Feasibility Study of an Alternative for Right Turn Movement at Angadippuram City Area

Abstract

Traffic congestion has become a critical issue in many developing towns, and Angadippuram is of no exception. The growing number of vehicles, mixed traffic conditions, and limited road space have led to significant delays, especially at intersections where right-turn movements frequently disrupt the flow of through traffic. Conventional signalized intersections, though widely used, are often inefficient under these conditions due to multiple signal phases, long waiting times, and safety conflicts between turning and through movements. As a result, there is a pressing need to explore alternative intersection designs that can enhance operational efficiency while maintaining safety and minimizing costs. Increasing urbanization and growth in vehicular traffic have resulted in severe congestion and delay issues, particularly at intersections where right-turn movements create significant traffic conflicts. This study focuses on conducting a feasibility analysis for developing an alternative design for right-turn movement at the Angadippuram city area, which currently experiences high traffic delays and operational inefficiencies Initially geometrical survey was conducted to obtain measurements of the existing road layout and intersection geometry. such as road width, lane configuration, turning radius dimensions of the right-turn section. With this data a base map of the study area was created. which served as a reference for analysing the existing conditions and developing suitable design alternatives for the right-turn movement. Additionally, data were collected using the floating car method and camera recordings. The floating car method was employed to measure travel time, speed, and delay characteristics of vehicles during different time periods, providing realistic insights into prevailing traffic conditions. Camera recordings were used to capture vehicle counts, turning movements, and lane utilization patterns. The collected data were analysed to determine the peak hour flow and average delay. Based on these results, various alternative design options for right-turn movement were proposed, such as channelization, and geometric redesign.

Introduction

This text describes a traffic engineering study focused on improving intersection performance in the Angadippuram city area along the Perinthalmanna–Angadippuram corridor.

At its core, the study highlights that urban intersections in this region suffer from severe congestion due to rapid traffic growth combined with limited road capacity. The problem is worsened by heterogeneous traffic (two-wheelers, cars, buses, trucks sharing the same space), weak lane discipline, pedestrian activity, roadside parking, bus stops, and commercial encroachments. In such conditions, right-turn movements become a major bottleneck because vehicles wait within through lanes, reducing effective capacity, increasing delays, and raising safety risks.

The corridor itself is an important regional link connecting nearby towns, carrying both local and intercity traffic. Field observations show narrow carriageways, missing turning bays, and frequent roadside friction, all of which contribute to unstable traffic flow and queue formation at junctions.

The study specifically focuses on right-turn management as the main operational issue. It proposes restricting direct right turns at busy junctions and instead routing them through designated U-turn locations as a potentially low-cost, practical alternative. Supporting measures like channelization, signage, parking control, and pedestrian management are also considered.

The research aims to:

• analyze existing traffic and geometric conditions,
• quantify delays caused by right-turn movements,
• identify design and operational deficiencies,
• evaluate U-turn-based alternatives, and
• suggest feasible improvements suited to constrained urban conditions.

The methodology includes field reconnaissance, geometric surveys, classified traffic volume counts (using video recordings), and probe vehicle travel time studies. These are used to understand congestion patterns and measure delay across different time periods.

The literature review supports the approach by noting that in heterogeneous traffic environments, turning movements significantly reduce intersection capacity, and that alternative designs such as median U-turn (MUT) and restricted crossing U-turn (RCUT) systems can reduce conflicts and improve flow where widening is not feasible.

Conclusion

The field-based assessment indicates that congestion in the Angadippuram city area is strongly linked to constrained roadway geometry, significant roadside friction, and disruptive right-turn maneuvers at critical junction locations. The geometric survey found limited effective carriageway widths and inadequate turning/storage space, which increases the probability that right-turning vehicles will block the through stream. The traffic surveys and operational observations showed recurrent queue formation and travel time variability during peak periods, with right-turn waiting, bus stop activity, pedestrian crossings, and roadside parking acting as recurring delay sources. Based on the feasibility assessment, restricting direct right turns at the most critical junction approach(es) and accommodating the movement through designated U-turn facilities is a practical operational alternative under right-of-way constraints. The expected benefits include improved continuity of through flow, reduced junction blockage, and reduced severity of conflicts at the main intersection, provided that the treatment is supported by channelization, clear signs/markings, and management of roadside friction.

References

[1] Indian Roads Congress. IRC:86-2018 Geometric Design Standards for Urban Roads and Streets. [2] Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Median U-Turn Intersection: Informational Guide (FHWA-SA-14-069). [3] Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Safety Evaluation of Signalized Restricted Crossing U-Turn Intersections (FHWA-HRT-17-082). [4] NPTEL / IIT Bombay Transportation Systems Engineering notes. Measurement along a Length of Road: Travel Time and Delay Studies.

Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Ganga ., Anagha , Muhammad Nihal , Vishnu . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.