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INTRODUCTION TO TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND ENGINEERING

Introduction
Transportation planning and engineering play a critical role in the design, operation, and
management of transportation systems to ensure efficient and safe movement of people and goods.
This field encompasses various aspects such as urban planning, traffic engineering, infrastructure
design, and sustainable transport solutions. Understanding transportation planning and engineering
principles is essential for creating vibrant, sustainable, and accessible communities.

Motivation
Interactive Exercise, Let's start with a fun and interactive exercise to spark your interest in
transportation planning and engineering. Imagine you are tasked with redesigning a busy intersection
in your city to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety.
What factors would you consider in your design?
Discuss with a partner or jot down your ideas before moving on to the next section.

Specific Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this topic, students should be able to:
1. Understand the key concepts and principles of transportation planning and engineering.
2. Identify the factors influencing transportation system performance.
3. Analyze traffic flow patterns and design solutions for efficient transportation networks.
4. Evaluate the impact of transportation decisions on communities and the environment.

Concepts
Transportation Engineering is the application of scientific principles to the planning, design,
operation, and management of transportation system.

The term “transportation system” is used to refer to the equipment and logistics or movement of
transporting passengers and goods. It covers movement by all forms of transport, from cars and buses
to boats, aircraft and even space travel. (www.ehow.com/transportation-system)

Transportation system is a facility consisting of the means and equipment necessary for the movement
of passengers or goods. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/transportation system).

Transportation System. Examples of transportation systems motivated primarily by military

considerations include the road networks. Another traditional motivation for establishing
transportation system is to “tie together” the inhabitants of a territory by providing mutual access and
communication. Transportation systems are motivated by economic concerns; and the most important
constraints it faces are environmental.

Highway engineering is an engineering discipline branching from civil engineering that involves the
planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of roads, bridges, and tunnels to ensure
safe and effective transportation of people and goods. (www.wikipedia.org/highway engineering)

Introduction to Transportation Planning and Engineering

Transportation Planning. Transportation planning involves setting goals, evaluating needs,
and developing strategies to improve transportation systems. - Importance: It ensures the efficient
movement of people and goods, enhances safety, reduces congestion, and promotes sustainability.
 Traffic Engineering. Traffic engineering focuses on the design and operation of traffic flow
within transportation systems. It involves analyzing traffic patterns, optimizing signal timings,
designing roadways, and implementing safety measures.

Infrastructure Design. Infrastructure design includes planning and constructing roads,

bridges, public transit systems, bike lanes, and pedestrian pathways. Well-designed infrastructure
supports safe and efficient transportation, promotes accessibility, and accommodates various modes of
transport.

Sustainable Transport Solutions. Sustainable transport solutions aim to reduce

environmental impact, promote public health, and improve quality of life through modes like walking,
cycling, and public transit. Sustainable transportation initiatives help mitigate traffic congestion,
reduce air pollution, and enhance overall community well-being.

Sample Problem
Activity - Traffic Flow Analysis
Imagine you are a traffic engineer analyzing traffic flow at a busy intersection. Use the
following data to answer the questions:
Total number of vehicles entering the intersection: 500 vehicles per hour
Average vehicle speed: 30 miles per hour
Average cycle time of traffic signals: 60 seconds
Number of lanes in each direction: 2

a) Calculate the flow rate of vehicles per lane per hour.

b) Determine the density of vehicles per lane.
c) Calculate the flow rate of vehicles per hour for the entire intersection.
d) Suggest one improvement to optimize traffic flow at the intersection.

Solution
a) Flow rate per lane = Total vehicles entering/ Number of lanes Flow rate per lane = 500
vehicles per hour / 2 lanes = 250 vehicles per hour per lane

b) Density per lane = Flow rate per lane/ Average speed Density per lane = 250 vehicles per
hour / 30 miles per hour = 8.33 vehicles per mile

c) Total flow rate of vehicles per hour for the entire intersection = Total vehicles entering =
500 vehicles per hour

d) Improvement for optimizing traffic flow: One improvement to optimize traffic flow at the
intersection could be to implement adaptive traffic signal control systems that adjust signal timings
based on real-time traffic conditions. This can help reduce congestion, improve traffic flow efficiency,
and enhance overall intersection performance.

