STUDY ON CRITICAL GAP ESTIMATION OF AN

UNSIGNALISED INTERSECTION; CASE STUDY –

BATAITALA ON RAMP T- INTERSECTION

A Report Submitted for

B. Tech Project Part I (CE 4191)
By
AYAN CHATTERJEE (510419125)
BASUDEB BRAHMA (510419097)

Under the supervision of

Prof. SANDIP CHAKRABORTY

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY, SHIBPUR

DECEMBER 2022
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We hereby convey our sincere respect, thanks and heartily gratitude to our mentor cum advisor Prof.
Sandip Chakraborty for his immense support, monitoring and guidance. The CE 4191, B. Tech Project
Part I would never have been completed without his constant help and encouragement. The blessings,
help and guidance given by him time to time shall carry us a long way in the journey of our life.

Lastly, we thank almighty, our parents and friends for their constant encouragement without which this
project would not be possible.

Dated: ………………..

Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur

Howrah – 711103
West Bengal

________________________ __________________________
Ayan Chatterjee Basudeb Brahma
Enrollment ID – 510419125 Enrollment ID - 510419097
Class Roll No – Bx 77 Class Roll No – Bx 55
 DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, SHIBPUR
HOWRAH – 711103

FORWARD

I hereby forward this thesis entitled “STUDY ON CRITICAL GAP ESTIMATION OF AN

UNSIGNALISED INTERSECTION; CASE STUDY – BATAITALA ON RAMP T
INTERSECTION” done by Ayan Chatterjee (Enrollment 510419125) and Basudeb Brahma
(Enrollment 510419097) under my supervision in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
of Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering under B. Tech Program in the Department of Civil
Engineering, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur.

Dated:

_______________________
(Prof. Sandip Chakraborty)
Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
Counter-signed by

_________________________
(Dr. Ambarish Ghosh)
Professor and Head
Department of Civil Engineering
 DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, SHIBPUR
HOWRAH – 711103

CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL

The report is hereby approved as a creditable study of engineering subject carried out and presented in
a satisfactory manner to warrant its acceptance as a prerequisite for the Degree of Bachelor of
Technology in Civil Engineering under B. Tech Programme in the Department of Civil Engineering,
Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur for which it has been submitted. It is
understood that by this approval the undersigned do not necessarily endorse or approve any statement
made, opinion expressed or conclusion drawn therein but approve the report only for the purpose for
which it is submitted.

Board of Thesis Examiner:

1. ___________________________

2. ___________________________

3. ___________________________

4. ___________________________

5. ___________________________
 INDEX

DESCRIPTION PAGE NO.

INTRODUCTION 1

CLASSIFICATION OF ROAD INTERSECTION 1–8

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY 8

DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA 9 – 10

METHODOLOGY OF CRITICAL GAP ESTIMATION 11 – 13

PROPOSED METHODOLOGY OF DATA COLLECTION 13 – 14

PLAN OF FUTURE WORK 14

REFERENCES 15
INTRODUCTION

The critical gap and capacity of an unsignalized intersection performs an important role in the evaluation
of the safety of the road network. In the case of semi-urban and urban scenario, unsignalized
intersections are the prime areas of traffic accidents, obstruction and clogging. Accounting financial
criteria, it is not practicable to fit the signals at every unsignalized junction to diminish the jam and
accidents. Hence in India, traffic signals are fixed only on main arteries. However, in developed
countries, unsignalized intersections are commonly managed by stop and yield signs, which determine
the preferences for movement in intersections. Practical implementation of these signs have produced
it achievable to pass the intersections with less conflicts. However, in India, the circumstances are
contradictory. Majority of junctions does not have those stop and yield signs. Even though they exist,
drivers do not obey those assigned symbols and enter inside junction’s area even approaching vehicle
is about to clash. As the majority of the movements of these non-standard intersections are not replaced,
it can be named as uncontrolled intersections.

