Guidelines on Low-Cost Traffic Management Techniques for Urban Areas
1994 Edition

Recommended low-cost devices for urban traffic management include traffic cones, drums with ropes, pedestrian refuge islands, speed breakers, illuminated traffic bollards, and reflective safety devices. Barricades made from materials such as wood, fiberglass, PVC, or mild steel should have red and white diagonal stripes with a minimum width of 20 cm, and be equipped with reflective surfaces and lighting for nighttime visibility. Lighting includes red steady lights at barricade ends and yellow flashing lights with directional arrows along the barricade length, preferably solar-powered to enhance safety while maintaining cost-effectiveness.

Effective segregation involves a combination of structural and regulatory measures. Longitudinal separation includes raised footpaths and protective railings guiding pedestrians towards designated crossings. Lateral segregation employs zebra crossings with central refuge islands of minimum 1.2 m width and 3.6 m length, marked with black and white paint and equipped with illuminated bollards approximately 1.2 m high for night visibility. Total segregation can be achieved by pedestrian-only zones with controlled vehicle access, while spatial segregation involves separate cycle tracks and dedicated bus lanes. Additional measures include continuous double yellow lines for vehicle separation where physical dividers are impractical, landscaping medians to reduce glare, and restrictions on central dividers on bridges unless lane widths permit.

To reduce congestion, demand management focuses on decreasing single-occupancy private vehicle trips through indirect and direct methods. Indirect approaches enhance public transport by making it affordable, reliable, and comfortable, and restrict private vehicle movement via bans in certain zones or times, auto-free areas, special bus lanes, and limited turn allowances. Direct methods incorporate parking restrictions and pricing to discourage unnecessary use, road and bridge tolls to reduce trips, odd-even traffic controls based on license plate numbers, and staggering of office hours to spread traffic loads. These techniques should be implemented in a manner that is flexible, equitable, straightforward, and easily enforceable.

Bus priority lanes are designed with a minimum width of 4 meters for the reserved bus lane and at least two adjacent lanes each 3.5 meters wide. The lanes are marked with continuous white lines, 25 cm wide, and clearly painted bus symbols and directional arrows. Operational times are displayed on the lane and signage along the route. Flashing red lights indicate lane discontinuations, while amber flashers mark entry points. Enforcement requires significant personnel deployment supported by self-enforcing devices like central dividers and channelisers. Bus priority signal systems utilize bus pre-emption technology, allowing buses equipped with transponders to communicate with traffic signals to extend green phases or shorten conflicting movements, and coordinated signals optimized by software to prioritize bus movement and reduce delays.

Parking controls aim to reduce congestion and optimize parking use by implementing off-street paid parking facilities such as lots, multi-level garages, and underground parking, alongside on-street parking meters that regulate duration and discourage prolonged parking. Pricing mechanisms are essential to manage demand effectively and recover infrastructure costs. These controls should be flexible, efficient, selective by location and time, fair, simple to administer, and comprehensible to users. Additionally, tolls on roads and bridges, odd-even vehicle restrictions, and restricted zones complement parking controls to limit unnecessary vehicle trips and promote sustainable transport.