Modes of Transportation
1. Highways. The highways system is the dominant transportation mode. Vehicles, truck lines
and bus lines use it. Its major markets are urban passenger transportation, urban goods distribution,
intercity passenger transportation and intercity freight (cargo).
 2. Urban Transit. Urban transit is a highly specialized mode. It includes traditional mass
transit modes such as buses, streetcars, light rail and rapid transit. By definition, the market served by
urban transit is urban passenger transportation.
3. Air. The air transportation system includes commercial airlines, aircraft carriers, and
general aviation or private aircraft. The market is intercity passenger travel, particularly long –
distance travel.
4. Rail. The intercity rail system consists of the private railroads, which operates most intercity
passenger rail service. The primary market for rail is intercity freight.
5. Water. The domestic water transportation system consists of coastwise ocean shipping and
barge lines operating on inland waterways. Vessels include barges and towboats on the inland
waterways and various types of ships. Major types of oceangoing freighters include container ships,
bulk cargo carriers, and oil tankers.
6. Pipelines. Pipelines constitute a highly specialized freight transportation system. Their
market is almost entirely crude oil, petroleum products, and natural gas.

The System for Financing Transportation

1. User Charges include direct charges such as fares and tolls and indirect charges such as
fuel taxes.
2. General Fund Revenues collected by different levels of government are derived from
regular taxes.
3. Private Investment occurs in the parts of the transportation system that are normally under
private control such as the carriers and in cases where public agencies issue franchises, as in the case
of toll facilities.
4. Cross – Subsidization occurs when revenues collected from users of one type of
transportation system are used to finance some other type of system. A common example is the use of
gasoline tax revenues and bridge tolls to finance public transport.

Transportation in the Philippines

Transportation in the Philippines is relatively underdeveloped, partly due to the country's mountainous
areas and scattered islands, and partly as a result of the government's persistent underinvestment in the
nation's infrastructure. In recent years, however, the Philippine government has been pushing to
improve the transportation system in the country through various projects.

Jeepneys are the most popular mode of public transportation in the Philippines, they have also become
an everywhere symbol of the Philippine culture. Another popular mode of public transportation in the
country is the motorized tricycle; they are especially common in rural areas. Trains are also
becoming a popular mode of public transportation in the country especially in the bustling metropolis
of Manila. The Philippines has three main railway networks: the Manila Light Rail Transit
System composed of the LRT-1 and LRT-2 and Manila Metro Rail Transit System composed of
the MRT-3 which only serves Metro Manila and the Philippine National Railways which also serves
the metropolis and some parts of Luzon. Taxis and buses are also important modes of public transport
in urban areas. The Philippines has 12 international airports, and has more than 20 major and minor
domestic airports serving the country. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport is the main
international gateway to the Philippines.

Roads
The Philippines has 199,950 kilometers (124,240 mi) of roads, of which 39,590 kilometers (24,600 mi)
are paved. As of 2004, the total length of the non-toll road network was reported to be 202,860 km,
with the following breakdown according to type: National roads - 15%, Provincial roads - 13%, City
and municipal roads - 12%, and Barangay roads - 60%

Highways
Highways in the Philippines include roads that can be classified into six divisions: the Maharlika
Highway, Controlled-access highways, the Regional Highways, the Provincial Highways, the Manila
Arterial Road System, Pan-Philippine Highway and the secondary city and municipal avenues and
roads.
The Pan-Philippine Highway is a 3,517 km (2,185 mi) network of roads, bridges, and ferry services
that connect the islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao, serving as the Philippines' principal
transport backbone. The northern terminus of the highway is at Laoag City, and the southern terminus
is at Zamboanga City. The Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) is one of the most known highways
of the Philippines, the highway serves the National Capital Region of the Philippines, it also serves as
an important highway in the metropolis.