Gap acceptance research is an important study in the estimation of capacity and delay of the specific
moment at uncontrolled intersections. Critical gap is one of the primary attributes connected with this
study. The attribute is stochastically distributed value and it cannot be evaluated directly on the field as
it varies with driver, time, intersections, movements and traffic conditions. There are many studies about
estimating the critical gap but majority of them has been brought out in the developed countries where
traffic condition is uniform, and rules of priorities, as well as lane regulations are duly followed. In
India, majority of drivers ignore these rules, creating a complex traffic movement system. So, very
limited studies have been reported in this case.

The paper presents a study of crossing behavior of the drivers on the uncontrolled on ramp T intersection
located at Bataitala, Howrah.

CLASSIFICATION OF ROAD INTERSECTION

Intersection is an area shared by two or more roads. This area is designated for the vehicles to turn to
different directions to reach their desired destinations. Its main function is to guide vehicles to their
respective directions. Traffic intersections are complex locations on any highway. This is because
vehicles moving in different direction wan to occupy same space at the same time. In addition, the
pedestrians also seek same space for crossing. Drivers have to make split second decision at an
intersection by considering his route, intersection geometry, speed and direction of other vehicles etc.
A small error in judgment can cause severe accidents. It also causes delay and it depends on type,

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geometry, and type of control. Overall traffic flow depends on the performance of the intersections. It
also affects the capacity of the road. Therefore, both from the accident perspective and the capacity
perspective, the study of intersections very important for the traffic engineers especially in the case of
urban scenario.

Conflicts at an Intersection

Conflicts at an intersection are different for different types of intersection. Consider a typical four-
legged intersection as shown in figure. The number of conflicts for competing through movements are
4, while competing right turn and through movements are 8. The conflicts between right turn traffics
are 4, and between left turn and merging traffic is 4. The conflicts created by pedestrians will be 8 taking
into account all the four approaches. Diverging traffic also produces about 4 conflicts. Therefore, a
typical four legged intersection has about 32 different types of conflicts. This is shown in figure:

Figure 1: Conflicts at an Intersection

The essence of the intersection control is to resolve these conflicts at the intersection for the safe and
efficient movement of both vehicular traffic and pedestrians. Two methods of intersection controls are
there: time sharing and space sharing. The type of intersection control that has to be adopted depends
on the traffic volume, road geometry, cost involved, importance of the road etc.

Classification Based on Number of Road Intersecting

3-way Intersection: A three-way intersection is a junction between

three road segments (arms); a T Junction when two arms form one
road, or a Y Junction. The latter is also known as a form if approached
from the stem of Y.

Figure 2: 3-way Intersection

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4-way Intersection: A four-way intersection, or crossroads, usually involves a crossing over two streets
or roads. In areas where there are blocks and in some other cases, the crossing streets or roads are
perpendicular to each other. However, two roads may cross at a different angle. Then it is called Skewed
Intersection. In a few cases, the junction of two road segments may be offset from each when reaching
an intersection, even though both ends may be considered the same street.

Figure 3: Regular and Skewed 4-way Intersection

6-way Intersection: Six-way Intersections usually involve a crossing of

three streets at one junction; for example, a crossing of two perpendicular
streets and a diagonal street is a rather common type of 6-way intersection.

Figure 4: 6-way Intersection

Staggered Intersection: It is a place where several

roads meet a main road at a slight distance apart so
that they do not all come together at the same point.
Staggered Intersection commonly consists of two T
junctions.

Figure 5: Staggered Intersection

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 Classification Based on Traffic Control

Level of Intersection Control

The control of an intersection can be exercised at different levels. They can be either passive control,
semi control, or active control. In passive control, there is no explicit control on the driver. In semi
control, some amount of control on the driver is there from the traffic agency. Active control means the
movement of the traffic is fully controlled by the traffic agency and the drivers cannot simply maneuver
the intersection according to his choice.

