A traffic study now underway at one of Kingston's busiest and most controversial intersections could help determine whether the town ultimately receives a permanent traffic signal, returns to a four-way stop or receives another traffic-control solution. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation has placed traffic-monitoring cameras at the intersection and is conducting what is expected to be a 30-day study of traffic patterns.
The cameras have raised questions among some residents, particularly because Kingston and other Oklahoma communities have increasingly seen the use of Flock cameras for law enforcement. However, the equipment being used for this traffic study is different.
The cameras are being used to collect traffic information, such as the number and movementofvehiclesandthe times traffic passes through the intersection. They are not being installed as Flock law-enforcement cameras designedtoidentifyandtrack individual vehicles.
The study comes after ODOT temporarily changed the intersection from a fourway stop to a configuration in which traffic on one roadway was required to stop while traffic on the other roadway was controlled by a two-way caution signal. The change quickly became a source of concern for motorists who saidthearrangementcreated confusion and potentially dangerous conflicts at the intersection.
Kingston has since returned to a four-way stop while ODOT gathers additional information. The current traffic study is significant because transportation engineers generally do not install or modify traffic signals simply because an intersection is busy.
An engineering study is used to determine whether traffic volumes, delays, crashes, pedestrian activity, roadway conditions and other factors justify a particular traffic-control device. ODOT's own traffic studies have used traffic counts and signal-warrant analysis to determine whether intersections meet established requirements for signalization.
In one ODOT study of US259 in Broken Bow, traffic counts were collected over a nine-hour period and analyzed against traffic-signal warrants. Under traffic-signal engineering standards, several factors can be considered when determining whether a signal is justified.
These include the volume of vehicles traveling through the intersection, the number ofvehiclesenteringfromeach roadway, peak-hour traffic, pedestrian activity, school crossings, crash history, the relationship of the intersection to other signals and the importance of the roadway within the overall transportation network. That means the Kingston cameras are essentially helpingODOTbuild a picture of what actually happens at the intersection throughout the day.
Engineers can use the information to determine how much traffic comes through each approach, when traffic is heaviest and whether one roadway consistently carries substantially more traffic than another. They can also examine traffic patterns during morning and afternoon peaks and compare weekday activity with other periods.
One of the most important measurements is not simply how many vehicles use the intersectionbuthowthosevehicles interact. For example, engineers may be interested in how long vehicles have to wait to enter or cross the major roadway, whether traffic backs up through the intersection, whether vehicles arrive in groups and whether the existing trafficcontrol arrangement creates conflicts between opposing movements.
Crash history is another important consideration. Federal traffic-signal guidance recognizes crash experience as one possible basis for signal consideration, although a certain number and type of crashes, along with other conditions, generally must be present before that particular warrant can be used.
Pedestrian movement can also be important, particularly if pedestrians have difficulty finding safe gaps in traffic to cross the roadway. School-related pedestrian traffic and the location of nearby schools or pedestrian generators can also factor into an engineering study.
For Kingston, the 30-day studycouldbemuchmoreimportant than simply producing a vehicle count. If the data shows that traffic volumes and turning movements justify a traffic signal, ODOT could have an engineering basis for recommending a permanent signal or another signalized configuration.
Ifthenumbersdonotmeet the established signal warrants, however, that does not necessarilymeantheexisting arrangement must remain unchanged. Traffic-signal warrants are used as part of an engineering evaluation; meeting a warrant does not automatically require a signal and failing to meet one does not necessarily mean engineers have no other options.
The overall safety and operation of the intersection mustalsobeconsidered.That distinction could be especially important in Kingston.
Residents have already experienced the difference between a four-way stop and the temporary two-way stop/ two-way caution arrangement. If the traffic data demonstrates that the temporary configuration creates excessive delays, unusual traffic conflicts or other operational problems, those observations can become part of the engineering evaluation.
The study may also allow ODOT to compare the intersection's performance under different traffic-control arrangements rather than relying solely on opinions about which configuration feels safer. A permanent traffic signal, if ultimately recommended, would also require morethansimplyturningthe existing lights back on.
Engineers would have to determine the appropriate signal configuration, timing, lane assignments, pedestrian accommodations, signs, pavement markings and other safety features. ODOT has previously used traffic counts, engineering analysis and traffic-signal warrant studies when evaluating intersections for possible signalization. Its published studies show that traffic data can be combined with computer-based intersection analysis to evaluate how an intersection operates under existing and projected conditions.
For Kingston residents, the most important result of the current study may therefore be the data itself. The cameras are expected to give ODOTamuchclearerpicture of how many vehicles use the intersection, when they arrive, which approaches carry the greatest volume and how traffic behaves throughout the day. That information can then be compared with traffic signal warrants and other safety and operational considerations.
In short, ODOT is not simply asking whether Kingston residents like the four-way stop better than the temporary configuration. The department is gathering measurable evidence that can be used to answer a more technical question: What traffic-control system provides the safest and most efficient operation for the intersection based on the amount and movement of traffic? For Kingston, the answer could ultimately determine whether the community keeps the four-way stop, receives a permanent traffic signal or gets another engineered solution.
Until the 30-day study is completed and the resulting data is analyzed, the final decision remains uncertain. However,thefactthatODOT is collecting detailed traffic information gives Kingston something it has not had during the controversy, a formal set of traffic data that can be used to evaluate the intersection based on actual conditions rather than assumptions.