A Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram for Spatial Analysis of Traffic Flow: A Case Study of Nyeri Town, Kenya

Lekariap Edwin Mararo; Abiero Gariy; Mwatelah Josphat

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13

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A Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram for Spatial Analysis of Traffic Flow: A Case Study of Nyeri Town, Kenya

Lekariap Edwin Mararo, Abiero Gariy, Mwatelah Josphat

Published in American Journal of Civil Engineering (Volume 3, Issue 5)

Received: 1 September 2015 Accepted: 21 September 2015 Published: 22 October 2015

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Abstract

Traffic flow analysis is an essential component of a town’s traffic and transport systems since these flows could, and often do lead to the occurrence of congestion on our roads.Traffic congestion is a growing problem in Nyeri, Kenya, resulting from rapidly increasing population and the crowding of motorized traffic onto a limited street network. This research performed spatial analysis of traffic flows on some road links in Nyeri town. On those selected road links it also established fundamental traffic flow models and derived the flow characteristics associated with traffic operations in Nyeri town, determined the characteristics of a Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram (MFD) for Nyeri town and assessed to determine whether it is a property of the network infrastructure and control or of the travel demand. In this research, MetroCount Vehicle Classifier was used to collect traffic intensity and velocity data at different locations of the network over certain durations and at the same period between January 2015 and February 2015. The analysis of the data was performed by the MetroCount Traffic Executive MCReport. The MFD resulting from the study served as a road network performance indicator, which tells the performance levels of the town in general, in terms of traffic flow. The research was used to determine the capacity of the road network and the level of congestion in different links thereby determining the adequacy of the network. The speeds in Nyeri town are moderate, however, low and high speeds occur occasionally and the volumes of traffic in Nyeri town are not high hence congestions are rarely experienced. The results of this research study are anticipated to better traffic management, and also improve mobility and accessibility in Nyeri town.

Published in	American Journal of Civil Engineering (Volume 3, Issue 5)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13
Page(s)	150-156
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2015. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Microscopic Fundamental Diagram, Network Infrastructure, Nyeri Town, Spatial Analysis, Traffic Flow

References

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[11]	L. Muñoz,” Macroscopic modeling and identification of freeway traffic flow,” PhD Thesis, University Of California, 2004.
[12]	V. Dixit, and E. Radwan,”Strategies to improve dissipation into destination network using macroscopic network flow models." Manuscript prepared for Symposium on the Fundamental Diagram: 75 years (“Green shields 75” Symposium),” 2007.
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[19]	N. Geroliminis, and C. Daganzo,”Existence of urban - scale macroscopic fundamental diagrams: Some experimental findings,” Transportation Research Part B42, issue 9, (2008). pp 759 - 770.

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APA Style

Lekariap Edwin Mararo, Abiero Gariy, Mwatelah Josphat. (2015). A Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram for Spatial Analysis of Traffic Flow: A Case Study of Nyeri Town, Kenya. American Journal of Civil Engineering, 3(5), 150-156. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13

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ACS Style

Lekariap Edwin Mararo; Abiero Gariy; Mwatelah Josphat. A Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram for Spatial Analysis of Traffic Flow: A Case Study of Nyeri Town, Kenya. Am. J. Civ. Eng. 2015, 3(5), 150-156. doi: 10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13

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AMA Style

Lekariap Edwin Mararo, Abiero Gariy, Mwatelah Josphat. A Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram for Spatial Analysis of Traffic Flow: A Case Study of Nyeri Town, Kenya. Am J Civ Eng. 2015;3(5):150-156. doi: 10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13,
  author = {Lekariap Edwin Mararo and Abiero Gariy and Mwatelah Josphat},
  title = {A Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram for Spatial Analysis of Traffic Flow: A Case Study of Nyeri Town, Kenya},
  journal = {American Journal of Civil Engineering},
  volume = {3},
  number = {5},
  pages = {150-156},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajce.20150305.13},
  abstract = {Traffic flow analysis is an essential component of a town’s traffic and transport systems since these flows could, and often do lead to the occurrence of congestion on our roads.Traffic congestion is a growing problem in Nyeri, Kenya, resulting from rapidly increasing population and the crowding of motorized traffic onto a limited street network. This research performed spatial analysis of traffic flows on some road links in Nyeri town. On those selected road links it also established fundamental traffic flow models and derived the flow characteristics associated with traffic operations in Nyeri town, determined the characteristics of a Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram (MFD) for Nyeri town and assessed to determine whether it is a property of the network infrastructure and control or of the travel demand. In this research, MetroCount Vehicle Classifier was used to collect traffic intensity and velocity data at different locations of the network over certain durations and at the same period between January 2015 and February 2015. The analysis of the data was performed by the MetroCount Traffic Executive MCReport. The MFD resulting from the study served as a road network performance indicator, which tells the performance levels of the town in general, in terms of traffic flow. The research was used to determine the capacity of the road network and the level of congestion in different links thereby determining the adequacy of the network. The speeds in Nyeri town are moderate, however, low and high speeds occur occasionally and the volumes of traffic in Nyeri town are not high hence congestions are rarely experienced. The results of this research study are anticipated to better traffic management, and also improve mobility and accessibility in Nyeri town.},
 year = {2015}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram for Spatial Analysis of Traffic Flow: A Case Study of Nyeri Town, Kenya
AU  - Lekariap Edwin Mararo
AU  - Abiero Gariy
AU  - Mwatelah Josphat
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DO  - 10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13
T2  - American Journal of Civil Engineering
JF  - American Journal of Civil Engineering
JO  - American Journal of Civil Engineering
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EP  - 156
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8737
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13
AB  - Traffic flow analysis is an essential component of a town’s traffic and transport systems since these flows could, and often do lead to the occurrence of congestion on our roads.Traffic congestion is a growing problem in Nyeri, Kenya, resulting from rapidly increasing population and the crowding of motorized traffic onto a limited street network. This research performed spatial analysis of traffic flows on some road links in Nyeri town. On those selected road links it also established fundamental traffic flow models and derived the flow characteristics associated with traffic operations in Nyeri town, determined the characteristics of a Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram (MFD) for Nyeri town and assessed to determine whether it is a property of the network infrastructure and control or of the travel demand. In this research, MetroCount Vehicle Classifier was used to collect traffic intensity and velocity data at different locations of the network over certain durations and at the same period between January 2015 and February 2015. The analysis of the data was performed by the MetroCount Traffic Executive MCReport. The MFD resulting from the study served as a road network performance indicator, which tells the performance levels of the town in general, in terms of traffic flow. The research was used to determine the capacity of the road network and the level of congestion in different links thereby determining the adequacy of the network. The speeds in Nyeri town are moderate, however, low and high speeds occur occasionally and the volumes of traffic in Nyeri town are not high hence congestions are rarely experienced. The results of this research study are anticipated to better traffic management, and also improve mobility and accessibility in Nyeri town.
VL  - 3
IS  - 5
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Author Information

