TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION

SURVEYS
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NEED FOR THE SURVEY

• to capture data that accurately reflects the real-
world traffic situation in the area
• To formulate a transportation plan
• Helps in deciding geometric design features
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Types of Surveys
• Road inventory
• Speed study
• Traffic Volume study
• Origin – Destination study
• Parking study
• Vehicle Occupancy
• Pedestrian study
• Secondary Data collection
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1. Road Inventory
• Understanding of the extent and quality of road network

• Obtain information like:

▫ road length
▫ cross-sections
▫ hierarchical pattern of roads
▫ surface condition, intersections
▫ street furniture, parking area
▫ bus bays etc.
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2. SPEED STUDY
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2. Speed study

• Spot Speed Study

• Speed and Delay Study

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Spot speed study - Use

• Planning traffic control
• For geometric design of the highway
• Analysing accidents
• Study the traffic capacity
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Spot Speed Studies

• Observation of time taken by a vehicle to cover
known distance
▫ Direct timing procedure
▫ Enoscope
▫ Pressure Contact tubes
• Radar speed meter
• Photographic method
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Direct timing procedure

• Simplest method
• Two reference points are marked on the
pavement at a suitable distance apart and an
observer starts and stops stopwatch as a vehicle
crosses these two marks
• From known distance and time speed can be
calculated
• Disadvantage : Errors due to parallax effect
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Direct timing procedure contd..

• Observation by two observers one at each
reference point
▫ First observer standing at the point in which the
vehicle pass first, signals and second observer
starts the stop watch. The second observer stops
the stop watch when he observes the same vehicle
passing the reference point.
▫ Disadvantage : reaction time of two observers
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Enoscope
• Also known as mirror box
• L-shaped box, open at both ends, with a mirror set at 45
degrees to the arms of the instrument
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Enoscope contd...

Advantages
• Eliminates parallax error
• Equipment is of low cost, simple and can set up easily
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Pressure contact tubes

• Pressure contact strips are used to indicate the time of entering and
leaving the base length. When a vehicle passes over the tube laid at
the first reference point , an air impulse is sent, which activates an
electromagnetically controlled stop watch in the hands of the
observer. When the vehicle passes over the second tube, the
stopwatch automatically stops . The reading is auto saved into
computer or noted by the observer.
• Advantage : Reduced human error, No parallax error
• Disadvantage: Pressure contact tubes are easily sensed by the
drivers which affect their behaviour
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Pressure contact tubes contd…

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Radar Speed Meter

• Works on Doppler principle
• Speed of a moving body is proportional to change in frequency
between the Radio wave transmitted to the moving body and the
radio wave received back.
• Instrument directly measures speed
• Instrument is set up near the edge of carriage way at a height of 1m
• The speed meter is so kept that the angle between direction of travel
of vehicle and axis of transmission of radio wave is as low as
possible, say within 20 degrees.
• Speed of vehicles in both directions can be observed
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Photographic Method
• Time – lapse camera photography can be used
• Photographs are taken at fixed intervals of time
on a special camera
• By projecting the film on a screen, the passage of
any vehicle can be traced with reference of time
• Images by video cameras can also be used.
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Speed and Delay Study

• The study gives running speeds, overall speeds,
fluctuations in speeds and delay between two
stations of a road
• Gives information such as the amount, location,
duration and cause of delay in the traffic stream
• Useful in detecting spot of congestion
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Speed and Delay Study - Methods

• Floating Car Method
• License plate record method
• By interview
• Elevated observation and photograhic technique
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Floating car method

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Speed and Delay Study – Methods contd…

• License plate method: Observers are stationed at the entrance
and exit of a test section where information of travel time is
required. The timings and vehicle numbers are noted by observers
of the selected sample. From the office computations, travel time of
each vehicle could be found. Cause and duration of delay and
number of delays within test section cannot be obtained.
• Interview technique: The work can be completed in a short time
by interviewing and collecting details from the road user spot.
However the data collected may not provide with all details correctly
• Elevated observation and photographic technique: Useful
for studying short test section like intersection.
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3. TRAFFIC VOLUME STUDIES

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Traffic Volume Study

• It is generally accepted as a true measure of the
relative importance of roads and in deciding the
priority for improvement and expansion.
• It is used in planning, traffic operation and
control of existing facilities and also for planning
the new facilities.
• It is used in the analysis of traffic patterns and
trends
• Useful in structural design of pavement
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Traffic Volume Study - Methods

