alemayehu intersection doesn’t. In general the study of FM roundabout and near to Riyana café intersections in the city have bad Level of Service. High volume of pedestrians, improper design of geometric element and Bajaj traffics are the main causes for this. In addition, to the intersection one lane used for parking. Because FM roundabout and near to Riyana café intersection are the main route to link Addis Ababa to Bahir Dar and also the center of the city. To improve the performance of FM roundabout increase the entry and exit lane in the Bahir Dar approach and also to improve the performance of Riyana intersection directly improves Teklehaymanot adebabay approach by the means of punishing the people who park around the adebabay. And in all selected intersection haven’t proper road marking and signs. The result of this project is important for designing and improving the performance of intersections in the future for the city.