Lekariap Edwin Mararo

Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya
Abiero Gariy

Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya
Mwatelah Josphat

Department of Geomatic Engineering and Geospatial Information Systems, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya

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APA Style

Lekariap Edwin Mararo, Abiero Gariy, Mwatelah Josphat. (2015). A Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram for Spatial Analysis of Traffic Flow: A Case Study of Nyeri Town, Kenya. American Journal of Civil Engineering, 3(5), 150-156. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13

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ACS Style

Lekariap Edwin Mararo; Abiero Gariy; Mwatelah Josphat. A Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram for Spatial Analysis of Traffic Flow: A Case Study of Nyeri Town, Kenya. Am. J. Civ. Eng. 2015, 3(5), 150-156. doi: 10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13

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AMA Style

Lekariap Edwin Mararo, Abiero Gariy, Mwatelah Josphat. A Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram for Spatial Analysis of Traffic Flow: A Case Study of Nyeri Town, Kenya. Am J Civ Eng. 2015;3(5):150-156. doi: 10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13,
  author = {Lekariap Edwin Mararo and Abiero Gariy and Mwatelah Josphat},
  title = {A Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram for Spatial Analysis of Traffic Flow: A Case Study of Nyeri Town, Kenya},
  journal = {American Journal of Civil Engineering},
  volume = {3},
  number = {5},
  pages = {150-156},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajce.20150305.13},
  abstract = {Traffic flow analysis is an essential component of a town’s traffic and transport systems since these flows could, and often do lead to the occurrence of congestion on our roads.Traffic congestion is a growing problem in Nyeri, Kenya, resulting from rapidly increasing population and the crowding of motorized traffic onto a limited street network. This research performed spatial analysis of traffic flows on some road links in Nyeri town. On those selected road links it also established fundamental traffic flow models and derived the flow characteristics associated with traffic operations in Nyeri town, determined the characteristics of a Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram (MFD) for Nyeri town and assessed to determine whether it is a property of the network infrastructure and control or of the travel demand. In this research, MetroCount Vehicle Classifier was used to collect traffic intensity and velocity data at different locations of the network over certain durations and at the same period between January 2015 and February 2015. The analysis of the data was performed by the MetroCount Traffic Executive MCReport. The MFD resulting from the study served as a road network performance indicator, which tells the performance levels of the town in general, in terms of traffic flow. The research was used to determine the capacity of the road network and the level of congestion in different links thereby determining the adequacy of the network. The speeds in Nyeri town are moderate, however, low and high speeds occur occasionally and the volumes of traffic in Nyeri town are not high hence congestions are rarely experienced. The results of this research study are anticipated to better traffic management, and also improve mobility and accessibility in Nyeri town.},
 year = {2015}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram for Spatial Analysis of Traffic Flow: A Case Study of Nyeri Town, Kenya
AU  - Lekariap Edwin Mararo
AU  - Abiero Gariy
AU  - Mwatelah Josphat
Y1  - 2015/10/22
PY  - 2015
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13
T2  - American Journal of Civil Engineering
JF  - American Journal of Civil Engineering
JO  - American Journal of Civil Engineering
SP  - 150
EP  - 156
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8737
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20150305.13
AB  - Traffic flow analysis is an essential component of a town’s traffic and transport systems since these flows could, and often do lead to the occurrence of congestion on our roads.Traffic congestion is a growing problem in Nyeri, Kenya, resulting from rapidly increasing population and the crowding of motorized traffic onto a limited street network. This research performed spatial analysis of traffic flows on some road links in Nyeri town. On those selected road links it also established fundamental traffic flow models and derived the flow characteristics associated with traffic operations in Nyeri town, determined the characteristics of a Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram (MFD) for Nyeri town and assessed to determine whether it is a property of the network infrastructure and control or of the travel demand. In this research, MetroCount Vehicle Classifier was used to collect traffic intensity and velocity data at different locations of the network over certain durations and at the same period between January 2015 and February 2015. The analysis of the data was performed by the MetroCount Traffic Executive MCReport. The MFD resulting from the study served as a road network performance indicator, which tells the performance levels of the town in general, in terms of traffic flow. The research was used to determine the capacity of the road network and the level of congestion in different links thereby determining the adequacy of the network. The speeds in Nyeri town are moderate, however, low and high speeds occur occasionally and the volumes of traffic in Nyeri town are not high hence congestions are rarely experienced. The results of this research study are anticipated to better traffic management, and also improve mobility and accessibility in Nyeri town.
VL  - 3
IS  - 5
ER  -

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