CIV351 TRASPOTATION ENGINEERING

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CE351 TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

NEAR EAST UNIVERSITY

Traffic Engineering Studies

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 INTRODUCTION

Traffic studies may be grouped into three main categories:

(1) Inventories,

(2) Administrative studies, and

(3) Dynamic studies

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 TRAFFIC ENGINEERING STUDIES

Inventories:

Provide a list or graphic display of existing information, such as:

 street widths

 parking spaces

 transit routes

 traffic regulations
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 TRAFFIC ENGINEERING STUDIES

Administrative studies

 Use existing engineering records, available in government agencies and departments.

 include the results of surveys, which may involve: field measurements and/or aerial photography.

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 TRAFFIC ENGINEERING STUDIES

Dynamic traffic studies

 Involve the collection of data under operational conditions and Include studies of:

 Speed,

 Traffic volume,

 Travel time and delay,

 parking, and

 crashes.
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SPOT SPEED STUDIES

 Spot speed studies are conducted to estimate the

distribution of speeds of vehicles in a stream of traffic at a

particular location on a highway.

 carried out by recording the speeds of a sample of

vehicles at a specified location.

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 SPOT SPEED STUDIES

Used to establish parameters for traffic operation and control, such as:

 speed zones,

 speed limits (85th-percentile speed)

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 SPOT SPEED STUDIES

Locations for Spot Speed Studies

 Unbiased data

 Drivers be unaware

 Equipment concealed from the driver,

 Observers inconspicuous.

 Statistical analysis,

 Statistically adequate number of vehicle speeds be recorded.

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 SPOT SPEED STUDIES

Time of Day and Duration of Spot Speed Studies

 Depends on the purpose of the study.

 Recommended when traffic is free-flowing,

 During off-peak hours.

 Typically:

the duration is at least 1 hour and

the sample size is at least 30 vehicles.

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 SPOT SPEED STUDIES
Sample Size for Spot Speed Studies

The larger the sample size, will give an estimated mean within acceptable error limits.

 Average Speed

 Median Speed

 Modal Speed

 The ith-percentile Spot Speed

 Pace

 Standard Deviation of Speeds

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 METHODS FOR CONDUCTING SPOT
SPEED STUDIES
The manual and automatic

manual method is seldom used

automatic devices

1. Road detectors

2. Radar-based

3. The principles of electronics

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 METHODS FOR CONDUCTING SPOT
SPEED STUDIES

Road Detectors

pneumatic road tubes & induction loops collect data on speeds & volume at the same time

 Advantage:

 Human errors are considerably reduced

 Disadvantages:

 expensive

 may, affect driver behavior

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 METHODS FOR CONDUCTING SPOT
SPEED STUDIES

Pneumatic road tubes

laid across the lane in which data are to be collected.

 When moving vehicle passes over, an air impulse is transmitted to the counter.

 Two tubes are placed across the lane, 2 m apart.

 An impulse is recorded when the front wheels of a moving vehicle pass over the first tube;

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 METHODS FOR CONDUCTING SPOT
SPEED STUDIES
Pneumatic road tubes
 A second impulse is recorded when the front wheels pass over the second tube.

 The time elapsed between the two impulses and the distance between the tubes are used to compute the

speed of the vehicle.

Inductive loop

 A rectangular wire loop buried under the roadway surface.

 It operates on the principle that a disturbance in the electrical field is created when a motor vehicle passes

across it. 15
 METHODS FOR CONDUCTING SPOT
SPEED STUDIES
Radar-Based Traffic Sensors

Electronic-Principle Detectors

 Traffic characteristics, such as speed, volume, queues, and headways are computed.

