TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING.

1. The Profession of Transportation

Transportation has played a significant role in facilitating

Trade, commerce, conquest and social interaction, while consuming a considerable portion of time and
Resources. The primary need for transportations are economic, involving personal travel in search of
food or work, travel for exchanges of goods and commodities, Exploration, personal fulfillment and
improvement of the societies.

2. Importance of Transportation

It helps in tapping natural resources, access to markets and maintains a competitive edge over other
regions and links the nations closely to the quality of transportation systems. The speed, cost, and the
capacity of available transportation have a significant impact on the economic vitality of an area and the
ability to make maximum use of its natural resources.

Traffic Survey/Engineering Studies

The availability of highway transportation has provided several advantages that contribute to a high
standard of living. But several problems related to the highway mode of transportation exist. These
problems are:

1.Highway related crashes.

2.Parking difficulties.

3. Congestion and Delays.

To reduce the negative impact of highway, we have to collect adequate information that describes the
extent of the problems and identifies their locations. Such information is collected by organizing and
conducting traffic survey studies. Methods of collecting and Analyzing data are:

1.Traffic Volume studies

2. Origin and Destination studies

3. spot speed studies

4.Speed and delay studies

5.Pedestrian studies

6.Pariking studies

7.Accident studies

1.Traffic Volume Studies.

Traffic volume studies are conducted to collect data on the number of vehicles or pedestrians that
pass a point on a highway facility during a specified time period. This time period varies from 15minutes
to as much as a year depending on the anticipated of the data. The data collected is put into subclasses
which includes directional movement, occupancy rate, vehicles classification and pedestrian age. Traffic
volume studies are conducted when certain volume characteristics are needed, This includes:

A. Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT):

It is the average of 24hours counts collected every day of the year.

AADTs are used in several traffic and transportation analysis for:

1.for estimation of highway user revenues.

2. For the computation of crash rates in terms of the number of crashes for per 100 million vehicle miles.

3. For the establishment of traffic volume trends.

4. For the evaluation of economics feasibility of highway projects.

5. For the development of freeway and major arterial street systems.

6. For the development improvement and maintenances programs.

B. Average Daily Traffic (ADT):

It’s the average of 24hours counts collected over a number of days greater than one but less than a year.
ADTs are used for:

1.Planning of highway activities.

2. Measurement of current demand.

3. Evaluation of existing traffic flow

Significant of Traffic Volume study:

To find a classified traffic volume i.e. the number of vehicles passing per hour, day, week month or year.

Methods of Conducting Traffic Volume Study:

1. Manual Count; deploy people to count and record the vehicles in the standard format sheet using
tally marks.

2. Videography; install camera at a particular location and record for a duration of your voice, come to
the office and watch the video and count as for the manual count.

3. Automatic traffic counters-cum-classifiers; this is the most sophisticated method. Install sensors on
the road, based on the dimension of the vehicle, the sensor records the type of the vehicle.

Application of Traffic Volume Data/Uses.

1.They are used in geometric design and redesign of roadway facilities.

2.Are used in traffic projections

3.are used in traffic operations and regulations

4. Are used in pavement design, overlay design.

5.Are used in the design of intersection.

2. Origin and Destination Studies.

Significant of O-D Studies

It’s used to collect trip related information such as origin, destination, direction of travel, selection of
routes, trip length and frequency.

Methods of conducting O-D Study.

 Road - side interview: You randomly stop the vehicles and ask the drivers.
 License plate: At all corridors point, record the number plate of every vehicle passing at a
particular car passing at any location.
 Return post card: The vehicle gets a post card at every starting point and hand it over at the
destination.
 Tag – on -car.
 Home interviews.

Application of O – D Data.

1.Traffic projections; Use the base traffic to project for future traffic volume.

2.Desire line diagram – locate expressways, Major routes.

3.Decision of providing preferential routes bypass.

4.Planning public transport system.

5.Deciding adequacy of existing routines and planning of new routes.

3. Spot Speed Studies.

Spot Speed Studies are conducted to estimate the distribution of speed of vehicles in a stream of traffic
at a particular location on a highway.

The speed of a vehicle is defined as the rate of movement of the vehicle; and it is expressed in miles per
hour (mi/h) or kilometers per hour(km/h). A spot speed study is carried out by recording the speed of a
sample of a vehicle at a specific location. spot characteristics determine from a spot speed study may be
used to:

Significant of spot speed studies.

 To find instantaneous speed of a vehicle at a point.

Methods of conducting spot speed studies.

 Manual method.
 Radar speed meter.
 Graphic recorder.

Application of Spot Speed Data.

 To establish parameters for Traffic operations and control such as speed zones, speed limits (85th
percentile speed is commonly used as the speed limit on a road) and passing restrictions.
 To evaluate effective traffic control devices such as variable message signs at work zones.
 To monitor effect of speed enforcement programs, such as the use of drone radar and the use of
differential speed limits for passenger cars and trucks.
 To determines the adequacy of highway geometric characteristics, such as radii horizontal
curves and lengths of vertical curves.
 To evaluate effects of speed on highway safety through the analysis of crash data for different
speed characteristics.
 To determine speed trends.
 To determine whether speeding complains are valid.

4.Travel Time and Delay Studies.

A travel time study determines the amount of time required to travel from one point to another
on a given route. In conducting such a study, information may also be collected on the locations,
duration, and causes of delays. this is done, the study is known as a travel time and delay study.
Data obtained from a travel time and delay studies give a good indication of the level of service
on the study section. These data also aided the traffic engineer in identifying problem locations
which may require attention in order to improve the overall flow of traffic on the route.

Significant of Travel Time and Delay Studies.

 To find fluctuations in speeds and details related to delay.

Methods of Conducting Travel Time and Delay Studies.

 Floating car method; placed people in a test car to record number of vehicles overtaken or have
overtaken them from point A to point B.
 License plate method.
 Photographic technique.

Applications of Travel Time and Delay Data.

 To determine the efficiency of a route with respect to its ability to carry traffic.
 To identify locations with relatively high delays and the causes for those delays.
 To performs before and after studies to evaluate the effectiveness of traffic operation
improvements.
 To determine relative efficiency of a route by developing sufficiency ratings or congestion
indices.
 To determination of travel times on specific links for use in trip assignment models.
 To Compile travel time data that may be used in trend studies to evaluate the changes in
efficiency and level of service with time.
 To performs economic studies to evaluates traffic operation alternatives that reduces travel
time.
 5.Pedestrian Studies.

Significant of conducting pedestrian studies’

 To find parameters related to pedestrian movements.

Methods of Conducting Pedestrian Studies.

 Manual count.
 Videography.

Applications of Pedestrian Studies Data.

 Decide whether separate pedestrian facility is needed.

 Designing pedestrian facilities like footpath, pedestrian underpass/subways, foot over bridge.

6. Parking Studies.

Any vehicle traveling on a highway will at one time or another be parked for either a relatively short
time or a much longer time, depending on the reason for parking.