Hourly traffic flow variation at unsignalized intersection in Najaf city.

The seasonal and daily variance of traffic flows in metropolitan areas can be somewhat understood by estimating the average daily traffic flow based on short-term traffic volume. The understanding of the variations in daily flow patterns between days of the week is, however, limited. The peak flow rate, hourly peak volume, and stability trend of their relationship are evaluated and analyzed in this study to better understand the properties of the hourly peak flow factor (PHF). Little research has focused on the PHF characteristics that are affected by variations in traffic conditions during peak hours, even though the importance of PHF is widely acknowledged in traffic studies and is significantly influenced by capacity and level of service values as well as geometric design effectiveness analysis of highways and intersections. Current research represents a trail on examining hourly traffic flow variance during a normal work day. The selected traffic facility was four-legs unsignalized intersection in Najaf city. Video recording from elevated position, which covering all the intersection approaches continual from 7:00 Am to 10:00 pm depended in discovering the traffic flow variance, peak hour volume, and PHF. Finally, when traffic is tallied during a specific time of the day, discrepancies between daily flow profiles for weekdays should be taken into consideration. This is because the statistical aspects of PHF are examined and its changing patterns are compared during peak times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]