 Using video image processing

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METHODS FOR CONDUCTING SPOT
SPEED STUDIES

Remote Traffic Microwave Sensor (RTMS) Deployed in the Forward Looking Mode
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METHODS FOR CONDUCTING SPOT
SPEED STUDIES

(b) RTMS Deployed in the Side-fire Mode

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METHODS FOR CONDUCTING SPOT
SPEED STUDIES

(a) Schematic Illustration of the Auto scope 19

METHODS FOR CONDUCTING SPOT
SPEED STUDIES

(b) The Auto scope Deployed 20

 METHODS FOR CONDUCTING SPOT
SPEED STUDIES

Presentation and Analysis of Spot Speed Data

 Statistical methods

 Analyzing data

 Frequency histogram

 Cumulative frequency distribution curve

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 EXAMPLE 1

Determining Speed Characteristics from a Set of Speed Data. Table shows the data collected on a rural

highway in Virginia during a speed study. Develop the frequency histogram and the frequency

distribution of the data and determine the spot speeds

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TABLE 1
SPEED DATA OBTAINED ON A RURAL HIGHWAY

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SOLUTION:

Histogram of Observed Vehicles' Speeds

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FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION TABLE FOR SET OF
SPEED DATA

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FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION

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CUMULATIVE DISTRIBUTION

The median speed 49 km/h, the 50th -percentile speed.

85th-percentile speed is 54 km/h 27
VOLUME STUDIES

1. Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT)

The average of 24-hour counts collected every day of the year.

2. Average Daily Traffic (ADT)

The average of 24-hour counts collected over a number of days greater than one but less than a year

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 VOLUME STUDIES

3. Peak Hour Volume (PHV)

The maximum number of vehicles that pas a point on a highway during a period of 60 consecutive minutes.

4.Vehicle Classification (VC)

with respect to the type of vehicles for cars, two-axle trucks, or three-axle trucks.

5.Vehicle Miles of Travel (VMT)

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VOLUME STUDIES

Methods of Conducting Volume Counts

Manual Method

Automatic Method

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VOLUME STUDIES

Jamar Traffic Data Collector TDC-1 2 Hooked to a Computer 31

VOLUME STUDIES

Apollo Traffic Counter/Classifier

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VOLUME STUDIES

Traffic Eye Universal System 33

 TYPES OF VOLUME COUNTS

Types of Volume Counts

Depending on the anticipated use of the data to be collected.

Intersection Counts
Types of Volume Counts

vehicle classifications, Pedestrian Volume Counts

through movements, Periodic Volume Counts (AADT)

turning movements
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 TYPES OF VOLUME COUNTS

Traffic Volume Data Presentation

Traffic Flow Maps:

volume of traffic on ach route is represented

by the width of a band. The Figure shows a

typical traffic flow map.

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 TYPES OF VOLUME COUNTS

Intersection Summary Sheets:

The Figure shows a typical intersection

summary sheet.

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 TYPES OF VOLUME COUNTS

Daily variations

Traffic Volumes on an Urban Highway (A&B) 37

 TYPES OF VOLUME COUNTS

Hourly variations

in traffic volume:

Traffic Volumes on an Urban Highway (C) 38

 TYPES OF VOLUME COUNTS

Summary Tables: PHV,Vehicle Classification (VC), and ADT. As Table 4.4

Table 4.4 Summary of Traffic Volume Data for a Highway Section

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 TYPES OF VOLUME COUNTS

 Adjustment of Periodic Counts

 Expansion Factors from Continuous Count Stations.

 Hourly expansion factors (HEFs) are determined by the formula

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 TYPES OF VOLUME COUNTS

 Daily expansion factors (DEFs) are

 Monthly expansion factors (MEFs) are

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TYPES OF VOLUME COUNTS

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TYPES OF VOLUME COUNTS

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TYPES OF VOLUME COUNTS

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TRAVEL TIME AND DELAY STUDIES

 Travel time: time required to travel from one point to another on a given route.

 The locations, durations, and causes of delays.

