Module 5 – Traffic Impact CERTIFIED TRANSPORTATION ENGINEER OR

PLANNER – certified by EMB and NCTS, must have a

Assessment Reviewer master’s degree in transportation or equivalent training
and professional experience
TRAFFIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT – evaluation of
the potential effects EMB – Environmental Management Bureau
Magnitudes:
• Type of development (e.g., residential, NCTS – National Center for Transportation Studies
commercial, industrial, recreational, institutional,
etc.) CITY/MUNICIPAL TIA EVALUATORS – the exact
• Size or density of development (e.g., residential: minimum requirements as above, must also be a part of a
subdivision? High rise condo?) committee formed by the local government.
• Location of development (e.g., CBD, suburb,
along busy highway, etc.) Minimum requirements of TIA
1. Definition of the impact area;
Warrants for the conduct of TIA 2. Characterization of baseline traffic;
• When the proposed development is expected to 3. Estimation of traffic generation attributed to the
generate 100 new trips during the AM or PM peak project;
• When parking generated will result to one or more 4. Formulation of traffic management plan;
deficiency in parking space 5. Access points and routing analysis;
• When the proposed project is expected to affect the 6. Parking requirement analysis; and
already congested areas (causing LOS to drop to D) 7. Formulation of implementation mechanisms for
• Areas identified as accident black spots recommended countermeasures

A TIA is typically appropriate for the following: Minimum Study Area When Conducting TIA
• Zoning and rezoning application
• Land subdivision application
• Environmental assessment
• Site plan approval
• Special-purpose districts
• Development agreements
• Changes to general and/or specific plans
• Annexations

How is TIA useful?

1. transportation improvements
2. improvement cost
3. impact on traffic
4. existing safety hazards or create new ones
5. public transportation
6. friendly towards bicyclists and pedestrians
7. parking sufficient
8. driveways are needed
9. can on-site circulation handle the traffic

Typical Scope of Work of TIA

• Transportation improvements;
• Road geometry;
• Traffic safety;
• Site circulation and parking;
• Transportation facilities related to public transport,
bicycle and pedestrian travel;
• Transportation Demand Management;
• Neighborhood traffic and parking management; and
• Funding for countermeasures.

TRAFFIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT IN THE

PHILIPPINES

EIA – Environmental Impact Assessment

CURRENT PRACTICE IN THE PHILIPPINES ON
TRAFFIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT – required to T.I.A.
secure an ECC for their developer projects in Metro
Manila. LEVEL OF SERVICE (LOS) – a qualitative measure
used to measure the quality of motor vehicle traffic
ECC – Environmental Compliance Certificate service.
HCM – Highway Capacity Manual
Two professions qualified to partake in TIA studies:
• certified Transportation Engineer or Planner AASHTO – American Association of State Highway
• city/municipal TIA evaluator and Transportation Official
 LOS CONDITION Parking space requirements:
A Free flow
B Reasonably free flow
C Stable flow
D Approaching unstable
flow
E Unstable flow
F Forced or breakdown
flow

TIME ELEMENTS IN TIA

HORIZON YEARS (PLANNING PERIOD) –

anticipated completion date of the proposed development
at full operation

Time periods to be analyzed

• AM and PM street peak (weekday/weekend)
• AM and PM site peak (weekday/weekend)
• Noon peak (weekday/weekend)

PARKING ANALYSIS/STUDY

PARKING STUDY – analysis of a community or

development's parking needs.

Key components:
• An inventory of existing parking facilities and space
• An analysis of current parking conditions and
utilization
• A projection of future parking demand
• Recommendations for improving parking
management

PARKING SPACE SIZES

• 2.5m x 5m for perpendicular or diagonal parking SAMPLE: IN THE CASE OF PROJECT X, WITH A
TOTAL 40,610 SQ. M. GLA:
• 2.15m x 6m for parallel parking
- Shopping: 32,036.41 m2/100 m2 = 321 slots
• 3.6m x 18.0m for articulated truck with 12.0 m
- Restaurants:1,752.31 m2/30 m2 = 59 slots
container
- Cinema: 2,549.96 m2 /50 m2 = 51 slots
• 3.0m x 9.0m for jeepney - Call Center: 3,838.85 m2/70 m2 = 55 slots
• 3.7m x 5.0m for disabled
• truck or bus parking shall have a minimum of 3.6m x TOTAL = 486 slots <--- minimum required based on
12m NBC

