Modelling and Simulation of Tollbooth Improvement Strategies: Application of VISSIM

Abstract

The Kubease Toll Booth, located on the Accra–Kumasi highway in Ghana, is a vital infrastructure asset that facilitates efficient toll collection and plays a crucial role in traffic management. The toll revenues are used for road maintenance and expansion, supporting the nation's infrastructure resilience and economic development. However, the Kubease Toll Booth faces significant operational challenges, primarily due to heavy traffic congestion during peak hours. The current manual toll collection (MTC) system, with only one booth per direction, creates bottlenecks, leading to long queues and delays. This congestion results in increased fuel consumption, higher emissions, and lost productivity. The study aims to analyze the current traffic conditions at the Kubease toll booth and propose effective strategies to enhance toll operations, reduce congestion, and minimize delays. The objectives include analyzing current traffic metrics, evaluating the impact of the existing MTC system, assessing the benefits of expanding the MTC setup, evaluating the benefits of implementing Electronic Toll Collection (ETC), and comparing the effectiveness of different improvement strategies. The study used a mixed-methods approach, including remote sensing via Google Earth, field observations, and informal interviews with highway commuters. Secondary data from the Ghana Highway Authority provided traffic demand and composition details. Travel time and queue length measurements were recorded to assess the current conditions. The study modeled various improvement strategies. Adding one lane and one MTC booth showed significant improvements in travel times and queue lengths. Further improvements were observed with three MTC booths, but congestion and delays persisted. Introducing an ETC lane alongside two MTC booths reduced delays and improved traffic flow. Converting all three booths to ETC resulted in the most efficient traffic management, with minimal delays and stable queue lengths. The analysis highlights the superiority of ETC systems in reducing congestion, queue lengths, and travel times. The recommended strategy for the Kubease toll booth is to implement an ETC system, converting all three MTC booths to ETC. This approach offers significant benefits in terms of efficiency, reduced delays, and improved overall toll operations, providing a smoother experience for drivers and enhancing the transportation system.