Development of an Intelligent Traffic Light Control System for Awka Urban Road Network

Traffic management inefficiency at key Awka intersections contributes to daily commuter delays, increased vehicular emissions, and road safety hazards, problems that have intensified alongside Awka's urban expansion as the Anambra State capital. This study develops an intelligent traffic light control system for high-volume intersections in Awka, using real-time vehicle density estimation to dynamically allocate green-phase durations. The system employs IR sensors for queue length estimation, an Arduino Mega as the signal control processor, and a Python-based traffic analysis module for adaptive timing computation. The algorithm minimizes overall intersection delay by allocating longer green phases to approaches with higher detected vehicle counts. A prototype four-way intersection was constructed in the UNIZIK Computer Engineering laboratory, and traffic scenarios were simulated using observed field data from two Awka intersections during peak morning hours. Results indicate that the intelligent system reduced average vehicle waiting time by 41 percent and total intersection delay by 33 percent compared to standard fixed-cycle signal control in simulated peak scenarios. Energy consumption of the signal heads was reduced by 19 percent through LED luminaire adoption. The study concludes that adaptive traffic control systems are technically feasible and urgently needed in Awka's growing urban road network. Recommendations include real-world pilot installation in collaboration with Anambra State Road Traffic Management Agency.