CEE531

TRANSPORTATION
ENGINEERING

1
TRAFFIC FLOW CHARACTERISTICS
 BASIC TRAFFIC VARIABLES

The basic variables of the traffic stream are:

a. Speed = u (mile per hour, mph)
b. Volume = q (vehicle per hour, vph)
c. Density = k (vehicle per mile, vpm)
 SPEED

• Speed:
The distance traveled by a vehicle during a
unit of time (mph)

• Usually, speeds take the

normal probability
distribution
 Time Mean Speed
Time mean speed (spot speed), ut = average
speeds of a group of vehicles at one point (using
radar or very short section).

u i
ut = i=1

n
Time mean speed is the arithmetic mean of
speeds.
 Space Mean Speed

Space mean speed (average travel speed), us= average speeds of a

group of vehicles at a long section.

us =
 l i
=
L
t i T
Space Mean Speed versus Time
Mean Speed
 s2  t2
u s  ut ut = u s + u s = ut −
us ut

Where:
 and 
2
s
2
t = the variances of us and u t
respectively.
 AVERAGE RUNNING SPEED

Average running speed = another

type of space mean speed,

Only the time while the vehicle

in motion is considered
(Stopping time is excluded)
 VOLUME

Volume:
is the number of vehicles that pass a point a long a
roadway or traffic lane per unit of time (vehicle per
day= vpd, vph, vpm).

Flow Rate:
is the equivalent hourly rate for vehicles passing
along a roadway or for traffic during an interval
less than one hour (usually 15 minute) vehicle per
hour (vph).
 PEAK HOUR FACTOR (PHF)
Peak hour: a single hour of the day that has highest hourly
volume.
PHF: is the ratio of the peak hour volume to the peak rate
of flow within the hour.
Example-2:
Time Period No. of Vehicles Rate of Flow (vph)
6:00-6:15 500 2000
6:15-6:30 575 2300
6:30-6:45 500 2000
6:45-7:00 425 1700
Total 2000 vph

PHF = 2000/2300 = 0.87

 AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC (ADT)

ADT: is the number of vehicles that pass on the roadway during a

period of 24 hours over certain number of days.

If the number of days is 365 it becomes AADT (Average Annual

Daily Traffic).
 DESIGN HOURLY VOLUME (DHV)

DHV:
is a future hourly volume that is used for design. It
is usually based on the 30th highest hourly volume
of the design year
Present volume should be projected to the future
F = P x (1+g)n
Where:
F = Future Value
P = Present Value
g = growth rate
n = number of years
 TIME HEADWAY

- Time headway (h): the difference between the time the front of a
vehicle arrives at a point on the highway and the front of the next
vehicle arrives at that same point (sec)

- Time headway distribution helps to measure platooning in the

traffic stream and can be used to obtain delay measures due to
various traffic control
 TIME HEADWAY

Average time headway ht, expressed as seconds per vehicle

3600
ht =
q
Where:
q = flow rate (vph)
3600 = number of seconds in an hour
 DISTANCE HEADWAY

- Spacing or distance headway is the distance between the front

bumpers of successive vehicles at any given instant

- Spacing has a great effect on the drivers choice of speed

 DISTANCE HEADWAY

5280 5280
hd = = ht u s 
k 3600
Where:
hd: average space headway and it is
expressed as ft/veh
5280 = the number of feet in one mile
 TRAFFIC FLOW RELATIONSHIPS

Traffic variable relationships between volume, speed, and density involves

interrupted and uninterrupted flow

Uninterrupted Flow:
is defined as a condition in which a vehicle traversing a section of lane or
roadway is not required to stop by any cause external to the traffic stream.
 TRAFFIC VARIABLES RELATIONSHIPS

Interrupted Flow:
is defined as a condition in which a vehicle traversing a section of a
lane or roadway is required to stop by a cause outside the traffic
stream, such as signs or signals at intersections or junctions

Stoppage of vehicles by a cause internal to the traffic stream does not

constitute interrupted flow
FLOW-SPACE MEAN SPEED
RELATIONSHIP
Uf

Space mean speed

Uncongested
Flow

Congested Flow

0 qmax
Flow
 FLOW-DENSITY
RELATIONSHIP

qmax
Flow

0 kc kj
Density
 DENSITY-SPACE MEAN SPEED
RELATIONSHIP

- The relationship is approx linear with –ve slope

uf

Speed
- As density increase, the
• speed of the vehicles in the traffic stream decreases

- Free flow speed occurs at

low density, point Density kj
(approach) to zero)
(assume one vehicle on the
road)
FLOW, SPEED, DENSITY
RELATIONSHIPS
 TRAFFIC STREAM MODELS

Volume (vph) = Speed (mph) x Density (vpm)

q = usk
 TRAFFIC STREAM
MODELS, GREENSHEILDS
MODEL (LINEAR)

− uf uf kj
u =uf k qmax =
kj 4

- Where:
u = space-mean speed
uf = free low speed
kj = jam density
 TRAFFIC STREAM MODELS, GREENBERGS
MODEL (LOGARITHMIC)

kj
u = u m ln( )
k
- Where:
u = space-mean speed
um = speed at qmax
kj = jam density
 THEORIES OF TRAFFIC FLOW

Traffic Flow Theory:

Is a discipline that attempts to analyze the traffic
stream from a theoretical standpoint

- The three best known approaches are:

1. Hydrodynamic Analogies
2. Car Following Theory
3. Queuing Theory
 THEORIES OF TRAFFIC FLOW

Hydrodynamic Analogies:
- The basic assumption is that high-density
traffic will behave like a continuous fluid having
a certain density and fluid velocity
 CAR FOLLOWING THEORY

- It is a microscopic model, describes vehicular

flow as a series of inter- vehicular interactions

- Basic premise of this theory is that a driver

reacts to the movements of the car in front of
him

- The main assumption is that a driver tries to

keep the relative speed between his vehicle
and the vehicle in front of him as small as
possible
 QUEUING THEORY
- It is a microscopic model, it is concerned with
waiting queues and their delays

- The models consists of three elements:

a. arrival characteristics (input)
b. Servicing characteristic (output)
c. Queuing procedures (servicing)