4140 Principles of

Transportation
Engineering

ENGR. RYAN PAUL E. NILLO, MSCE

Department of Civil Engineering
School of Engineering, Architecture &
Information Technology
[email protected]
TRANSPORTATION CAPACITY ANALYSIS

Definition Flow

Nature Characteristics
TRANSIT CAPACITY

Vehicle Capacity
Person Capacity
Vehicle Capacity
refers to the number of transit units (buses or trains)
that can be served by a given transit facility.

Defined in 3 Locations:
1. Loading Areas or Berths
2. Transit Stops
3. Bus Lanes and Transit Routes
LOADING AREAS/BERTHS
TRANSIT STOPS
BUS LANES AND TRANSIT ROUTES
Person Capacity
refers to the number of people that can be carried past a
particular location during a given period of time, under
specified operating conditions and without
unreasonable delay, hazard, or restriction.

Defined in 3 basic factors:

1. Operator Policy
2. Passenger Demand Characteristics
3. Vehicle capacity
OPERATOR POLICY
PASSENGER DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS
VEHICLE CAPACITY
TRANSIT CAPACITY
CONCEPTS

(Loading Areas)
Loading Areas
For buses, a loading area (sometimes called bus berth)
refers to the space dedicated for the bus to stop in order
to load and unload passengers.

3 Primary factors in determining the capacity.

1. Dwell Time
2. Dwell time Variability
3. Clearance Time
Dwell Time
is the time required to serve passengers plus the time
required to open and close the doors of the vehicle.
Dwell Time Variability
accounts for the fact that the dwell time at a given stop
is likely to vary depending upon the actual passenger
demand present.
Clearance Time
is the time that elapses after the moment the vehicle
closes its doors until it clears the stop.
 TRANSIT CAPACITY
CONCEPTS

(Stations and Terminals)

Stations and Terminals
These are the second locations where vehicle capacity
is determined and, for buses, they typically consist of
one or more loading areas.

2 General Divisions
1. Bus Stops
2. On Street Bus Stops
Bus Stops
Typically located Off-street
On Street Bus Stops
located curbside in one of three locations:
(a) nearside (i.e., buses stop immediately before the
intersection)
(b) farside (buses stop after the intersection)
(c) midblock.
 TRANSIT CAPACITY
CONCEPTS

(Bus Lanes and Transit Routes)

Bus Lanes and Transit Routes
• Bus Lanes refer to any lane on a roadway in which
buses operate.
• Transit Routes are dedicated to the sole use of a
transit vehicle.

Bus lanes are divided into 3 types:

1. Type 1
2. Type 2
3. Type 3
Type 1
buses do not make use of the adjacent lane.
Type 2
partial use of the adjacent lane, which they would
typically share with other traffic.
Type 3
two lanes are provided for the exclusive use of buses.
BUS CAPACITY ANALYSIS
METHODOLOGY
Bus Capacity Analysis Methodology
Transit capacity for buses is calculated for three
locations: loading areas, bus stops and bus lanes.

Several factors affect the capacity of transit facilities:

• dwell time
• the coefficient of variation of dwell time
• clearance time
• failure rate
• passenger loads
• skip-stop operation
Dwell time
➢ refers to the time that elapses while a bus is stopped
at a bus stop serving passengers
➢ Specifically, it is the time required to serve
passengers at the busiest door plus the time of
opening and closing the doors.
Determining Dwell Time and Maximum Load Point
Plans are underway for a bus route serving the central business
district and having 10 stops. The route will use 42-seat buses
and will require exact fare on boarding. The door opening and
closing time is 4 s, and all passengers will be required to board
the bus through the front door and alight through the back
door. The potential ridership for the route is predicted to follow
the pattern shown below:
Determining Dwell Time and Maximum Load Point
Studies have shown that the boarding time is 3 s/passenger
when no standees are present and that the presence of
standees increases the boarding time to 3.50 s/passenger.
Alighting time is estimated to be equal to 2 s/ passenger.
Determine the dwell time at the maximum load point.
Given:

