Minimizing Traffic Congestion via Effective Transport Sharing Platform

Abstract

The intention of the research is to find out the scale of applicability of carpooling (transport sharing) concept in Sri Lanka as a solution to minimize traffic congestion on main roads during peak hours. Current issues which exist as a result of road traffic were identified and discussed. Existing solutions which have been introduced to solve above issues are explained along with their pros and cons. Furthermore, existing literature related to carpooling concept were thoroughly analyzed and discussed while highlighting its advantages. Already available collaborative platforms in the international arena for carpooling were also analyzed to get ideas related to their practical applicability on the Sri Lankan context. A survey was conducted covering a selected subset of possibly interested parties of carpooling concept. A questionnaire was designed targeting to acquire respondents ideas about the applicability of the carpooling concept and to identify common attributes among interested parties and their preferences. Furthermore, user requirements were also captured via the same questionnaire for a solution which could be implemented to serve as a common platform which would provide all carpooling related services for all interested parties. A prototype was designed to present the proposed solution to the readers, which was designed based on results and requirements captured via surveys. The Client-Server architectural model was used for implementation along with latest and best justified technologies. System UI was designed while paying attention to HCI aspects of web designing, and using latest technologies such as Twitter Bootstrap, HTML5, and CSS3. Development was based on WAMP web development technologies including Apache, MySQL, and PHP. The latest Maps API provided by Google was used to provide directions defining and route optimizing services via the prototype. Prototype testing process was then presented along with results and findings. Afterwards, the solution presented by the prototype was critically evaluated based on findings out of an online questionnaire. Finally, the project success was concluded with identified future enhancements for the proposed solution. Research proved positive that carpooling concept can be successfully implemented in Sri Lanka, and the implementation approach as well was proven to be fairly successful. Findings further elaborated that carpooling will take its time, but will be of great use when in practice.