Traffic Concepts

Winter 2006
CEE 320

CEE 320
Steve Muench
 Outline

1. Basic Concepts
a. Flow Rate
b. Spacing
c. Headway
d. Speed
e. Density
2. Relationships
3. Example
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 Concepts

• Definitions
• Volume, Speed, Density relationships
• Speed
– Space mean speed
– Time mean speed
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 Flow Rate (q)

• The number of vehicles (n) passing some

designated roadway point in a given time interval
(t)

n
q
t

• Units are typically vehicles/hour

• Flow rate is different than volume
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 Spacing

• The distance (ft) between successive

vehicles in a traffic stream, as measured
from front bumper to front bumper
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 Headway (h)

• The time (in seconds) between successive

vehicles, as their front bumpers pass a
given point.

n
n 1
t   hi q n

h
i 1
h
i 1
i
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 Headway
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From HCM 2000

 Speed

• Time mean speed (spot speed)

– Arithmetic mean of all instantaneous vehicle
speeds at a given “spot” on a roadway section

• Space mean speed (u)

– The mean travel speed of vehicles traversing a
roadway segment of a known distance (d)
– More useful for traffic applications
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 Space Mean Speed

• It is the harmonic mean (1/H = 1/a + 1/b + …)

1 n
 li
1
n
u  i 1 t   t1l1  t 2l2  ...  t nln 
t n

• Space mean speed is always less than time

mean speed
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 Time Mean vs. Space Mean Speed
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From HCM 2000

 Density (k)

• The number of vehicles (n)

occupying a given length (l)
of a lane or roadway at a
particular instant

• Unit of density is vehicles

per mile (vpm).

n q
k 
l u
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 Other Concepts
• Free-flow speed (uf)
• Jam density (kj)
• Capacity (qm)
5,280
Density  veh / mi  
spacing  ft / veh 

spacing  ft / veh 
Headway  s / veh  
speed  ft / s 

3,600
Flow rate  veh / hr  
headway  s / veh
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CEE 320
 Speed vs. Density

 k 
u  u f 1  
 k 
 j 
uf
Free Flow Speed
Speed (mph)

kj
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Density (veh/mile) Jam Density

CEE 320
 Flow vs. Density

 k 2 
q  uf k  
 k 
 j 

Optimal flow, Congested Flow

capacity, qm
FLow (veh/hr)

km kj
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Uncongested Flow Optimal density Jam Density

CEE 320

Density (veh/mile)
 Speed vs. Flow

 u 2 
q  k j u  
 u 
uf
Free Flow Speed
 f 
Uncongested Flow
Speed (mph)

um

Optimal flow,
Congested Flow Flow (veh/hr) capacity, qm
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CEE 320
Winter 2006

3-D Model
 Example
I-5 over the ship canal bridge has 4 lanes in each direction. The
northbound capacity is 8200 veh/hr/lane and the free-flow speed
is 65 mph. What is the maximum flow rate, maximum density,
jam density? If a one-hour vehicle count in the northbound
direction for the outside lane gives 7034 vehicles in a non-
congested condition, what is the estimated space mean speed
of these 7034 vehicles?
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 Traffic – Time of Day Patterns
9.00%

8.00%

7.00%
Percent of Daily Traffic

6.00%

5.00%

4.00%
Rural Cars
3.00% Business Day Trucks
Through Trucks
Urban Cars
2.00%

1.00%

0.00%
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1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23
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Hour of Day
From WSDOT 2003 Annual Traffic Report
From WSDOT 2003 Annual Traffic Report
 Estimated Weekday Volume Profile: GP and HOV Lanes (Nov 98)
I-405 NE 37th St GP SB

2500

2000

1500

GP

1000

HOV
500

0
12 AM 2 AM 4 AM 6 AM 8 AM 10 AM 12 PM 2 PM 4 PM 6 PM 8 PM 10 PM
 Estimated Volume and Speed Conditions (2/17/00)
I-5 NE 45th St-SB GP SB

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0
12 AM 2 AM 4 AM 6 AM 8 AM 10 AM 12 PM 2 PM 4 PM 6 PM 8 PM 10 PM
 Estimated GP and HOV Volume and Speed Conditions
I-5 S Spokane St GP NB

2500
Saturday, J uly 31, 1999 Data
Multicolor =Average GP Lane
Gray =HOV Lane

2000

1500

1000

500

HOV speed < 45 mph

0
12 AM 2 AM 4 AM 6 AM 8 AM 10 AM 12 PM 2 PM 4 PM 6 PM 8 PM 10 PM
 Estimated Weekday Volume, Speed, and Reliability Conditions (1999)
I-405 NE 37th St GP NB

2500 100

90

2000 80
GP

70

1500 60

50

HOV
1000 40

30

500 20

10

0 0
12 AM 2 AM 4 AM 6 AM 8 AM 10 AM 12 PM 2 PM 4 PM 6 PM 8 PM 10 PM
 SR 520Traffic Profile
General Purpose Lanes
Westbound 1997 Weekday Average East bound
NE 60th St.

148th Ave.

405

B’vue. Way

92nd Ave.

84th Ave.

520

Lk. Wash.

Ar
bo
re
Montlake Blvd.tum

5
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12
AM Time PM AM Time PM

Uncongested, near Restricted movement More heavily congested, Extremely congested,

speed limit but near speed limit 45 - 55 mph unstable flow
 Primary References

• Mannering, F.L.; Kilareski, W.P. and Washburn, S.S. (2005). Principles

of Highway Engineering and Traffic Analysis, Third Edition. Chapter 5

• Transportation Research Board. (2000). Highway Capacity Manual

2000. National Research Council, Washington, D.C.
Winter 2006
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