Pa
Pb

toc (door opening and closing time) = 4s

tb (Boarding time) = 3 s/passenger if no standees
= 3.5 s/pass. if standees are present
ta (Alighting time) = 2 s/passenger
 x ta
x tb

x2

x3 x 3.5 x3
Coefficient of Variation of Dwell time
➢ is computed by dividing the standard deviation of the
observed dwell times at a bus stop by the mean dwell
time.
➢ Experience has shown that this coefficient ranges
between 40 and 80%. A value equal to 60% can be
assumed in the absence of field observations.
Clearance Time
➢ consists of two components:
(1) the time needed for the bus to start up and travel its
own length, thus exiting the bus stop
(2) the time needed by the bus to reenter traffic in case
of off-line bus stops.
➢ Studies have shown that the start-up time for buses
is typically in the range of 2 to 5 s and that the time
needed by the bus to travel its length ranges between
5 and 10 s. Therefore, for on-line bus stops, the
clearance time can be assumed to be equal to 10 s.
Clearance Time
➢ For off-line stops, the time
needed by the bus to reenter
the traffic stream needs to be
added to the start-up time
and time required by the bus
to travel its own length. The
reentry delay will depend
upon the traffic volume in the
adjacent lane. In the absence
of other information, the
Table can be used to
estimate the re-entry time.
Failure Rate
➢ refers to the probability that a queue of buses will
form behind a bus stop.
Passenger Loads
➢ refer to the number of passengers in a single transit
unit. Passenger loads are often expressed in terms of
what is known as a load factor, which gives the ratio
of the number of passengers to the number of seats
on the transit vehicle (a load factor value of 1 would
mean that all seats are occupied.)
Skip-Stop Operation
➢ refers to a type of operation in which the stops are
spread and an alternating route stop pattern is
implemented (e.g., two- or three-block stop patterns).
LOADING AREA CAPACITY
Loading area Capacity
BUS STOP CAPACITY
Bus Stop Capacity
BUS LANE CAPACITY

Exclusive Urban bus lanes

Mixed traffic bus lanes
Exclusive Urban bus lanes
the vehicle capacity of an exclusive bus lane is equal to
the capacity of the critical bus stop along that lane.

Factors that affect the vehicle capacity:

1. Type of bus lane
2. Whether skip operation is implemented
3. Volume to the capacity ratio traffic in the adjacent
lane for type 2 buses.
4. Bus stop location and right turning vehicles from the
bus lane.
Adjustment Factor for Right turns
 Adjustment Factor for Right turns

Values for the bus location factor, fl , can be

obtained from the Table.The bus location
factor is a function of the bus stop location
(i.e., whether it is nearside, midblock, or
farside) and the bus lane type (Type 1, 2, or 3).
Adjustment for Skip Stop Operation
The number of buses that can be accommodated by a
series of skip stops should theoretically be equal to the
sum of the capacities of the bus routes using each stop.
This factor depends upon the arrival pattern of buses.
Random arrivals = 0.50
Typical arrivals = 0.75
Platooned arrivals = 1.00
The value of the adjacent-lane impedance factor (a)
With the adjustment factors calculated, the exclusive
urban bus lane vehicle capacity can be computed from
the equations for non-skip-stop operation and skip-stop
operation:

Non Skip Stop Operation

 With the adjustment factors calculated, the exclusive
urban bus lane vehicle capacity can be computed from
the equations for non-skip-stop operation and skip-stop
operation:

Neb (# of effective loading areas)

 With the adjustment factors calculated, the exclusive
urban bus lane vehicle capacity can be computed from
the equations for non-skip-stop operation and skip-stop
operation:

Skip Stop Operation

Mixed Traffic Bus lanes
Mixed Traffic Bus lanes
Calculating Bus Lane Capacity
A transit route has its transit vehicles operate in mixed-traffic
lanes. The route has a total of eight bus stops. The critical bus
stop, constraining vehicle capacity, is bus stop 3, which is an
on-line stop located at the nearside of a signalized intersection.
The following information regarding the operation of the bus
route has been compiled:
Determine the bus lane capacity, given that it is desired that the
probability that a queue of buses will form behind a bus stop
does not exceed 7.50%.

Max # of Buses/berth/hour

Capacity of the Bus Stop or

Max # of Buses/Bus stop/hour

Mixed traffic adjustment factor

(Since mixed traffic lanes)
Calculating Bus Lane Capacity
A transit route has its transit vehicles operate in mixed-traffic
lanes. The route has a total of eight bus stops. The critical bus
stop, constraining vehicle capacity, is bus stop 3, which is an
on-line stop located at the nearside of a signalized intersection.
The following information regarding the operation of the bus
route has been compiled:
( td)
(v)
(c)

