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Mobility Monitoring – Intersections – Overview
OVERVIEW • REGIONAL TRENDS • ROADWAYS • INTERSECTIONS • TRANSIT
BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN • HOV LANES • TRAVEL DEMAND MANAGEMENT • PARK-AND-RIDE
Overview • Interactive Database
Mobility Management System (MMS) staff have monitored the performance of intersections in three ways, depending on their location and on data availability: through detailed intersection evaluation with staff site visits, data collection, and subsequent analysis and assessment; through the gathering of turning movement counts from existing reports; and through arterial roadway monitoring performed via travel time runs. These three types of monitoring are explained in more detail below.
Intersections with Detailed Evaluation
Staff evaluated in detail operations at over 200 intersections on arterial, collector, and local roads, which are not covered by the MMS program for monitoring travel time and speed on major arterial roadways. This intersection database does not necessarily contain the locations with the most traffic or congestion. For these locations in this database, staff conducted a site visit to collect vehicle turning movement counts and pedestrian and bicyclist counts; note signal design and operation; observe traffic flow dynamics and bicyclist and pedestrian behavior; and record physical characteristics of the intersection. Based on the data collected and subsequent analysis, staff developed recommendations for improvements or additional study. Intersection selection was based on various criteria, including Transportation Improvement Program priority, high incidence of pedestrian and bicyclist crashes, and location of key Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus routes. Detailed information for these intersections can be found in the Interactive Database.
Intersections with Information from Existing Reports
There are also intersections in the database for which turning movement count data was gathered from existing reports. Staff did not perform site visits at those intersections, and therefore made no recommendations for improvements. Information for these intersections can be found in the Interactive Database.
Signalized Intersections on the Monitored Arterial Roadway Network
Staff calculates the average delay for the major approaches of intersections within the monitored arterial roadway network from data collected through travel time runs. In the MMS, delay is defined as the time, over three seconds, a vehicle travels below 5 mph on a segment of roadway that approaches a signalized intersection. This delay relates closely to “control delay” at intersections and can be associated with a level of service for that approach. For example, according to widely accepted standards, a level of service E is associated with a control delay of 55 to 80 seconds. MMS staff have estimated delay in this manner for over 1,300 signalized intersections in the region. The estimates can be found in the intersection delay table available at right.