 Passive Control – When the volume of traffic is less, no explicit control is required. Here the road
users are required to obey the basic rules of the road. Passive control like traffic signs, road markings
etc. are used to complement the intersection control. Some of the intersection control that is classified
under passive control are as follows:
1. No control if the traffic coming to an intersection is low, then by applying the basic rules of the
road like driver on the left side of the road must yield and that through movements will have
priority than turning movements. The driver is expected to obey these basic rules of the road.
2. Traffic signs: With the help of warning signs, guide signs etc. it is able to provide some level of
control at an intersection. Give way control, two-way stop control, and all-way stop control are
some examples. The GIVE WAY control requires the driver in the minor road to slow down to a
minimum speed and allow the vehicle on the major road to proceed. Two way stop control requires
the vehicle drivers on the minor streets should see that the conflicts are avoided. Finally an all-
way stop control is usually used when it is difficult to differentiate between the major and minor
roads in an intersection. In such a case, STOP sign is placed on all the approaches to the
intersection and the driver on all the approaches are required to stop the vehicle. The vehicle at
the right side will get priority over the left approach. The traffic control at 'at-grade' intersection
may be uncontrolled in cases of low traffic. Here the road users are required to obey the basic
rules of the road. Passive control like traffic signs, road markings etc. are used to complement the
intersection control.

Figure 6: Different types of Traffic Signs

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3. Traffic signs plus marking: In addition to the traffic signs, road markings also complement the
traffic control at intersections. Some of the examples include stop line marking, yield lines, arrow
marking etc.

Figure 7: Road Markings on Intersections

 Semi Control – In semi control or partial control, the drivers are gently guided to avoid conflicts.
Channelization and traffic rotaries are two examples of this.
1. Channelization: The traffic is separated to flow through definite paths by raising a portion of
the road in the middle usually called as islands distinguished by road markings. The conflicts in
traffic movements are reduced to a great extent in such a case. In channelized intersections, as
the name suggests, the traffic is directed to flow through different channels and this physical
separation is made possible with the help of some barriers in the road like traffic islands, road
markings etc.

Figure 8: Channelization of traffic through a 3-legged and 4-legged Intersection

2. Traffic rotaries: It is a form of intersection control in which the traffic is made to flow along
one direction around a traffic island. The essential principle of this control is to convert all the
severe conflicts like through and right turn conflicts into milder conflicts like merging, weaving
and diverging. It is a form of `at-grade' intersection laid out for the movement of traffic such that
no through conflicts are there. Free-left turn is permitted whereas through traffic and right-turn
traffic is forced to move around the central island in a clock-wise direction in an orderly manner.
Merging, weaving and diverging operations reduces the conflicting movements at the rotary.

5
 Figure 9: Traffic Operations in a Rotary
 Active Control – Active control implies that the road user will be forced to follow the path
suggested by the traffic control agencies. He cannot maneuver according to his wish. Traffic
signals and grade separated intersections come under this classification.
1. Traffic signals: Control using traffic signal is based on time sharing approach. At a given
time, with the help of appropriate signals, certain traffic movements are restricted where as
certain other movements are permitted to pass through the intersection. Two or more phases
may be provided depending upon the traffic conditions of the intersection. When the vehicles
traversing the intersection are very large, then the control is done with the help of signals. The
phases provided for the signal may be two or more. If more than two phases are provided, then
it is called multiphase signal. The signals
can operate in several modes. Most
common are fixed time signals and vehicle
actuated signals. In fixed time signals, the
cycle time, phases and interval of each
signal is fixed. Each cycle of the signal will
be exactly like another. But they cannot
cater to the needs of the fluctuating traffic.
Figure 10: Traffic Lights on an Intersection
On the other hand, vehicle actuated signals can respond to dynamic traffic situations. Vehicle
detectors will be placed on the streets approaching the intersection and the detector will sense
the presence of the vehicle and pass the information to a controller. The controller then sets
the cycle time and adjusts the phase lengths according to the prevailing traffic conditions.
2. Grade separated intersections: The intersections are of two types. They are at-grade
intersections and grade-separated intersections. In at-grade intersections, all roadways join or

