Motor Vehicle Traffic Control System

Computer Science Project Material with Source Code Included

Abstract

This paper described our research experiences of building an intelligent system to monitor and control road traffic in a Nigerian city. A hybrid methodology obtained by the crossing of the Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology SSADM) and the Java based Design Methodology was deployed to develop and implement the system.

Problems were identified with the current traffic control system at the ‘+’ junctions and this necessitated the design and implementation of a new system to solve the problems. The resulting fuzzy logic based system for traffic control was simulated and tested using a popular intersection in a Nigerian city; notorious for severe traffic logjam. The new system eliminated some of the problems identified in the current traffic monitoring and control systems

Chapter One

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

Computerized Traffic Offence System is a powerful web based and database program that records all the traffic offences committed nationwide. The system helps the Federal Road Safety Commission keep adequate records of all traffic offences that has been committed and that will still be committed by road users and also maintain the databases of the commission (FRSC). One of the major problems encountered in large cities is that of traffic congestion. Data from the Chartered Institute of Traffic and Logistic in Nigeria revealed that about 75 per cent mobility needs in the country is accounted for by road mode; and that more than seven million vehicles operate on Nigerian roads on a daily basis [Blementhal, S.C (2009]. This figure was also confirmed by the Federal Road Safety Commission of Nigeria; the institution responsible for maintaining safety on the roads [Brutus, L. (2011)]. The commission further affirmed that the high traffic density was caused by the influx of vehicles as a result of breakdown in other transport sectors and is most prevalent in the ‘+’ road junctions.

Several measures had been deployed to address the problem of road traffic congestion in large cities in Nigeria; namely among these are: the construction of flyovers and bypass roads, creating ring roads, posting of traffic wardens to trouble spots and construction of conventional traffic light based on counters. These measures however, had failed to meet the target of freeing major ‘+’ intersections resulting in loss of human lives and waste of valuable man hour during the working days.

This paper described a solution to road traffic problems in large cities through the design and implementation of an intelligent system; based on php technology to monitor and control traffic light system. The authors will show how the new traffic control system for “+” junction, eliminated the problems observed in the manual and conventional traffic control system through the simulation software developed using Php scripting language. This paper is divided into five sections. The first section provided a brief introduction to traffic management in general and described the situations in urban cities. We reviewed related research experiences and results on road traffic systems in the second section. Particular attention was given to intelligent traffic control systems and several approached were outlined. While section three described the methodologies deployed in the development of the system, section four presented the research results and section five concluded the work

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The present system of traffic control which is the manual system where a traffic warden stands in the middle of the road and controls traffic has a lot of problems which are mentioned below:

1. Time:

Going by the present system of operation, time is consumed in the manual handling of operation involved in road traffic documentation.

2. Cost:

This is the greatest problem of this Federal Road Safety Commission. The commission tends to lose a lot of money running the agency manually.

3. Document Integrity:

This is viewed in the contest of safety, in validity of the records in document files used in report generation. In terms of safety, the nature of the system makes it vulnerable to theft, fire or accidental destruction. This makes the system unsafe as the time needed to replace lost data or files is enormously large.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

This study is designed to help Federal Road Safety Commission to manage traffic congestion in busy cities and also help document all road traffic offences incurred by the road users. This study also tries to give an in-depth look in the easiest and most effective way for the growth and development of the Federal Road Safety Commission of Nigeria, in order to control and render its services to Nigerians and other countries.

1.4 Significance of the Study

With the growth in information technology, the study offers numerous values to the Federal Road Safety Commission and any organization that deals with road management. Traffic congestion is a problem to motorist so automatic direction of traffic will be very useful. Also Huge files kept through the manual method of work allocation of officers. Here information will be stored on the computer with the help of the Computerized Traffic System for easy retrieval.

1.5 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study are as follows:

To provide better services to the public and users making the highway safe for motorists and other road users.
To keep records that are complete, integrated and up to date, also recommending works and devices designed to eliminate or minimize accidents on the highways and advising the Federal and State Government including the Federal Capital Territory Administration and relevant governmental agencies on the localities where such works and devices are required.
To produce a system where information and output report will be produced or made available much faster, more accurately and more detailed to the commission and the public by educating motorist and members of the public on the importance of discipline on the highway.
Maintaining the validity period for drivers’ licenses which shall be three years subject to renewal at the expiration of the validity period as well as designing, registering and producing vehicle plate number.
Conducting researches and also the standardization of highway traffic codes.

1.6 Scope of the Study

This study is strived at finding out how effective the Computerization of Nigerian Road Safety Commission will improve the operation of the commission. However, the research is limited to traffic control section.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

Owing to the scope of this project as mentioned above, this project work is limited to computer literates. It is important to mention that time and cost was a major constraint in the course of fact finding. It is also wise to mention here that some information needed to work with was not collected because of the unwillingness of the agency to reveal such information.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Information:

This is the assembling of data into a meaningful form.

Data:

This is a fore runner of information. It is an unprocessed fact.

Database:

Is a collection of information that is related to a particular subject or purpose.

Internet:

Is a collection of computer networks that operate to common standards and enable the computer and the program they run to communicate directly.

Software:

This is a logically written program that hardware uses to perform its operation.

FRSC:

Federal Road Safety Commission is body responsible for the control of Road users in a country (Nigeria).

Computerization:

Refers to the application of computer in performing operations.

System:

Is the collection of hardware, software, data information procedures and people.

Chapter Five

Summary, Recommendation and Conclusion

5.1 Summary

Computerized Traffic management system is designed to overcome the problems encountered with the existing system (i.e. manual). The new system is designed in such a way that traffic is managed by a traffic light system. The new system also helps the Federal Road Safety Commission to have an organized traffic documentation system to eradicate the use of the manual system.

5.2 Recommendation

The following are the recommendation required in order to effectively use the new design are:

The hardware and software requirement should be as specified.
Staff should have basic knowledge of computer operation, the Federal Government should budget funds for adequate training of all personnels and the staff of Commission should be paid well in order for them to work effectively and yield maximum results.
The Federal Road Safety on their own part should employ well educated graduates with the right discipline and qualifications to occupy right positions to function effectively and improve their efforts to serve the nation and mankind better.

5.3 Suggested Studies

Due to limited resources, funds and time the researcher suggest that, other researchers who wish to embark on the mission of further improvement of the Federal Road Safety Commission, should advocate for the adoption of the project which is the computerization of Traffic Offence Documentation System. Researchers should push for this project to be passed as a bill to the National Assembly and ensure it should be appeared for the welfare of the Nation.

5.4 Conclusion

The Federal Road Safety Commission was established to control the rate of road traffic accidents and control road users. It is a good start towards the eradication of road accidents which has claimed a lot of life, but the system used presently by the FRSC is the manual system which has a lot of limits presently, back in the days when the commission was first established, the manual system was effective. But presently the world has gone global and so should the FRSC. They should embrace and develop the computerized ideal of documenting Traffic Offences to help them function better and achieve the goal for which it was established.

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