 Good indication of the level of service

 Identifying problem locations,

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 TRAVEL TIME AND DELAY STUDIES

Applications of Travel Time and Delay Data

 Efficiency of a route

 Locations with relatively high delays

 Causes for delays

 Before-and-after studies

 Relative efficiency of a route

 Travel times on specific links

 Economic studies
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 TRAVEL TIME AND DELAY STUDIES

Definition of Terms Related to Time and Delay Studies

1. Travel time: time taken by a vehicle to traverse a given section of a highway.

2. Running time: time a vehicle is actually in motion

3. Delay time lost due to causes beyond the control of the driver.

4. 4Operational delay: delay caused by the impedance of other traffic. (for example, parking or unparking

vehicles),
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 TRAVEL TIME AND DELAY STUDIES

5. Stopped-time delay

6. Fixed delay: caused by control devices such as traffic signals, regardless of the

traffic volume

7. Travel-time delay: difference between the actual travel time and the travel time obtained by assuming

that a vehicle traverses at an average speed equal to that for an uncongested traffic flow
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 TRAVEL TIME AND DELAY STUDIES

Methods for Conducting Travel Time and Delay Studies

Methods Requiring a Test Vehicle:

 Floating-car

 Average-speed,

 Moving vehicle techniques.

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 TRAVEL TIME AND DELAY STUDIES

Floating-Car Technique:

 Test car is driven by an observer along the test section.

 The driver attempts to pass as many vehicles as those that pass his test vehicle.

 Time taken to traverse the study section is recorded. This is repeated, and the average time is recorded

as the travel time.

 Sample size s usually less than 30.

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 TRAVEL TIME AND DELAY STUDIES

Average-Speed Technique.

 Driving the test car along the length of the test section at a speed that,

 Is the average speed of the traffic stream.

 Time required to traverse the test section is noted.

 Test run is repeated

 The average time is recorded as the travel time.

 Travel time is usually obtained

 The observer starts a stopwatch at the beginning point of the test section and stops at the end. 53
 TRAVEL TIME AND DELAY STUDIES

Average-Speed Technique.

 Driving the test car along the length of the test section at a speed that,

 Is the average speed of the traffic stream.

 Time required to traverse the test section is noted.

 Test run is repeated

 The average time is recorded as the travel time.

 Travel time is usually obtained

 The observer starts a stopwatch at the beginning point of the test section and stops at the end. 54
TRAVEL TIME AND DELAY STUDIES

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Moving-Vehicle Technique (moving observer):

The observer makes a round trip on a test section Figure 4.16,

The observer starts at section X-X, drives the car eastward to

section Y-Y,

turns the vehicle around

drives westward to section X-X again

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Moving-Vehicle Technique.

Following data are collected as

The time it takes to travel east from X-X to Y-Y (Te), in minutes

The time it takes to travel west from Y-Y to X-X (Tw), in minutes

The number of vehicles traveling west in the opposite lane while the test car is traveling east (Ne).

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Moving-Vehicle Technique.

Following data are collected as

• The number of vehicles that overtake the test car while it is traveling west from Y-Y

to X-X, that is, traveling in the westbound direction (Ow)

• The number of vehicles that the test car passes while it is traveling west from Y-Y to X-X, that is,

traveling in the westbound direction (Pw)

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Moving-Vehicle Technique.

 The volume (Vw ) in the westbound direction can then be obtained from the expression:

Where (Ne Ow Pw ) is the number of vehicles traveling westward that cross the line X-X during the time

(TeTw).

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Moving-Vehicle Technique.

 The volume (Vw ) in the westbound direction can then be obtained from the expression:

Where (Ne Ow Pw ) is the number of vehicles traveling westward that cross the line X-X during the time

(TeTw).

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Similarly, the average travel time in the westbound direction is obtained from

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 ITS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES.

 Advanced technologies

 Cell phones

 GPS satellite system

 Technology is used to determine average

 Speeds and travel times along highways

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 PARKING STUDIES

 Any vehicle will at one time be parked short time or longer time, provision of parking facilities is

essential

 Need for parking spaces is usually very great in areas of business, residential, or commercial activities.

 Park-and-ride.

 Providing adequate parking space to meet the demand for parking in the Central Business District (CBD)

 This problem usually confronts a city traffic engineer.

 Solution is not simple, Parking studies are used to determine the demand for and the supply of parking

facilities 68
 TYPES OF PARKING FACILITIES

On-Street Parking Facilities

 Also known as curb facilities. Parking bays are provided alongside the curb on one or both sides of the

street.

 Unrestricted parking

 Unlimited and free

 Restricted parking facilities

 limited to specific times for a maximum duration.