6
cross at the same vertical level. Grade separated intersections allows the traffic to cross at
different vertical levels. Sometimes the topography itself may be helpful in constructing such
intersections. Otherwise, the initial construction cost required will be very high. Therefore,
they are usually constructed on high speed facilities like expressways, freeways etc. This type
of intersection increases the road capacity because vehicles can flow with high speed and
accident potential is also reduced due to vertical separation of traffic.
Grade-separated intersections are provided to separate the traffic in the vertical grade. But the
traffic need not be those pertaining to road only. When a railway line crosses a road, then also
grade separators are used. Different types of grade-separators are flyovers and interchange.
Flyovers itself are subdivided into overpass and underpass. When two roads cross at a point,
if the road having major traffic is elevated to a higher grade for further movement of traffic,
then such structures are called overpass. Otherwise, if the major road is depressed to a lower
level to cross another by means of an under bridge or tunnel, it is called under-pass.
Interchange is a system where traffic between two or more roadways flows at different levels
in the grade separated junctions. Common types of interchange include trumpet interchange,
diamond interchange, and cloverleaf interchange.
 Trumpet interchange: Trumpet interchange is a popular form of three leg interchange.
If one of the legs of the interchange meets a highway at some angle but does not cross it,
then the interchange is called trumpet interchange. A typical layout of trumpet
interchange is shown in figure.

Figure 11: Trumpet Interchange

 Diamond interchange: Diamond interchange is a popular form of four-leg interchange

found in the urban locations where major and minor roads crosses. The important feature
of this interchange is that it can be designed even if the major road is relatively narrow.
A typical layout of diamond interchange is shown in figure.

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 Figure 12: Diamond Interchange

 Clover leaf interchange: It is also a four leg interchange and is used when two highways
of high volume and speed intersect each other with considerable turning movements. The
main advantage of cloverleaf intersection is that it provides complete separation of traffic.
In addition, high speed at intersections can be achieved. However, the disadvantage is
that large area of land is required. Therefore, cloverleaf interchanges are provided mainly
in rural areas. A typical layout of this type of interchange is shown in figure.

Figure 13: Cloverleaf Interchange

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The objective of the study is to estimate the critical gap of the uncontrolled unsignalized on ramp T
intersection of Bataitala, by which capacity of individual movements can be determined. By comparing
the calculated capacity with the current capacity, safety of the traffic on that intersection can be
determined.

8
DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA

The intersection is located on the Bataitala Flyover, near Shalimar Station exactly at 22.56 N and 88.31
E. The major arm extends from Vidyasagar Setu, Mandirtala Bus stop, towards Andul Road and the
minor arm goes downwards toward Shalimar station with a steep downward ramp. There are three speed
breakers near the end of the ramp. The major arm also has a low downward gradient towards Andul
road. Large number of trees surrounds the intersection reducing the short sight distance for the drivers.

The morning and evening time is the most critical time for the intersection as major rush in traffic can
be seen as majority of the passengers are office goers and students. So, number of vehicles and vehicle
load increase drastically.

Figure 14: Location of Site in Map (via Google Earth)

As, Shalimar station is just near this bridge, the pedestrian crossing over the railway remains block most
of the time, so cars go over the flyover. IIEST college students and train boarders always use this
intersection as it saves time.

9
 Figure 15: Plan of site (via Google Earth)
As shown in the figure below, the intersection consists 3 crossing conflict points, 3 Diverging
conflict points and 3 Merging conflict points.

Crossing Conflicts
Diverging Conflicts
Merging Conflicts

Figure 15: Conflict Points of Intersection

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METHODOLOGY OF CRITICAL GAP ESTIMATION

It is difficult to measure critical gap directly. Usually it can be estimated by accepted gaps and rejected
gaps. As mentioned before, there are many calculation methods for critical gap, such as regression
method, maximum likelihood method, Siegloch’s method, Ashworth’s method, Raff’s method,
Harder’s method, Hewitt’s method, Logit procedure and Probit procedure. Raff’s Method and
Ashworth’s Method are listed as follows:

Raff’s Method
The critical lag L is the size lag which has the property that the number of accepted lags shorter than L is
the same as the number of rejected lags longer than (Raff and Hart). A similar definition was proposed
by Drew but for gaps rather than lags. So critical gap can be derived from the cross point between the
number of curves of accepted gaps and rejected gaps.

