Evaluating the Performance of Traffic Flow in Four Intersections and Two Roundabouts in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur Using Sidra 4.0 Software

Mohamed Irtema, Hamza Imhimmed; Ismail, Amiruddin; Ismael Albrka, Shaban; Ladin, Mohd Azizul; A. M. Yahia, Hussin · 2015 · Crossref

DOI: 10.11113/jt.v72.3906

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study addresses the critical issue of traffic congestion and its associated costs, including driver frustration, time loss, and increased fuel consumption, in urban areas of Malaysia. Motivated by the rapid growth in vehicle ownership and the resulting inefficiencies at signalized intersections, the research aims to evaluate and improve the Level of Service (LOS) at specific traffic nodes. The study focuses on four signalized intersections (two four-leg and two three-leg) and two roundabouts located in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur. The primary objective is to demonstrate the efficacy of using SIDRA 4.0 software to optimize traffic signal timing and geometric configurations to reduce delays and enhance network performance. The methodology involved field data collection over six hours during normal working days, capturing traffic flow volumes, cycle times, phase movements, and queue lengths. Video recordings were used to document vehicle movements during peak hours, specifically the morning and evening periods. This empirical data served as input for the SIDRA 4.0 simulation software, which employs lane-by-lane and vehicle drive-cycle models to estimate capacity and performance statistics. The optimization process involved adjusting cycle times based on traffic volume, introducing slip lines to reduce congestion, and adding new lanes where feasible to increase intersection capacity. The study compared the pre-optimization baseline conditions with the post-optimization results to quantify improvements in delay, queue length, journey time, speed, and fuel consumption. The findings reveal that existing conditions resulted in poor LOS grades ranging from D to F, indicating significant delays and slow speeds. The morning period exhibited better performance than the evening period, attributed to staggered work start times versus simultaneous end-of-day departures. After optimization using SIDRA 4.0, substantial improvements were recorded. The average total delay decreased from 3,489 seconds to 1,571 seconds in the morning (a 45% reduction) and from 5,093 seconds to 1,663 seconds in the evening (a 33% reduction). Consequently, the LOS for most sites improved to grades B or C. Additionally, average travel speeds increased by approximately 56%, and fuel consumption dropped significantly, reducing from 1,039.9 Lit/hr to 453.7 Lit/hr in the morning and from 1,133.9 Lit/hr to 460.8 Lit/hr in the evening, representing reductions of 44% and 41%, respectively. The significance of this research lies in its demonstration that coordinated signal timing and geometric adjustments, facilitated by advanced simulation tools like SIDRA 4.0, can effectively mitigate urban traffic congestion. The study concludes that such optimizations are vital for reducing indirect costs like time loss and direct costs like fuel wastage. It highlights that while adding lanes is an effective strategy for some intersections, alternative routing may be necessary for others where physical expansion is not possible. The results provide evidence-based support for using micro-analytical traffic evaluation tools to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of urban transportation networks.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• intersection design