CE 269

Traffic Engineering

Lecture 1
Introduction

Lecture 1 Introduction
Welcome!
Introduction

I What’s your name and where are you from?

I Where did you get your undergrad degree from?
I How did you get interested in transportation?
I Tell us something interesting about your driving experience.

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Lecture 1 Introduction
Lecture Outline

1 Overview
2 Course Logistics
3 Measuring Traffic

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Lecture 1 Introduction
Lecture Outline

Overview

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Lecture 1 Introduction
Overview
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why take this course?

I (CE students) For coursework-based M.Tech. students, this is a
core course and you have no choice :)
I (Others) If you plan to do research on how traffic or pedestrians
move, you’re in the right class.

At the end of the course, you could be that guy from The Italian Job!

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Lecture 1 Introduction
Overview
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What will I learn from this course?

I You will be introduced to various empirical and mathematical
models that can be used for analysis and design of traffic.

I The course will also have a hands-on component, where you will
model simple traffic scenarios using simulators and your own code.

I Most of the course will be prognostic in nature. That is, we will try
to understand real-world phenomena and study how to design
operational and infrastructure elements to avoid traffic problems.

I Study of diagnostic features, i.e., how we measure traffic will be

rather limited.

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Lecture 1 Introduction
Overview
Applications

Think of studying traffic as analogous to structural analysis and design. In

the analysis part, you will understand the theory behind real-world traffic.

This helps with testing scenarios and operational aspects because we can
simulate the effect of interventions.

The design part involves putting this knowledge into practice. It comprises
of guidelines that have evolved (and continue to) from decades of research.
They are mostly useful for long-range planning under ‘average’ conditions.

Being able to model and analyze different scenarios is thus paramount if

you want to design good traffic systems. Most of this course will focus on
the first part. You will get to study the second part through term projects.

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Lecture 1 Introduction
Overview
Applications

What happens when a vehicle slows down on a highway? Why do

phantom jams occur?

https://youtu.be/Suugn-p5C1M
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Lecture 1 Introduction
Overview
Applications

When do people merge at unsignalized intersections or make lane

changes?

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Overview
Applications

Where are the conflict regions in a traffic network. How do they

impact accidents.

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Overview
Applications

How does traffic react to a certain control strategy such as signals?

https://youtu.be/4pbAI40dK0A

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Overview
Applications

Do changes to geometric design improve traffic?

https://youtu.be/6OGvj7GZSIo

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Lecture 1 Introduction
Overview
Applications

How to estimate the capacity or define the LoS of a roadway? Can

we change road configurations dynamically?

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Lecture 1 Introduction
Overview
Challenges

I Analyzing behaviour of several individuals and modeling the

heterogeneity in vehicle types and physics is tough.

I Traffic is closely connected with demand which is difficult to

predict. Hence, reliable sensing infrastructure is required.
I It is also common to have several competing goals for improving
traffic such as safety, congestion, cost, and emissions. 14/41
Lecture 1 Introduction
Lecture Outline

Course Logistics

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Lecture 1 Introduction
Course Logistics
Prerequisites and Texts

Background in elementary calculus and computer programming in Python

is a prerequisite for this course.

We will closely follow these books for the analysis parts of the course:
1 Ni, D. (2015). Traffic Flow Theory: Characteristics, experimental
methods, and numerical techniques. Butterworth-Heinemann.
2 Treiber, M., & Kesting, A. (2013). Traffic Flow Dynamics: Data,
Models and Simulation, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
3 Gartner, N. H., Messer, C. J., & Rathi, A. (2002). Traffic Flow
Theory - A State-of-the-Art Report. TRB Special Report 165.
4 Knoop, V. L. (2018). Introduction to Traffic Flow Theory: An
introduction with exercises. [PDF]
5 Boyles, S. Lownes, N. E., & Unnikrishnan, A. (2020).
Transportation Network Analysis. [PDF]
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Lecture 1 Introduction
Course Logistics
Prerequisites and Texts

These texts/manuals will be additionally used for some of the design por-
tions.

