Base saturation flow rate (BSFR) and its effect on performance of pretimed signalized intersection with non-lane based urban heterogeneous traffic

Signalized intersections that are pretimed are commonly used in rapidly developing cities with diverse traffic patterns, including those found in Indonesia. These intersections are a common source of congestion and delays in road networks, particularly when there is non-lane based (NLB) traffic in urban areas. Accurate estimation of both the base saturation flow rate and capacity is essential for this type of facility, as an error in the prediction of the base saturation flow rate can result in significant bias in capacity evaluation and design at signalized intersections. The estimation of capacity at signalized intersections is critical for ensuring optimal signal timings, minimizing delay, and reducing congestion. Heterogeneous traffic, which refers to the presence of various types of vehicles with distinct static and dynamic characteristics, is a common phenomenon. To address this issue, this paper presents a modeling approach for the SFR that takes into account heterogeneous traffic and NLB movements. Indonesia, being an archipelago with 34 provinces, served as the focus of this study, which specifically concentrated on Banda Aceh, the capital province of Aceh province. Employing primary and observed data collected at a specific, predetermined signalized timing, this study aimed to investigate the impact of intersection geometry and heterogeneous traffic composition on the SFR. By adopting the modeling approach for NLB movements, the study formulated the BSFR model. To estimate the scale parameters of the BSFR, the multiple linear regression approach was utilized. The analysis results reveal that the existing BSFR based on the IHCM formula gives a substantially biased estimation because the PCEs from the Indonesian Highway Capacity Manual (IHCM) are underestimated. This source of error could be partially due to the heterogeneous (varied vehicle composition) traffic flow with NLB movements, unlike that observed under the prevailing conditions of IHCM 1997. The empirical results show that the existing IHCM should be improved to avoid overestimation, particularly for effective approach width (We) greater than 4.5 m. A comparison of the BSFR prediction model between IHCM’s PCEs and new PCEs shows that the BSFR is predicted more accurately in the latter case. This finding demonstrates that the existing IHCM can be adjusted in two ways: adjusting PCEs or calibrating the BSFR formula. The proposed models can also enhance the accuracy of BSFR prediction, leading to better signalized intersection capacity estimation, providing support for designing traffic operation, alleviating traffic congestion, and reducing congestion delay within the city.