Expressways
The Philippines has numerous expressways and most of them are located in the main island of the
country, Luzon. The first expressway systems in the country are the North Luzon Expressway formerly
known as North Diversion Road and the South Luzon Expressway, formerly known as South Super
Highway. Both were built in the 1970s, during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos.
The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) is a 4 to 8-lane limited-access toll expressway that
connects Metro Manila to the provinces of the Central Luzon region. The expressway begins
in Quezon City at a cloverleaf interchange with EDSA. The South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) is
another important expressway in the country, it serves the southern part of Luzon.
The expressway is a network of two expressways that connects Metro Manila to the provinces of
the CALABARZON region in the southern part of Luzon. The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway is
another expressway that serves the region of Central Luzon, the expressway is linked to the North
Luzon Expressway through the Mabalacat Interchange. Its southern terminus is at the Subic Bay
Freeport Zone in Zambales, it passes through the Clark Freeport Zone and its northern terminus is at
Brgy. Amucao in Tarlac City, Tarlac. The Strong Republic Nautical Highway links many of the
islands' road networks through a series of roll-on/roll-off ferries, some rather small covering short
distances and some larger vessels that might travel several hours or more.

Railways
Rail transportation in the Philippines includes services provided by the three railway networks:
the Manila Light Rail Transit System (LRT-1 and LRT-2), the Manila Metro Rail Transit
System (MRT-3), and the Philippine National Railways (PNR), all of these train services only serve
the Metro Manila area and some parts of Luzon. Panay Railways is an existing company that used to
run rail lines on Panay (until 1989) and Cebu (until World War II).

The Philippine National Railways is a state-owned railway system of the Philippines, it was
established during the Spanish Colonial period. PNR aims to link key cities within the Philippines
efficiently and to serve as an instrument in national socio-economic development. It also aims to
improve the rail transportation of the country. The PNR currently operates in the Manila metropolitan
area and the provinces of Laguna, Quezon, Camarines Sur and Albay. Before PNR used to serve the
provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan and La Union in the north
and Batangas on the South.

River ferries
The Pasig River Ferry Service is a river ferry service that serves Metro Manila, it is also the only
water-based transportation that cruised the Pasig River. The entire ferry network had 17 stations
operational and 2 lines. The first line was the Pasig River Line which stretched from Plaza Mexico in
Intramuros, Manila to Nagpayong station in Pasig City. The second line was the Marikina River Line
which served the Guadalupe station in Makati City up to Santa Elena station in Marikina City.

Ferry services
Because it is an island nation, ferry services are an important means of transportation. A range of ships
are used, from large cargo ships to small pump boats. There are numerous shipping companies in the
Philippines. Notable companies include 2GO Travel (the successor to Superferry and Negros
Navigation) and Trans-Asia Shipping Lines.

Ports and harbors

The busiest port is the Port of Manila, especially the Manila International Cargo Terminal and the Eva
Macapagal Port Terminal, both in the pier area of Manila. Other cities with bustling ports and piers
include Bacolod City, Batangas City, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu City, Davao City, Butuan, Iligan, Iloilo
City, Jolo, Legazpi City, Lucena City, Puerto Princesa, San Fernando, Subic, Zamboanga
City, Cotabato City, General Santos City, Allen, Ormoc,Ozamiz, Surigao and Tagbilaran. Most of
these terminals comprise the Strong Republic Nautical Highway, a nautical system conceptualized
under the term of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo where land vehicles can use the roll-on/roll-
off (ro-ro) ferries to cross between the different islands.

Airports
Manila, Iloilo, Cebu, Davao, Clark, Subic, and Laoag are the international gateways to the country,
with the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila as the main and premier gateway of the
country. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport serves as the premier gateway of the Philippines, it
serves the Metro Manila area and its surrounding regions. It is located in the boundary
of Parañaque and Pasay in the National Capital Region. In 2012, NAIA became the 34th busiest airport
in the world, passenger volume increased to about eight percent to a total of 32.1 million passengers,
making it one of the busiest airports in Asia. The Clark International Airport is also a major gateway to
the country, it will be the future international gateway for the metropolitan area and it is planned to
replace the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The airport mostly serves low-cost carriers that avail
themselves of the lower landing fees than those charged at NAIA.

Other important airports in the Philippines is the Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Cebu; the Iloilo
International Airport in Iloilo; the Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao; and
the Zamboanga International Airport in Zamboanga City.

ASSIGNMENT
Define the following:
 Street
 Road
 Highway
 Expressway
 Railroad
 Airport
 Seaport
 Pipeline
 Canal
 Vessel
  Vehicle routing
 Scheduling
 Traffic control

Give an example of facility – oriented organizations in the Philippines.