1 Mannering, F. L., & Washburn, S. S. (2020). Principles of highway

engineering and traffic analysis. John Wiley & Sons.
2 Wolshon, B., & Pande, A. (2016). Traffic engineering handbook.
John Wiley & Sons.
3 Roess, R. P., Prassas, E. S., & McShane, W. R. (2004). Traffic
engineering. Pearson/Prentice Hall.
4 Highway Capacity Manual, Sixth Edition: A Guide for Multimodal
Mobility Analysis (2016)
5 Indian Highway Capacity Manual (Indo-HCM) (2017)

Note: Some of these references may describe right-hand traffic.

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Lecture 1 Introduction
Course Logistics
Written Assignments

I The course will have four written assignments.

I You are encouraged to discuss the problems but you must submit
your own solutions.
I Plagiarizing solutions from your peers or seniors is strictly prohibited.
I Anyone found guilty will of copying or sharing solutions will receive
an F grade.
I After the submission deadlines, you may be randomly chosen to
explain your solutions.

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Lecture 1 Introduction
Course Logistics
Submission Guidelines

You are allowed a total of four late submission days which can be spread
across the assignments. Assignments turned in after exhausting your quota
receive zero points.

These assignments may also contain small programming tasks which should
be submitted using Google Colab.

Ph.D. and M.Tech. Research Students

I The first two assignments must be prepared in LATEX. You may use
any TeX distribution or Overleaf.
I The remaining assignments can be prepared in any typesetting tool
of your choice.
Others
I You must type and submit a PDF copy of your assignments, but
you may use any typesetting tool.
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Lecture 1 Introduction
Course Logistics
Term Project

The term project involves studying the design aspects of a traffic facil-
ity/technology in detail. You will be asked to select a topic from the
following list.

I Roundabouts I Ramp metering

I Flyovers I Bicycle lanes
I Highway interchanges I Bus priority lanes
I Toll plazas I Variable speed limits
I Parking lots I Modeling emissions
I Taxi stands I Platooning
I Pedestrians I AV Intersection management
I Actuated signals I Dynamic lane reversal

You will have to make a presentation which will be graded by your class-
mates and submit a 10-12 page report.
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Lecture 1 Introduction
Course Logistics
Exams and Grading

Examinations
I In-class exams: Mid-semester and End-semester
I End-semester exam is comprehensive

Grading

Component Percentage
Written Assignments 30%
Mid-semester Exam 20%
Project + End-semester Exam 20% + 30%

All submissions must be made via Teams.

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Lecture 1 Introduction
Course Logistics
Course Feedback

I The course will be split into modules and at the end of each module,
you are required to provide anonymized feedback by answering if
‘the contents of the module were clear and easy to understand?’

I Responses are to be provided on a Likert scale (Strongly disagree,

Disagree, Neither, Agree, Strongly agree).

I These stats will help me calibrate the course content and also in
picking the right questions for the assignments.

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Lecture 1 Introduction
Course Logistics
Lecture Material

I Lecture slides for the subsequent weeks will be posted on the course
website and MS Teams.

I Please read them in advance before coming to the class.

I Attendance is compulsory. Send me a message in advance in case

you are unable to make it to the class.

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Lecture 1 Introduction
Course Logistics
Office Hours

I Interactions during the class are strongly encouraged. Feel free to

interrupt me any time during the lecture to get your doubts cleared.

I If you have additional course-related queries, we can discuss after

the class or drop me a message on Teams to set up a call.

I A TA session will be conducted to help some of you get familiar

with some fundamentals of programming and LATEX.

I In addition, the TA for the course will be available between

13:00–14:00 every Monday.

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Lecture 1 Introduction
Course Logistics
Modules

The course will be divided into the following modules:

I Module I: Terminology and Microscopic Models
Variables used to describe traffic and measurement methods will be
discussed. Microscopic traffic models for uninterrupted traffic will
be introduced.
I Module II: Macroscopic Models
Uninterrupted traffic will be revisited using macroscopic models.
I Module III: Interrupted Traffic—Signalized and Unsignalized
Analysis of a single intersection (signalized and unsignalized),
roundabouts, and a network of intersections will be discussed next.
I Module IV: Special Topics
This portion will cover miscellaneous topics such as MFDs, DTA,
and vehicle dynamics. It would also include a few guest lectures.