Raff’s method can be expressed as:

1 − 𝐹 (𝑡) = 𝐹 (𝑡)
Where,
t is headway of major stream;
𝐹 (𝑡) is cumulative probability of accepted gap;
𝐹 (𝑡) is cumulative probability of rejected gap.

Raff’s method is also called threshold method. The flow rate of major road has a prominent influence
on critical gap value. The method is used widely in many countries owing to its simplicity and
practicality.

Ashworth’s Method
Based on the assumption that the headway of major stream follows negative exponential distribution
and critical gap and the accepted gap follow normal distribution, Ashworth gave the calculation formula
of critical gap as follows:

𝑡̅ = 𝑡̅ − 𝑞𝜎

Where,
𝑡̅ is average critical gap (s),
q is flow rate of major stream (veh/s),
𝑡̅ is average accepted gap (s), and
𝜎 is variance of accepted gaps (s2).

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Similarly, Miller gave the calculation equation-based on the hypothesis that critical gap
followed 𝛾 distribution. Consider

𝑡̅ = 𝑡̅ − 𝑉 𝜎

𝑡̅
𝜎 = 𝜎 ∗
𝑡̅

Where 𝜎 is variance of critical gap (s2).

The computer iteration can be applied to calculate critical gap using. We calculated critical gap by the
use of:
𝑡̅ = 𝑡̅ − 𝑞𝜎

Most Likelihood Method

Miller and Pretty (1968) utilized the maximum likelihood estimation procedure for the calculation of
critical gap. Troutbeck (1992) presented this method in a detailed manner as explained below. This
microscopic model assumes the log-normal distribution of accepted and maximum rejected gaps. In this
method, only the accepted gap and the maximum rejected gap of each vehicle are considered pairwise.
For one individual U-turning vehicle, one accepted gap (ai) and one corresponding the maximum
rejected gap (ri) are considered. This method assumes that the U-turning drivers are consistent drivers.
It means that each driver will reject every gap smaller than the critical gap and will accept the first gap
larger than the critical gap. Under this assumption, the distribution of the critical gaps lies between
distributions of highest rejected and accepted gaps. The parameters of the distribution function of the
critical gaps (the mean and variance) are obtained by maximizing the likelihood function. The likelihood
function is defined as the probability that the critical gap distribution lies between the observed
distributions of the highest rejected and the accepted gaps. Summing over all drivers, the likelihood of
a sample of n drivers having accepted and maximum rejected gaps (ai, ri) is:

[𝐹(𝑎 ) − 𝐹(𝑟 )]

Where,
ai = the logarithm of the gap accepted by the ith driver,
ri = the logarithm of the maximum gap rejected by the ith driver,
ri = 0, if no gap was rejected,
f() and F() are the probability density function and cumulative distribution function for the
normal distribution, respectively.

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The logarithm, L, of this likelihood is:

𝐿= ln[ 𝐹(𝑎 ) − 𝐹(𝑟 )]

The maximum likelihood estimators, μ and σ2, are solutions when the partial derivative of the following
two equations is equal to zero:

𝛿𝐿
=0
𝛿𝜇
𝛿𝐿
=0
𝛿𝜎

The above two equations have been simplified as follows:

[𝑓(𝑟 ) − 𝑓(𝑎 )]
=0
[𝐹(𝑎 ) − 𝐹(𝑟 )]

(𝑟 − 𝜇)𝑓(𝑟 ) − (𝑎 − 𝜇)𝑓(𝑎 )
=0
[𝐹(𝑎 ) − 𝐹(𝑟 )]

By iterating the Equations with numerical methods, the value of t c is determined using the Equation:

.
𝑡 =𝑒

The variance in critical gap can be calculated as follows:

𝑠 = 𝑡 (𝑒 − 1)

PROPOSED METHODOLOGY OF DATA COLLECTION

Types of Data

 Geometric Data: Number of lanes, average width of lane in major and minor arm, height of flyover
intersection from ground surface, gradient of ramp, length of ramp, position of speed breakers,
width of pedestrian footpath.
 Traffic Data:
a) Gap means the time and space that a subject vehicle needs to merge adequately safely between
two vehicles.