( g and C )
( see table)
PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES
Pedestrian Speed
Pedestrian Flow
Pedestrian Density
Pedestrian Space
Pedestrian Speed
This is the average walking speed for pedestrians, which
is typically about 1.2 m/s but varies with age and
purpose of the walking trip.
Pedestrian Flow
This refers to the number of pedestrians crossing a line
of sight across the width of the pedestrian facility
perpendicular to the pedestrian path in unit time
(p/min). The pedestrian flow/unit width is equal to the
pedestrian flow divided by the effective width of the
pedestrian facility, in units of pedestrians/min/m
(p/mm/m).
Pedestrian Density
This is computed as the average number of
pedestrians/unit area of the pedestrian facility (p/m2 ).
Pedestrian Space
This refers to the average area provided for each
pedestrian. It is equal to the inverse of the density and is
expressed in units of square meter/pedestrian (m2 /p).
 Flow–Speed–Density
Relationships for Pedestrian
Traffic
Capacity Analysis and LOS
Concepts
Capacity Analysis
In the absence of other data, the capacity of a
pedestrian facility or walkway can reasonably be
assumed to be equal to 75 p/min/m or 4530 p/h/m. At
capacity, however, pedestrians’ speed is severely
impaired and would generally be around 0.75 m/s, which
is way below the typical average value of 1.2 m/s or 1.5
m/s. Given this, pedestrian facilities are typically
designed to operate well below capacity-level operation.
LOS Concepts
For LOS determination, the basic idea is to define
ranges for the space/pedestrian flow rates, and/or
speeds that correspond to different LOS. Speed is an
important measure since it can be easily measured in
the field. The speed at capacity is generally around 0.75
m/s or 45 m/min. Figure 4.17 shows a graphic
illustration and a description of the different LOS for a
walkway and the range of values for pedestrian space
and flow rates that correspond to each LOS.
Analysis Methodology
Analysis Methodology
Similar to highways, pedestrian facilities, from a traffic
flow point, can also be divided into uninterrupted and
interrupted flow facilities. In addition, several pedestrian
facilities can be distinguished, including walkways and
sidewalks, shared off-street paths, pedestrian facilities
at signalized intersections, and pedestrian facilities
along urban streets. The analysis procedures and the
LOS thresholds for these different facilities vary, and
therefore each is treated separately in this section.
Table 4.19 summarizes the different criteria for the LOS
on walkways. The table allows for using the space, unit
flow rate, speed, or the v/c ratio to determine the LOS.
For computing the v/c ratio, a value of 76 p/min/m is
assumed for the capacity. It should be noted that in the
case of significant platooning on the walkway,
determination of the LOS should be based on Table 4.20
instead of Table 4.19.
Calculating LOS for a Sidewalk

Consider a 3.5 m sidewalk segment, bordered by the

curb on one side and stores with window displays on the
other. The 15-min peak pedestrian flow on the sidewalk
is 1200 p/15 min. The effective width of the sidewalk,
after accounting for the curb and preempted width for
the stores’ window displays, is 2.5 m. Determine the LOS
during the peak 15 min on the average and within the
platoons.
 Given:
V15 (peak 15 minute flow rate) = 1200 p/15min
WE (Effective Walk width) = 2.50 m

Therefore, LOS B for average conditions

LOS C for platooned conditions
Shared Pedestrian–Bicycle
Facilities
Determining the LOS for a Shared Pedestrian–Bicycle
Facility
A shared two-way, pedestrian–bicycle facility has a
width of 2.5 m. The peak pedestrian flow on the facility
is 150 p/15 min. The bicycle flow rate is 100 bicycles/h
in the same direction as the pedestrians, and 150
bicycles/h in the opposite direction. Determine the
pedestrians’ LOS. What would the LOS be if the facility is
converted into an exclusive pedestrian facility (i.e., no
bicycles are allowed) with an effective width of 1.5 m?
Assume a pedestrian speed of 1.2 m/s and a bicycle
speed of 4.8 m/s.
Given:
Qsb (bicycle flow rate in the same direction) = 100
bicycles/hour
Qob (bicycle flow rate in the opposing direction) = 150
bicycles/hour

Sp (Mean pedestrian speed) = 1.20 m/s

Sb (Mean bicycle speed) = 4.80 m/s
Therefore, LOS D
Pedestrian Facilities at Signalized
Intersections
Determining the LOS for Pedestrian Facilities at
Signalized Intersections

Determine the LOS for pedestrians at a two-phase

signalized intersection with a cycle length of 100 s. The
phase serving the major street vehicular traffic gets 60 s
of green whereas the phase serving the minor street
vehicular traffic gets 30 s of green.
Given:
C (cycle length) = 100 seconds
g (effective green time for major street) = 60 seconds
g (effective green time for minor street) = 30 seconds
Therefore, LOS C

Therefore, LOS B