Traffic Studies

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TRAFFIC STUDIES:

Also called as Traffic census or surveys. It involves analyzing the traffic characteristics for road
designs, safe and efficient movement for traffic and traffic control. These are classified as
followingi.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.

Traffic volume study


Speed studies
Origin and destination study
Traffic flow characteristics
Traffic capacity study
Parking Study
Accident Studies

I. TRAFFIC VOLUME STUDY: Traffic volume is the number of vehicles crossing a section of
road per unit time at any selected period. The unit for traffic count is generally taken as vehicles
per day or vehicles per hour.
Traffic volume study are used for various purposes. They are used for roads improvement and
expansion, traffic operation and control, structural design of pavements, in geometric design,
planning and designing new facilities etc.
Counting of traffic volume can be done in two ways- i. Mechanical Counters ii. Manual Counts
Traffic volume data can be presented in any of the formsa) Annual average daily traffic (AADT or ADT)-In order to convert the different vehicles classes
to one class such as passenger cars
b) Trends Charts- Useful for planning future expansion, design and regulation.
c) Variations Charts-These help in deciding the facilities and regulations needed during peak
traffic regulations.
d) Traffic flow maps-These help to find the traffic volume distribution at a glance.
e) Volume flow diagram-These data are needed for intersection design.
f) Thirtieth highest hourly volume-It is found from the plot between hourly volume and the no
of hours in a year.
II. SPEED STUDIES: Speed studies are necessary because the actual speed of vehicles over a
particular may vary depending on various factors such as geometric features, traffic conditions,
time, place, environment and driver. Speed studies can be studied under following headsTravel time- is the reciprocal of speed and is simple measure of how well road network is
operating.

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ENGR. ANEES KHAN

Spot Speed- Is the instantaneous speed of a vehicle at a specified section or location.


Average speed- is the average of the spot speeds of all the passing vehicles at a given point on
the highway.
Running speed- is the average speed maintained by a vehicle over a particular stretch of road,
while the vehicle is in first motion.
Overall speed and travel speed- Is the effective speed with which a vehicle transverses a
particular route between two terminals.
Speed studies gives the general trend in speeds. There are two types of speed studies carry outSpot speed study, Speed and delay study
III. ORIGION AND DESTINATION STUDIES: The origin and destination (OD) study is carry
out mainly to Plan the road network and other facilities for vehicular traffic
Plan the schedule of different modes of transportation for the trip demands of commuters.
trips. It also provides the basic data for determining the desired directions of the flow or the desire
lines. The various applications of OD surveys aretransportation system and mass transit facilities in cities.
, terminals, new bypass and bridges as per traffic demands.

METHODS FOR COLLECTING OD DATA


Road Side Interview Method-The vehicles are stopped at previously decided location, by a
group of persons answer to prescribed questionnaire regarding origin, destination, purpose etc. are
collected on spot. Advantage- Data collected quickly, Disadvantage-Vehicles are stopped
License Plate Method- In this method license plate no are noted under a given area in a time.
After collecting the field data major computation work and analysis is done in office, by tracking
the vehicle no and its time of entering and leaving.
Return Post Card Method-Pre paid business reply cards with return address are distributed along
the route to the owners of vehicles. The questionnaire to be filled by the road user is printed on the
cards. The distributing stations for the cards may be selected where vehicles have to stop as in case
of toll both. This method is suitable for heavy traffic area.
Tag on Car Method-In this method a pre coded card is struck on the vehicle as it enters area
under study. When the vehicles leave the study area observations are recorded on the tag. This
method is suitable for heavy traffic area.
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ENGR. ANEES KHAN

Home Interview Method-A random sample of the population is selected and the residencies are
trained personal who collect the travel data from each member of the house. The data collected is
useful for planning road network and various vehicular facilities.
Work Spot interview method- The transportation needs of work trips can be planned collecting
the O and D data work at spots like offices, factories, educational instit
can be presented in the following formsi.
ii.
iii.

Origin and destination tables showing no of trips between different zones.


Desire lines plotted in graphical representation prepared in almost all O & D survey.
Pie Charts

IV. TRAFFIC FLOW CHARACTERISTICS: Traffic stream generally has flow and counter
flow along a common route, unless the stream is separated by one wav flow by proper design and
regulation. The basic traffic maneuvers are diverging, merging and crossing. Study of traffic flow
characteristics includes both transverse and longitudinal distribution of vehicles in the traffic
stream and is useful in geometric design features such as traffic capacity, volume, number of lanes
and width of carriageways. The study is also very much needed to decide traffic regulatory measure
for the design of traffic control methods.
V. TRAFFIC CAPACITY STUDIES: Traffic capacity is the ability of a roadway to
accommodate traffic volume. It is expressed as the maximum no of vehicles in a lane or a road
that can pass at a unit time. Capacity and volume are measures of traffic flow and have same units.
Traffic volume- is the no of vehicles moving in a specified direction on a given lane and roadway
that pass a given point or cross section during a specified unit of time.
Basic Capacity-Is the maximum numbers of passenger cars that can pass a given point on a lane
or roadway during one hour under the most nearly ideal roadway and traffic conditions which can
possibly be attained. Basic capacity is the theoretical capacity.
Possible Capacity-Is the maximum capacity that can pass a given point on a lane or roadway
during one hour under prevailing roadway or traffic conditions. The possible capacity is much
lower than the basic capacity. But when the prevailing conditions approach the ideal conditions,
the possible capacity approach the basic capacity. Thus the value of capacity varies from zero to
basic capacity.
Practical Capacity-Is the maximum number of vehicles that can pass a given point or roadway
during one hour, without density being so great as to cause unreasonable delay, hazard or
restriction to the drivers freedom to man oeuvre under prevailing roadway and traffic conditions.

VI. PARKING STUDIES: Parking studies are useful to evaluate the facilities available. Various
aspects to be investigated during parking studies are-

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ENGR. ANEES KHAN

Parking Demand- This can be evaluated by counting the number of vehicles in the parked area
under study during different periods of the day.
Parking Characteristics-The study is directed to note the present parking practices prevalent in
the area under consideration and general problems in parking.
Parking Space Inventory-The area under study is fully surveyed and a map is prepared showing
all places where kerb parking and offset parking can be provided to meet the general problems in
parking.
VII. ACCIDENT STUDIES: Road accident cannot be totally prevented, but by suitable traffic
engineering and management measures, the accident rate can be decreased considerably. The
various objectives of the accident studies may be listed asa)
b)
c)
d)
e)

To study the causes of accident and to suggest corrective treatment at potential location
To evaluate the existing
To support proposed design
To carry out studies before and after for improvement
To make financial computations and to give economic justifications for the improvements
suggested by the traffic engineer

CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS

The road users


The vehicles
The road and its conditions
Environmental Factors
Other causes-Incorrect signs and signals, gate of level crossing, badly located advertized
boards etc.

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ENGR. ANEES KHAN

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