PHYSICAL INVENTORY AND CONDITION

SURVEY
• Details of the networks, infrastructure and facilities
associated with all modes of transport.
• Collect from government agencies.
• Supplemented by the observations sometimes with
measurement. Observations are field visits, manually
• observing the roads.
1. ROADWAY CONDITION – includes the physical • DEMAND – number of vehicles or persons that
attributes of the road desire to travel past a point during a specified
• Geometric characteristic period (usually an hour)
• Number of lanes • CAPACITY – maximum rate at which vehicles
• Lane and shoulder-width can traverse a point or short segment during a
• Horizontal and vertical alignment specified time period
• Pavement type
• Presence of Parking TYPES OF VOLUME STUDIES
• Classified Counts
2. TRAFFIC CONDITION - includes attributes of the • Intersection Turning Movements
traffic using the road • Midblock Counts
• Distribution of vehicle types • Cordon line Counts
• The amount and distribution of traffic in available • Screen line counts
lanes
• Roadside friction (e.g. vendors) TIME OF STUDY – dependent upon the data desired and
• Presence and estimate of the number of pedestrians the application in which the data are to be used.

3. CONTROL CONDITION - includes the types and 1. Some of the commonly used intervals are:
specific design of control devices and traffic a. Weekend Counts: 6 pm Friday – 6 am Monday
regulation b. 24-hour counts: noon Monday – noon Friday /
• Speed Limit midnight - Midnight
• One-ways c. 16-hour counts: 7 am– 11 pm / 6 am – 10 pm
d. 12-hour counts: 7 am– 7 pm / 6 am –6pm
INVENTORY STUDY AREA e. Peak Period Counts – vary upon the size of the
• Road classification (expressway, arterial, collector, metropolitan area
feeder
• Location of public road transportation terminals 2. In conducting traffic surveys, special conditions should
be avoided:
• Routes of the public road transport
a. Special Events
b. Abnormal weather conditions which do not generally
TRAFFIC VOLUME STUDIES – to obtain accurate
occur
information about the number and movement of vehicles
c. Temporary closure of streets affecting the volume
and/or pedestrians
pattern
d. PUV or trucking strikes
PURPOSE OF VOLUME STUDIES
• trends in traffic growth METHODS IN VOLUME STUDIES
• general quality of service offered 1. Manual
• economic comparisons for evaluation of • Tallying
alternative proposals
• Use of Manual Counters
• design of pavement, shoulder and bridge, 2. Automatic Counters
interchanges, and
• Pneumatic type or the electromagnetic type
• intersections • Inductive loop detectors
• rate of road traffic crashes (accident rate) • Magnetic Vehicle Imaging
• need for traffic control devices • video-based vehicle detection
• assess the effectiveness of improvements 3. Moving Vehicle Method
• program roadway maintenance 4. Videotaping
DEFINITION OF TERMS: ACCURACY OF TRAFFIC COUNTS
• TRAFFIC VOLUME – number of vehicles 1. Completely accurate counts do not exist
passing a given point during a specified period of 2. Manual count
time. • missed observations
Unit: vehicles per unit time (ex. vehicles/hour • inexperienced/bored/tired observers
or veh/hr or vph) 3. Automatic counters
• AVERAGE ANNUAL DAILY TRAFFIC • correction gives a band of uncertainty
(AADT) – total yearly volume divided by the
• Reliability of the equipment/machine
number of days in a year
4. Time clock errors
AADT = (total number of vehicles passing
the site in a year)/365
PEDESTRIAN VOLUME – To obtain accurate
• AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC (ADT) – total information about the number and movement of
number during a given time period pedestrians
- average 24-hr traffic volume at a given location
for some period of time less than a year; may be SURVEY METHOD
measured for 6 months, a season, a month, a week 1. At least two surveyors are needed for a 4-way
or as little as 2 days intersection. The surveyors are equipped with an ordinary
• THIRTIETH HIGHEST ANNUAL HOURLY watch, field sheet and a ballpen/pencil.
VOLUME – hourly volume that is exceeded by 2. The pedestrians can be classified into male or female,
29 hourly volumes during a designated year; this children or elders, depending on the needs of the analysis
is usually used for design 3. Tally the number of pedestrians or use a manual
• VOLUME – actual number of vehicles or counter. The count should be for at least six consecutive
persons passing a point during a specific time hours.
period
• RATE OF FLOW – rate at which vehicles or
persons pass a point during a specified time