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Lecture Outline

Measuring Traffic

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Measuring Traffic
Sensors

Traffic measurement can be made using sensors that can be broadly clas-
sified into the following categories:
I Mobile sensors
I Point sensors
I Space sensors

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Measuring Traffic
Mobile sensors

Mobile sensors typically include GPS and cell phones (GPS, BLE, WiFi).
Probe vehicles or service/utility vehicles can also be used for collecting
traffic information.

They can however be more sophisticated for other applications such as

pavement maintenance systems and autonomous vehicles.

https://vimeo.com/192179726
What are the advantages and disadvantages of these types of sensors? 28/41
Lecture 1 Introduction
Measuring Traffic
Mobile sensors

Space

Time

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Measuring Traffic
Point sensors

Point sensors are fixed units at or inside the road and come in many forms
such as loop detectors, cameras, pneumatic tubes, parking sensors, IR
sensors, RFID, and BLE.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of these sensors?

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Measuring Traffic
Point sensors

Multiple point sensors can be used to capture spatial variation in traffic.

Space

Time

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Measuring Traffic
Space sensors

Space sensors can capture traffic data across both space and time. Exam-
ples include drones, depth cameras, and aerial imagery (satellites).

https://youtu.be/XwzbFzqhF1Y

What are the advantages and disadvantages of these sensors?

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Measuring Traffic
Space sensors

Space

Time

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Measuring Traffic
Variables from Point Sensors

Let us first look at the variables that can be calculated using the most
commonly used point sensors.

Vehicle 𝑖 − 1

Space

Vehicle 𝑖

𝑙𝑖

𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑓𝑓 Time

We number the vehicles in the increasing order of appearance at the point

sensor. 34/41
Lecture 1 Introduction
Measuring Traffic
Variables from Point Sensors

Flow or Flux: Is defined as the number of vehicles passing across a point

in a given amount of time T .
∆N
q=
T

Occupancy: It measures the amount of time the detector is active/on.

P off
(t − tion )
o= i i
T

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Measuring Traffic
Variables from Point Sensors

Headway: It is the time taken between the arrivals of the front end of
successive vehicles.
hi = tion − ti−1
on

Note that a vehicle’s headway is defined with respect to the vehicle in

front.
Gap: It is the time between the ar-
Vehicle 𝑖 − 1
rival of the arrival of the rear end of
the lead vehicle and the front end of
the following vehicle.

Space
Vehicle 𝑖
gi = tion − ti−1
off

𝑔𝑖
Gap may be viewed as the time to ℎ𝑖
collision if the lead vehicle came to
an abrupt stop. 𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑓𝑓 Time

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Measuring Traffic
Variables from Point Sensors

Flow and average of the headway are related to each other.

∆N ∆N 1
q= =P =
T i hi h

Speed: Speed of individual are easy to measure using mobile sensors

(Why?) Using point sensors, we can compute average of speeds across
multiple vehicles. This is called time-mean speed.
1 X
vt = vi
∆N
i

A vehicle’s speed can be measured if it’s length li is known.

li
vi =
tioff − tion

If a loop detector of width d is used, the numerator can be replaced by

d + li . 37/41
Lecture 1 Introduction
Measuring Traffic
Variables from Space Sensors

Spatial description of traffic from typically takes the form

𝑖−1 𝑖
Density or Concentration: It is the

Space
number of vehicles in a unit length of
the road.
∆N
k= 𝑠𝑖
L
Spacing: It is the distance between
the current vehicle and its lead vehi-
cle.
si = xi−1 − xi
Time

Temporal information from such sensors can be obtained by taking multiple

snapshots.

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Measuring Traffic
Variables from Space Sensors

Just as flow and average headway, density and average spacing are also
inverses.
∆N ∆N 1
k= =P =
L i s i s

Speeds of individual vehicles can also be aggregated across space to derive

space-mean speed.
P
vi
vs = i
L

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Measuring Traffic
Speeds

Time- and Space-mean average speeds are usually different,

especially when traffic conditions are not homogeneous.

For example, consider a two-lane highway where each car

in the right lane has a speed 60 kmph and that on the left
lane has a speed 30 kmph.

Suppose that the vehicles are uniformly spaced and that the
flow of vehicles on both lanes is 1200 vehicles per hour.

What are the time- and space-mean average speeds?

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Your Moment of Zen

https://youtu.be/7UF-S2czdCk

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