TRAFFIC CONGESTION MONITORING IN THE SELECTED TRANSPORT AXIS OF CHITTAGONG CITY

Abstract

Over the last few years, the transportation problem of Chittagong City has visibly been deteriorating gradually. This study is dedicated to analyzing present traffic congestion in the selected major transport axis of Chittagong city. The traffic study has been conducted on the five most important intersections (Tigrepass, Agrabad, Barik Building, Nimtoli, and CEPZ) by taking into consideration their commercial value and the movement of traffics. Observation of operational conditions indicates that the road continuously suffers from unrestrained movements of pedestrians, motorized and non-motorized vehicles. Again, from the estimated Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) data, it is found that the maximum peak period traffic flow is above 4000 PCU/Hour at Agrabad intersection designating overcrowded road. From the journey speed study, it is found that the average travel speed on the selected roadway is about 10 to 15 K.P.H. throughout the day dropping below 10 K.P.H. during the peak hour indicating severest congestion. The traffic capacity study of the existing roadway showed that the traffic capacity of the roadway is less than the present demand at major survey locations and providing a level of service (LOS)-F with existing traffic flow.