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 TYPES OF PARKING FACILITIES

On-Street Parking Facilities

 May or may not be free.

 Handicapped parking

 Bus stops

 Loading bays.

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 TYPES OF PARKING FACILITIES

Off-Street Parking Facilities

 privately or publicly owned;

 Surface lots and garages.

 Self-parking garages

 Attendant-parking garages

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 TYPES OF PARKING FACILITIES

Definitions of Parking Terms

1. A space-hour is a unit of parking that defines the use of a single parking space for a period of 1 hour.

2. Parking volume is the total number of vehicles that park in a study area during a specific length of

time, usually a day.

3. Parking accumulation is the number of parked vehicles in a study area at any specified time.

4. Parking load the number of space-hours used during the specified period of time.

5. Parking duration length of time a vehicle is parked at a parking indication of how frequently a parking

space becomes available 72

 TYPES OF PARKING FACILITIES

Definitions of Parking Terms

6. Parking turnover rate of use of a parking space.

Obtained by dividing the parking volume for a specified period by the number of parking spaces.

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 METHODOLOGY OF PARKING STUDIES

Inventory of Existing Parking Facilities

 detailed listing of the location and all other relevant characteristics of each legal parking facility, private

and public.

 The study area includes both on- and off-street facilities.

 Type and number of parking spaces at each parking facility

 Times of operation and limit on duration of parking, if any

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 METHODOLOGY OF PARKING STUDIES

Inventory of Existing Parking Facilities

 Type of ownership (private or public)

 Parking fees, method of collection

 Restrictions

 Other restrictions, loading and unloading zones, bus stops, taxi ranks

 Permanency

The inventory should be updated at regular intervals of about four to five years 75
 METHODOLOGY OF PARKING STUDIES

Collection of Parking Data

Accumulation:

 By checking the amount of parking during

 Regular intervals on different days of the week.

 Carried out on an hourly or 2-hour basis

 Used to determine hourly variations of parking and peak periods of parking demand

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 METHODOLOGY OF PARKING STUDIES

Collection of Parking Data

Turnover and Duration:

 Collecting data on a sample of parking spaces in a given block.

 Recording the license plate of the vehicle parked on each parking space in the sample at the ends of fixed

intervals during the study period.

 The length of the fixed intervals depends on the maximum permissible duration.

 For example, if the maximum permissible duration of parking at a curb face is 1 hour, a suitable interval is

every 20 minutes. 77
 METHODOLOGY OF PARKING STUDIES

Collection of Parking Data

 If the permissible duration is 2 hours, checking every 30 minutes would be appropriate. Turnover is then

obtained from the equation

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PARKING STUDIES

Turnover and Duration

manual collection of parking data is still commonly used,

Possible for all parking data to be collected electronically.

wireless sensors

Identification of Parking Generators

(for example, shopping centers or transit terminals) and locating these on a map of the study area.

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 PARKING STUDIES

Parking Demand

 By interviewing drivers at the various parking facilities

 Interview all drivers using the parking facilities on a typical weekday between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.

 Information include (1) trip origin, (2) purpose of trip, (3) driver’s destination after parking.

 The location of the parking facility, times of arrival and departure, vehicle type.

 Parking interviews also can be carried out using the postcard technique,

 About 30 to 50 percent of the cards distributed are returned. 80

 PARKING STUDIES

Analysis of Parking Data

 Number and duration for vehicles legally parked

 Number and duration for vehicles illegally parked

 Space-hours of demand for parking

 Supply of parking facilities

The space-hours of demand for parking are obtained from the expression

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 PARKING STUDIES

Analysis of Parking Data

Where

D = space vehicle-hours demand for a specific period of time

N = number of classes of parking duration ranges

ti = midparking duration of the ith class

ni = number of vehicles parked for the ith duration range

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 PARKING STUDIES

Analysis of Parking Data

Where

S = practical number of space-hours of supply for a specific period of time

N = number of parking spaces available

ti = total length of time in hours when the ith space can be legally parked on during the specific period f = efficiency

factor 83
PARKING STUDIES

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PARKING STUDIES

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PARKING STUDIES

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

Thank You

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