https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/3855 2026-04-08T11:12:57Z 2026-04-08T11:12:57Z Kalahe, KPHS Sirisoma, RMNT Jayasekara, SM Jayasinghe, BS Fernando, MSA Ranasinghe, KGDS Arachchige, DS Wijewardane, REA Kaluarachchi, RKDG Randika, TGI Senevirathne, SMSHB https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/1793 2023-04-26T11:25:43Z 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z

Improvements in pedestrian facilities at Maharagama to mitigate the traffic congestion Kalahe, KPHS; Sirisoma, RMNT; Jayasekara, SM; Jayasinghe, BS; Fernando, MSA; Ranasinghe, KGDS; Arachchige, DS; Wijewardane, REA; Kaluarachchi, RKDG; Randika, TGI; Senevirathne, SMSHB Traffic congestion at the busy intersections during peak hours is very high and the wastage of time, fuel and other resources of road users is a critical issue. This congestion cost in Sri Lanka is estimated around Rs. 12 billion per annum. High Level Road (A04) which is a main corridor out of the seven major transport corridors, pass through Maharagama junction. Due to infringement and inadequacy of pedestrian walkways and facilities, encroaching of pedestrians into the carriageway disturbing vehicle movement is a main reason for the traffic congestion. Therefore, a number of road traffic accidents occur daily. This paper illustrates the overall study carried out to determine a solution for safe movement of pedestrians in Maharagama city. The study was started by identifying the problem and continued with data collection conducting a vehicle count survey and a pedestrian survey. As the most feasible solution for the congestion, a pedestrian overpass was selected and justified using a decision matrix. The network and the stations for overpass system were decided considering the commercial centres, public related service centres and locations where high pedestrian movement is present. As the secondary data, 1: 10,000 digital data obtained from Survey Department including the land use in the area were considered. In designing the structure, the ultimate loading conditions, deflection, vibrational effects, materials needed for construction, aesthetic appearance and power needed for the system were considered. Width of the overpass was decided by considering the Level of Service (LOS) for the pedestrians. Expected outcomes of the project are: improvement of vehicle flow, reduction of delay, reduction of road accidents and improvement of pedestrian safety at Maharagama. Article Full Text

2017-01-01T00:00:00Z Amrasingha, N Rodrigo, KMPA Lankathilaka, TN https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/1785 2023-04-26T11:26:00Z 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z

Influence of Vegetation Density on Vehicle Speed and Position of Roadway Amrasingha, N; Rodrigo, KMPA; Lankathilaka, TN According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 1.2 million people lose their lives each year in motor vehicle crashes and disable millions of people annually around the world. Based on crash data in the United States, single-vehicle collisions with trees account for nearly 25% of all fixed object crashes each year, resulting in deaths of approximately 3,000 people and making up approximately 48% of fixed-object fatalities. The injuries and fatalities due to single vehicle-collisions are a significant component of road crashes in Sri Lanka. The objective of the study was to evaluate the drivers’ speed selection and lateral position of vehicle from the presence of roadside elements within proximity to the roadway. Parameters affecting drivers’ speed and lateral positioning of the vehicles on the road were chosen based on literature review. Random vehicles in each selected location were observed and the information on all the parameters were collected which identified using the literature review. Using the collected data, multiple regression models were developed. The models showed that on the lightly vegetated roadways, people drove faster and drove much closer to the edges of the road. When the landscape changed to more vegetated, people drove much slower and drove closer to the centre of the road. Developed models also predict the speed selection of drivers and lateral positioning of the vehicles on the roadway sections. It was clear that the roadside vegetation influences the drivers’ speed selection and positioning of the vehicle on the road. Therefore, it is a necessity that the road designers would consider the effect of roadside vegetation on designing the roadway sections. Ultimately, it would reduce the number of runoff-the-road crashes happening in the country. Article Full Text

2017-01-01T00:00:00Z Amarasingha, N Gunathilaka, OHDC Ragulan, K Aravinda, MPN Fernando, WSHR https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/1782 2023-04-26T11:20:12Z 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z

Characteristics of Railway-Roadway Level Crossings at Coastal Railway Line in Sri Lanka Amarasingha, N; Gunathilaka, OHDC; Ragulan, K; Aravinda, MPN; Fernando, WSHR Rail transportation is a safe, efficient, continuously operating sustainable transportation mode, in all-weather conditions, and light conditions. Along with these advantages, the role of rail transport has become increasingly important. Therefore, it is important to investigate the characteristics of the railway-roadway level crossings in Sri Lanka. Railway-roadway level crossings at coastal railway line from Aluthgama to Ambalangoda were visited to collect the roadway, railway, traffic, environmental, and crash data. Out of 51 crossings that observed in this study, about 94.1% of railway-roadway level crossings were facilitated with active safety measures. About 7.0% of railway-roadway level crossings were without gates and among them 33.3% of crossings were facilitated with passive safety measures and other crossings were under unsafe conditions. Several problems related to railway-roadway level crossing were identified. The collected data could be utilized to develop various statistical models for identifying relationships between the number of crashes and level crossing characteristics. It could be used to identify potential highcrash prone railway-roadway crossings and key factors which increase the number of crashes. Article Full Text

2017-01-01T00:00:00Z Wickramasinghe, BKTP Anjana, KKVS Ratnasekara, GDST Vidanagama, DU https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/1779 2023-04-26T10:58:53Z 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z

Smart Cane for Staircase and Water Detection Wickramasinghe, BKTP; Anjana, KKVS; Ratnasekara, GDST; Vidanagama, DU The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that there are 285 million visually-impaired people worldwide. Among these individuals, there are 39 million who are totally blind. Blind people need some help in interacting with the society. Existing devices are able to detect and recognize objects that emerge on the floor, but a considerable risk is also includes when the objects that are at a sudden depth, or obstacles above waist level or stairs. The designed smart cane uses a single IR sensor to detect staircases and a water detection sensor is used to detect water pits. If there’s a staircase or a water pit, user will receive an alert as a form of audio voice output informing him whether the path is clear for him to safely walk forward. This project aims at the design and implementation of a detachable unit which is robust, low cost and user friendly, thus, trying to aggrandize the functionality of the existing white cane, to concede staircase and water pit detection. The smart cane was tested for its proper functioning while operating successfully in detecting staircases and water pits. Article Full Text

2017-01-01T00:00:00Z