Intersection capacity utilization

Article summary

Intersection Capacity Utilization (ICU) method is a tool for measuring a roadway intersection's capacity. It is ideal for transportation planning applications such as roadway design, congestion management programs and traffic impact studies. It is not intended for traffic operations or signal timing design. ICU is also defined as "the sum of the ratios of approach volume divided by approach capacity for each leg of intersection which controls overall traffic signal timing plus an allowance for clearance times." The ICU tells how much reserve capacity is available or how much the intersection is overcapacity. The ICU does not predict delay, but it can be used to predict how often an intersection will experience congestion. The method by which the ICU is used shows what the ICU is about. The ICU uses a grading system to rank the intersection that is being studied. This ranking system is known as the Level of Service (LOS) for the intersection. ICU is timing plan independent, yet has rules to ensure that minimum timing constraints are taken into account. This removes the choice of timing plan from the capacity results. The ICU can also be used on uncontrolled intersections to determine the capacity utilization if the intersection were to be signalized. The ICU is not intended for operations or signal timing design.…

Key claims

No claims recorded.

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
3. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

No sources recorded.