A Correlation Analysis of the Effects of Roadside Activities on the Traffic Flow Characteristics: A Case Study in Nekemte City

Abstract

The effectiveness of the road does not only depend on the roadway condition. Roadside activities rolling along and/or on the arterial road: roadside vendor, on-road parking vehicle, cart, and non-motorized vehicle, dumping of construction materials, and pedestrians related to major problems incurred by the motorists in Nekemte city. The existing roadside activities considerably influenced the drivers’ conditions that lead them to irritate, disturb, worry, and even enforced changing the route. Hence, this study focused on the correlation analysis of the effect of roadside activities on traffic flow characteristics. In this research data collection methods: field observation, interviews, questioners, and literature reviews used to get relevant information about the problem and effects of roadside activities in Nekemte city as per their significance. The correlation analysis studied considering traffic flow characteristics as a dependent variable and roadside activities as the independent variable. Speed data with the number of roadside activities’ stakeholders recorded at different times in the specified place locally called Board. Examination of the effect of selective roadside activities on traffic flow characteristics, using regression analysis, showed that existing roadside activities adversely influence traffic flow characteristics by reducing the speed. The analysis of this study demonstrates the speed reduction was 83.6%, 81.3%, 55.2%, and 62.9% correlated with the existing pedestrians, roadside vendors, parking vehicles, and carts along and/or on the road. On the other hand, the developed model indicated the speed on the arterial road with roadside activities such as pedestrian, roadside vendor, parked vehicle, and carts will predict as V = 34.6 - 0.273P - 0.326RV - 0.5C - 0.099PV. Generally, the negative coefficient with the model confirms the activities running along and/or on travel way obstruct traffic flow characteristics and the motorists' condition. Finally, major roadside activities that obstructing the driver's condition and traffic flow characteristics need attention and further studies to quantify the effects, validate the equation, and lower the adverse impact of the activities