Problem 2: Discussion

What is next to consider in this problem, after looking at more of a system context for the operation of the intersection and the arterial?  Note that we have focused our analysis so far on just the afternoon peak period. It is common in traffic analysis to look at the weekday peak periods to ensure that the traffic system is operating in an acceptable manner during this time. However, it is also important to ask ourselves if there are other time periods that require consideration?

The answer here is yes. This is a university town; and in addition to normal weekday peak periods of travel, there are a number of other traffic patterns that we should consider. The university has a number of special events during the year, each attracting a large number of visitors and attendees at the events. In addition, the vehicle mix in the traffic stream varies during the year, a fact that should also be assessed.

In problem 3, we will consider these travel patterns and determine if they have an effect on our decision to signalize the intersection of U.S. 95/Styner-Lauder Avenue.