Concept of Highway Capacity

Level of Service Concept

• When a road is carrying a traffic volume equal to its capacity under ideal
roadway and traffic conditions, the service offered by the road to the road
user becomes poor and the driving speed drops leading to an increase in
travel time as there is no overtaking opportunity.
• Thus, the service offered by a roadway to the road user can vary
depending on the traffic volume.
• Level of Service denotes the level of facility that can be derived from
a road under different traffic volumes and operating conditions.
• The concept of level of service is defined as a qualitative measure of
the operating conditions in a traffic stream and the perception of
these conditions by drivers and passengers
The following factors are considered in
evaluating the level of service:
(i) Operating speed and travel time/journey time.
(ii) Traffic interruptions and restrictions – speed changes and delays
involved.
(iii) Freedom to manoeuvre to maintain the operating speed.
(iv) Driving comfort
(v) Economy, with minimum operating cost of vehicle
Factors Affecting Capacity and Level of
Service:
The factors affecting capacity and level of service fall under two heads:
(a) Roadway Conditions:
1. Lane width – A width of 3.65 m is considered ideal for smooth flow.
Smaller widths than this will reduce the capacity up to 25 per cent.
Distance from the edge of the carriageway to an obstruction is also
an important factor which can affect capacity.
2. Lateral clearance – Lateral obstructions may be abutments
such as sign posts, light poles and parked cars; if these are
located closer than 1.83 m from the edge of a traffic lane, it
reduces the capacity.
Factors Affecting Capacity and Level of
Service:
4. Shoulders – They help to maintain traffic flow. Paved shoulders of
1.2 m width increase the effective width of the lane by 0.3m.
5. Horizontal alignment – Sharp curves and restrictive sight
distances are also factors which tend to reduce lane capacity.
The highway capacity manual contains tables to account for
the influence of these factors on capacity.
6. Gradient – Gradients affect the speed of the vehicles, especially
trucks, and have an adversely impact on the capacity.
Factors Affecting Capacity and Level of
Service:
8. Pavement surface condition – A deteriorated pavement surface
condition is known to adversely affect the capacity but the Manual
states that adequate data are not available to develop adjustment
factors to consider this.
Traffic Conditions:
• The capacity and level of service are affected by the composition of
different types of vehicles in the stream, variation of traffic flow,
traffic interruption, and lane distribution.
• The number of traffic lanes, vehicular and driver characteristics, and
one- or two-way traffic movements have a direct bearing on the lane
or highway capacity.
Capacity of Rural Roads:
The latest IRC recommendations for design service volumes are given
below:
Classification of Level of Services
Level A –
• Free flow, with low volumes and high speeds low traffic density
speed controlled by driver’s desires and physical roadway
conditions.
• There is no restriction on maneuverability due to the presence
of other vehicles.
Classification of Level of Services
Level B –
• Zone of stable flow, operating speeds beginning to be restricted
by traffic conditions. There is reasonable freedom to select
speed and lane.
• The lower limit of this level (lowest speed and highest volume)
is associated with service volume used in the design of rural
highways
Classification of Level of Services
Level C –
• Still in the zone of stable flow, but speeds and maneuverability
more closely controlled by higher volumes.
• Drivers are restricted regarding speeds lane changes and
overtaking manoeuvres.
• A relatively satisfactory operating speed is still obtained, with
service volumes suitable for urban design practice.
Classification of Level of Services
Level D –
Approaches unstable flow, the operating speed is tolerable, but
considerably affected by changes in operating conditions.
Fluctuations in volume and restrictions to flow may cause
substantial drops in operating speed.
Drivers have little freedom to manoeuvre. Comfort and
convenience are low but can be tolerated for short periods.
Classification of Level of Services
Level E –
• This level cannot be described by speed alone.
• It is also determined by volumes at or near highway capacity.
• Typical speeds are 50km/h. Flow is unstable and there may be
stoppages of short durations.
Classification of Level of Services
Level F –
• At this level, there are forced operations at low speeds resulting
in volumes below capacity.
• Queues of vehicles piling up from a restriction downstream
serve as a storage area during peak hour.
• Substantial reduction in speeds and stoppages may occur for
short or long duration because of downstream congestion.
• In the extreme, both speed and volume can drops to zero.
Capacity of Urban Roads
Capacity values for urban roads (between intersections suggested by
the IRC are given below: