Basic Elements of Highway Traffic Analysis The functional effectiveness of a highway is measured in terms of its ability to assist and

accommodate the flow of vehicles with both safety and efficiency. In order to measure its level of effectiveness, certain parameters associated with the highway must be measured and analysed. These include: Quantity of traffic Type of vehicles within the traffic stream Distribution of flow over a period of time (usually 24 hrs) Average speed of the traffic stream Density of the traffic flow This process of examination is termed traffic analysis. The traffic flow, q, is a measure of the volume of traffic on a highway, is defined as the number of vehicles, n, passing some given point on the highway in a given time interval, t, i.e.:
q= n vehicles per unit time. t

The number of vehicles on a given section of highway can also be computed in terms of the density (or concentration) of the traffic as follows:
k= n where k is a measure of the number of vehicles, n, l

occupying a length of roadway, l.

For a given stretch of road containing k vehicles per unit length l, the average speed of the k vehicles is termed the space mean speed u.

u=

( 1 n)
t

i=l

n n n l l qk = = = = u t l t n t

Flow equals speed times density

q = uk

This constitutes the basic relationship between traffic flow, space mean speed and density.