One-Way Traffic Flow Vs Two-Way Traffic Flow: A GIS-Based Time Analysis In Colombo City
| International Journal of Geoinformatics and Geological Science |
| © 2025 by SSRG - IJGGS Journal |
| Volume 12 Issue 3 |
| Year of Publication : 2025 |
| Authors : GRVM Gamage, PGRNI Pussella |
10.14445/23939206/IJGGS-V12I3P103
How to Cite?
GRVM Gamage, PGRNI Pussella, "One-Way Traffic Flow Vs Two-Way Traffic Flow: A GIS-Based Time Analysis In Colombo City," SSRG International Journal of Geoinformatics and Geological Science, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 23-34, 2025. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23939206/IJGGS-V12I3P103
Abstract:
A Considerable amount of time, money, and efforts are spent all over the world to automate daily tasks at home and office in order to save time. Although much progress has been made in this aspect, people almost everywhere waste multiple times the amount. The time saved through automation, as well as the time spent traveling between home and office daily, is due to road traffic. Therefore, the effect of automation on time-saving seems almost useless unless the issue of road traffic is addressed properly. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) has been one of the expensive options for those who are trying to solve this issue. It is the belief of the author of this paper that a developing country like Sri Lanka, however, should look for low-cost solutions, such as one-way traffic flow arrangements. As one-way traffic flow has been “on the table” for a while in solving the road traffic issue, especially in the areas of Colombo and its suburbs, it is worth analyzing the efficiency and effectiveness of the solutions that have already been rolled out in these areas. It is the very objective of this case study. It focuses on evaluating and contrasting the variances of time consumption between one-way and two-way traffic flow arrangements in the heart of Colombo, the executive and judicial capital of Sri Lanka. Conventional maps and GIS were used to extract data for the evaluation. Road maps were generated through digitization of conventional base maps, and road traffic data was extracted using GIS, particularly from the Google Maps Application Programming Interface (API). The evaluation was performed using data from seven different time frames between preselected five locations along the traffic uniflow circle that covers Colombo 3, 4, and 6 along the A2 highway, both under the current one-way traffic flow and the preceding two-way traffic flow. Depending on the time differences in travelling between the preselected locations under different traffic flow arrangements, one-way and two-way, the feasibility of each traffic flow arrangement was ascertained, and recommendations for further improvements to minimize travel time were made. However, it was evident that having a system where the traffic flow can be switched between one-way and two-way, or that can change the number of lanes open to either direction, depending on the time of the day (peak and off-peak), could significantly improve the traffic flow, thus reducing travel time.
Keywords:
One-Way, Two-Way, Traffic, GIS, Network.
References:
[1] Colombo Municipal Council. [Online]. Available: https://www.colombo.mc.gov.lk/
[2] Sayed Ahmed, Romani Farid Ibrahim, and Hesham A. Hefny, “GIS-based Network Analysis for the Roads Network of the Greater Cairo Area,” Proceedings of the International Conference on Applied Research in Computer Science and Engineering, 2017.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[3] Ozgur Başkan, and Cenk Ozan, “Determining Optimum Configuration of One-Way and Two-Way Streets Using Shortest Path Travel Costs Based on Results of Traffic Assignment,” Pamukkale University Journal of Engineering Sciences, vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 1087 1092, 2018.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[4] Frances Bunn et al., “Area-wide Traffic Calming for Preventing Traffic Related Injuries,” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2003.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[5] Amanda K. Emo, Gerald Matthews, and Gregory J. Funke, “The Slow and The Furious: Anger, Stress and Risky Passing in Simulated Traffic Congestion,” Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 1-14, 2016.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[6] ESRI, Important Information about ArcMap. [Online]. Available: https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis desktop/resources
[7] Carmen Gheorghe, “Comparative Analysis of the Performance of One-Way and Two-Way Urban Road Networks,” IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 2017.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[8] DailyNews Archives. [Online]. Available: http://archives.dailynews.lk
[9] Reuters. [Online]. Available: https://www.reuters.com/
[10] I.M.L.N. Jayaweera, K.K.K.R. Perera, and J. Munasinghe, “Centrality Measures to Identify Traffic Congestion on Road Networks: A Case Study of Sri Lanka,” IOSR Journal of Mathematics, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 13–19, 2017.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[11] Hadi Karimi et al., “Reducing Traffic Congestion and Increasing Sustainability in Special Urban Areas Through One-way Traffic Reconfiguration,” Transportation, vol. 49, pp. 37-60, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[12] Karen Lucas, “A New Evolution for Transport-related Social Exclusion Research?,” Journal of Transport Geography, vol. 81, 2019.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[13] Giulio Mattioli, Karen Lucas, and Greg Marsden, “Transport Poverty and Fuel Poverty in the UK: From Analogy to Comparison,” Transport Policy, vol. 59, pp. 93-105, 2017.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[14] Ajay D. Nagne, and Bharti W. Gawali, “Transportation Network Analysis by Using Remote Sensing and GIS a Review,” International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 70-76, 2013.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[15] Umut Oguzoglu, “Covid-19 Lockdowns and Decline in Traffic Related Deaths and Injuries,” IZA Discussion Paper No. 13278, 2020.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[16] World Bank Blogs, Martin Raiser, Sri Lanka’s Crisis Offers and Opportunity to Reset Its Development Model, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/endpovertyinsouthasia/sri-lankas-crisis-offers-opportunity-reset-its-development-model
[17] World Economic Forum. [Online]. Available: https://www.weforum.org/
[18] Manjula Ranagalage et al., “Spatial Changes of Urban Heat Island Formation in the Colombo District, Sri Lanka: Implications for Sustainability Planning,” Sustainability, vol. 10, no. 5, 2018.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[19] Road Development Authority. [Online]. Available: https://rda.gov.lk/index.php?lang=en
[20] I.P. Senanayake, W.D.D.P. Welivitiya, and P.M. Nadeeka, “Urban Green Spaces Analysis for Development Planning in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Utilizing THEOS Satellite Imagery – A Remote Sensing and GIS Approach,” Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 307-314, 2013.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[21] Daniel Shefer, “Congestion, Air Pollution, and Road Fatalities in Urban Areas,” Accident Analysis & Prevention, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 501-509, 1994.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[22] Sanjay Kumar Singh, “Road Traffic Accidents in India: Issues and Challenges,” Transportation Research Procedia, vol. 25, pp. 4708–4719, 2017.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[23] Matthias Sweet, “Does Traffic Congestion Slow the Economy?,” Journal of Planning Literature, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 391-404, 2011.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[24] A.A.T. Thathsarani, and G.H.J. Lanel, “A Model to Reduce Traffic Congestion in Colombo City,” International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, vol. 9, no. 6, 2019.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[25] T. Sivam, “Evaluation of the One-way Traffic System along the Galle Road Corridor,” University of Moratuwa Sri Lanka, 2011.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[26] World Bank Open Data. [Online]. Available: https://data.worldbank.org/
[27] Jun Zhang et al., “Study on the Influence of One-way Street Optimization Design on Traffic Operation System,” Measurement and Control, vol. 53, no. 7-8, pp. 1107-1115, 2020.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]