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 b) Gap acceptance is the process by which a minor stream vehicle accepts an available gap to
maneuver. It is the minimum gap required to finish lane changing safely.
c) Gap rejection is the process by which a minor stream vehicle rejects an available gap to
maneuver.
d) Critical Gap is the minimum major-stream headway during which a minor-street vehicle can
make a maneuver.
e) Capacity is the maximum hurly rate at which persons or vehicles can reasonably be expected
to traverse a point or uniform section of a lane or a roadway during a given time period under
prevailing roadway, traffic and control conditions.

Data Collection Technique

Video recording technique is proposed for data collection. Video filming will be done from a vantage
point where all three legs of the intersection can be covered up to the merge. Data will be collected
during the start of the next semester, likely January end at morning peak time (0900 - 1100 hrs) on
typical weekdays. The data of gap acceptance and rejection will be extracted from the video recordings.

The vehicles will be divided into four categories, car, motorized two-wheeler, three-wheeler and heavy
vehicle and gap acceptance and rejection will be extracted vehicle category wise for two lower priority
movements, left turn from Major Street and right turn for Minor Street.

PLAN OF FUTURE WORK

On the next semester, remaining work for the project will done. The steps to be taken are as follows:

1. Gathering data about the road intersection like width of major and minor arm, gradient of ramp,
position of pedestrian crossing.
2. Recording data about traffic patterns like type of vehicle, number of vehicles, Gap acceptance
and rejections.
3. Projecting data in a table format and estimating critical gap with proposed methodology.
4. Determining safety of the road intersection from the result found.

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REFERENCES

 Ashalatha, R. et al. (2005) “Critical Gap at Uncontrolled Intersection using Maximum

Likelihood Technique.” Indian Highways, vol. 33, 67 – 74
 Ashalatha, R., and Chandra, S. (2011) “Critical Gap through Clearing Behavior of Drivers at
Unsignalized Intersections” KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 15, 1427 – 1434
 Ashworth, R., and Green, H. (1966) “Gap Acceptance at an Uncontrolled Intersection.” Traffic
Engineering Control 7, 676 - 678
 Ashworth, R. (1968). “A Note on the Selection of Gap Acceptance Criteria for Traffic
Simulation Studies.” Transportation Research, vol. 2, 171 – 175
 Ashworth, R. (1970). “The Analysis and Interpretation of Gap Acceptance Data.”
Transportation Science, vol. 4, 270 – 280
 Chakroborty, P., and Das, A. (2011). “Principles of Transportation Engineering.” PHI Learning
Private Limited, New Delhi, 113 – 120
 Dey, P. et al. (2017) “Estimation of Critical Gap of U-turns at Uncontrolled Median Openings.”
Transportation Letters
 Guo, R et al. (2014). “Estimation of Critical Gap Based on Raff’s Definition.” Computational
Intelligence and Neuroscience Volume 2014
 Maurya, A. et al. (2016) “Estimation of Critical Gap for Through Movement at Four Leg
Uncontrolled Intersection” Transportation Research Procedia, vol. 17, 203 - 212
 Miller, A. (1972) “Nine Estimators of Gap Acceptance Parameters” Traffic Flow and
Transportation, Newell, G. F. (ed), American Elsevier Publication Co. Inc., 215 - 235
 Miller, A. (1974). Ä Note on the Analysis of Gap Acceptance in Traffic.” Journal of the Royal
Statistical Society, vol. 23, 66 – 73
 Raff, M., and Hart, J. (1950) “A Volume Warrant for Urban Stop Signs.” Eno Foundation for
Highway Traffic Control, Saugatuck, Conn, USA
 Troutbeck, R. (1992) “Estimating the Critical Acceptance Gap from Traffic Movements.”
Physical Infrastructure Centre, Queensland University of Technology

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