Traffic flow control in developing countries: capacity, operation, methodologies and management

Over the past few decades, there has been a significant overall increase in vehicular traffic volume observed in the city and intercity roadway networks of many developing countries. This is owing to vehicle population growth in developing countries which is very consistent with the population growth and perhaps also compounded by the shift for many from public to private transportation during the COVID -19 pandemic. A continuous increase in the trend is expected in the future as the demand for transport increases with population and economic growth. Traffic congestion is the result of the increased traffic demand which may be assessed by the measures of effectiveness such as delay, queue length, volume-to-capacity ratio, vehicular density or speed. Effective traffic control and operations not only help facilitate the smooth flow of traffic but also increases the safety and efficiency of the roadway traffic system. Extensive and cutting-edge research is required in the area of traffic engineering, design of traffic systems, and operations for setting the best examples to handle traffic chaos.

The goals of this Research Topic are:
1) Determination of roadway capacity under different traffic and roadway conditions by examining various influencing factors such as side friction, roadway geometry, and vehicle composition.
2) Improving the operational service performance of transportation facilities such as uncontrolled and signal control intersections, traffic interchanges, roadway ramps, and weaving sections.
3) Development of methodologies for effective traffic control, operation, and management using innovative ideas and technologies.

Roadway traffic congestion where the demand flow rate is higher than the capacity of the roadway or intersection is a serious problem leading to costly delays and poor level of service which has direct and indirect economic impacts.

Researchers in the area of road transportation are striving to minimize the impact by developing new tools and applications. This platform welcomes new ideas and innovative thoughts on emerging technologies and provides a medium for sharing experiences related to traffic flow control, operation and management. The scope for the present Research Topic includes but is not limited to:

- traffic control
- highway system operations
- unsignalized and signalized intersection
- traffic control devices
- signal operations and control
- warrant analysis