TRAFFIC

ENGINEERING
 Traffic Engineering

A branch of civil
engineering which
deals with the
application of scientific
principles, tools,
techniques and findings
for safe and convenient
economic movement of
people and goods.
The basic objective of traffic
engineering is to achieve efficient,
free, and rapid flow of traffic with
the least number of accidents.
STUDY OF TRAFFIC
ENGINEERING
 The study of traffic engineering may be
divided into the following sections:

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Traffic
Characteristics
Road user characteristics:
• Physical characteristics – vision, hearing, strength,
and reaction to traffic situation

• Mental characteristics – knowledge, skill,

intelligence, experience, literacy

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Traffic
• PsychologicalCharacteristics
characteristics – emotional factors
such as fear, anger, anxiety

• Environmental factors – traffic stream conditions,

atmospheric conditions, facilities to the traffic
locality

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Traffic
Characteristics
Vehicular characteristics:
• Static characteristics – involves the dimensions of
the vehicles (length, width, height, wheel base,
departure and ramp angles, front, rear, and center
clearances), weight, maximum turning angle

• Dynamic characteristics – speed, acceleration,

power, and braking characteristics

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Traffic Studies and
Analysis
It is also called as traffic census or surveys. It involves
analyzing the traffic characteristics for road designs,
safe and efficient movement for traffic and control.
These are classified as the following:

• Traffic volume study

• Speed studies
• Origin and destination study
• Traffic flow characteristics
Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Traffic Studies and
• Analysis
Traffic capacity study
• Parking study
• Accident studies

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Traffic volume study
Traffic volume is the number of vehicles crossing a
section of road per unit time at any selected period.
The unit for traffic count is generally taken as vehicles
per day or vehicles per hour.

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Speed studies
Speed can be studied under the following:
• Travel time – the reciprocal of speed and is a simple
measure of how well the road network is operating

• Spot speed – the instantaneous speed of a vehicle at

a specified section or location

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Speed studies
• Average speed – the average of the spot speeds of
all the passing vehicles at a given point on the
highway

• Running speed – the average speed maintained by a

vehicle over a particular stretch of a road, while the
vehicle is in its first motion.

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Speed studies
• Overall speed and travel speed – the effective speed
with which a vehicle transverses a particular route
between two terminals

Speed studies give the general trend in speeds. There

are two types carried out:
• Spot speed study
• Speed and delay study

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Origin and Destination
Study
The origin and destination (OD) study is carried out
mainly to: plan the road network and other facilities for
vehicular traffic; and plan the schedule of different
modes of transportation for the trip demands of
commuters.

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Methods for gathering OD
• data– the vehicles are
Road side interview method
stopped at a decided location by a group of persons
to answer questionnaires regarding origin,
destination, purpose, etc.

• License plate method – After collecting the license

plate number data in an area, major computation
work and analysis is done in office by tracking the
vehicle number and its time of entering and leaving.
Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Methods for gathering OD
• data
Return post card method – pre-paid business reply
cards with return address are distributed along the
route to the owners of the vehicles. The
questionnaire to be filled by the road user is printed
on the cards. The distributing stations for the cards
may be selected where vehicles have to stop, as in
case of a toll booth. This method is suitable for heavy
traffic area.

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Methods for gathering OD
• Tag on car method – adata
pre-coded card is struck on
the vehicle as it enters the area under study. When
the vehicles leave the study area, observations are
recorded on the tag. This method is suitable for
heavy traffic area.

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Methods for gathering OD
• data
Home interview method – a random sample of the
population is selected and the residencies are trained
personnel who collect the travel data from each
member of the house. The data collected is useful for
planning road network and various vehicular
facilities.

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Methods for gathering OD
• data– the transportation
Work spot interview method
needs of work trips can be planned collecting the O
and D data work at spots like offices, factories,
educational institutions, etc.

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Traffic flow characteristics
The study of traffic flow characteristics includes both
transverse and longitudinal distribution of vehicles in
the traffic stream and is useful in geometric design
features such as traffic capacity, volume, number of
lanes, and width of carriageways.

The study is also very much needed to decide traffic

regulatory measure for the design of traffic control
methods.
Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Traffic capacity studies
Traffic capacity is the ability of a roadway to
accommodate traffic volume. It is expressed as the
maximum number of vehicles in a lane or a road that
can pass at a unit time.

Traffic volume is the number of vehicles moving in a

specified direction on a given lane and roadway that
pass a given point or cross-section during a specified
unit of time.
Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Traffic capacity studies
Basic capacity is the maximum number of passenger
cars that can pass a given point on a lane or roadway
during one hour under the most nearly ideal roadway
and traffic conditions which can possibly be attained.
Basic capacity is the theoretical capacity.

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Traffic capacity studies
Possible capacity is the maximum capacity that can
pass a given point on a lane or roadway during one
hour under prevailing roadway or traffic conditions.
The possible capacity is much lower than the basic
capacity. But when the prevailing conditions approach
the ideal conditions, the possible capacity approaches
the basic capacity. Thus the value of possible capacity
varies from zero to basic capacity.

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Traffic capacity studies
Practical capacity is the maximum number of vehicles
that can pass a given point or roadway during one
hour, without density being so great as to cause
unreasonable delay, hazard, or restriction to the
driver’s freedom to maneuver under prevailing
roadway and traffic conditions.

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Parking studies
Parking studies are useful to evaluate the facilities
available. Various aspects to be investigated during
parking studies are:

• Parking demand – one method is by counting the

number of vehicles in the parked area under study
during different periods of the day

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Parking studies
• Parking characteristics – the study is directed to
note the present parking practices prevalent in the
are under consideration and general problems in
parking.

• Parking space inventory – the area under study is

fully surveyed and a map is prepared showing all
places where offset parking can be provided to meet
the general problems of parking.
Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Accident studies
The various objectives of the accident studies may be
listed as:
• To study the causes of accident and to suggest
corrective treatment at potential location

• To support the proposed design

• To carry out studies before and after for

improvement
Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Accident studies
• To make financial computations and to give
economic justifications for the improvements
suggested by the traffic engineer

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Causes of accidents
• Road users
• Vehicles
• Road and its conditions
• Environmental factors
• Other causes – incorrect signs and signals, gate of
level crossing, badly located advertised boards, etc.

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Traffic planning and analysis
The improper planning of roadways network and
facilities is yet another reason for accidents and
congestions. Hence, proper transportation planning is
necessary. The transportation planning process is
developed in a series of stages:
1. Inventories – information related to land use,
economic activity, population, travel characteristics
collected through a series of surveys.

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Traffic planning and analysis
2. Trip generation – concerns with the estimation of
number of trips produced in a given zone.

3. Trip distribution – trips generated and attracted from

each are distributed to any other zone. The most
important method used for this procedure is gravity
model.

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Traffic planning and analysis
4. Model split – the proportion of total trips between
any two zones that can be shared between the public
and private transportation system is determined in this
stage.

5. Traffic assignment – it is done by a method called

“all or nothing”.

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation
 Traffic planning and analysis
6. Plan preparation and evaluation – the steps taken
above will enable the various land use strategies and
travel demand to be explored.

Traffic
Administration
Traffic Traffic Studies operation Planning and Geometric
and
Characteristics and Analysis control and Analysis Design
Management
regulation