• Manual Counting
• Automatic Counting
▫ Contact System
▫ Contact less system
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Manual Counting
• A manual classified count (MCC) involves counting all
the vehicles passing a selected location on a road for a
pre-determined period of time.
• The count is conducted by persons standing at the
roadside and recording passing vehicles on a form, hence
the term “manual traffic count”.
• The count records individual vehicles by categories (i.e. a
truck or car) and the direction they are travelling in. This
is the reason it is called a ‘classified count’.
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Manual Counting – Survey sheet

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Automatic Counting Method

• An automatic survey involves placing a tube or loop
across a road which is connected to a box containing
the means for storing the information.
• The automatic count method provides a means for
gathering large amounts of traffic data. Automatic
counts are usually taken in 1hour intervals for each
24-hour period.
• The counts may extend for a week, month, or year.
When the counts are recorded for each 24-hour time
period, the peak flow period can be identified.
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Automatic Counting Method contd…

• Two types
▫ Contact system - pneumatic, mechanical,
magnetic
▫ Contact less system - electrical/optical, ultrasound
/infrared radar, micro wave, CCTV/video image
processing method etc.
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Contact system
• Pneumatic road tube - Pneumatic road tube sensors send a
burst of air pressure along a rubber tube when a vehicle's tires pass
over the tube
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Contact system
• Mechanical
▫ Bending plate - A weight pad attached to a metal plate
embedded in the road to measure axel weight and speed. It is an
expensive device and requires alteration to the road bed
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Contact less system

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Presentation of Traffic Volume data

• Traffic flow maps
▫ Show volume along various routes by using bands proportional to
traffic volume carried
▫ Thickness of lines represent traffic volume
• Intersection flow diagrams
▫ Give direction and volume of traffic through an intersection
• Trend charts
▫ Shows the hourly , daily or monthly changes in volume through
an area
▫ Useful for planning future expansion, design and regulation
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Passenger Car Unit (PCU)

The different vehicle classes have a wide range of statics
characteristics and dynamic characteristics, apart from these
the driver behavior of the different vehicle classes is also
found to vary considerable. Therefore mixed traffic flow
characteristics are very much complex when compare to
homogeneous traffic and it is difficult to estimate the traffic
volume, capacity of roadway under the mixed traffic flow,
unless the different vehicle classes are converted to one
common standard vehicle unit.

Therefore it is a common practice to consider the passenger

car as the standard vehicle unit to convert the other vehicle
classes and this unit is called passenger car unit PCU
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Passenger Car equivalency Factor

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ORIGIN – DESTINATION STUDY

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Origin – Destination (O-D) Study

• In a transportation study, it is often necessary to know the exact
origin and destination of the trips. The information yielded by O-D
survey includes land-use of the zones of origin and destination,
household characteristics of the trip making family, time of the day
when journeys are made, trip purpose and mode of travel.
• Origin is defined as the place where the trip begins and destination
is defined as the place where the trip ends.
• In this study the data collected are, number of vehicles, their origin
and destination number of passengers in each vehicle, route etc.
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O-D Study - Uses

• To establish preferential routes for various categories of vehicles
• To location of new proposed roads
• To location of parking palaces
• To locate expressway
• To regulate movement of heavy vehicles
• To locate new bridge as per traffic demands
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O-D Surveys
• Road side interview surveys
• Home-interview surveys
• Telephone surveys
• Taxi surveys
• Post card questionnaire surveys
• Registration number survey
• Tag survey
• Public transport survey
• Commercial vehicle survey
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Road side interview surveys

• In this method interview stations are previously decised on the
roadway.
• The vehicles are stopped at the interview stations by a group of
persons and the answers to prescribed questionnaire are colleceted
on the spot
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Information Collected
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Home-Interview Survey
• In this method random sample of 0.5 to 10% of the population is
selected and the residence are visited by the trained person who
collect the travel data from each membor of the household.
• Detaild information regardind the trips made by the members is
obtained on the spot.
• The data collected may be useful either for planning the road
network and other roadway facilities.
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Data Collection
• Number of trip made
• Their origin & destination
• Purpase of trip
• travel mode
• Number of residents
• Age
• Vehicle ownership
• Number of drivers
• family income
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Telephone Surveys
• This method interview are conduct with computer assisted
telephone interview technology.

• A COMPLETE CATI SYSTEM MIGHT INCLUD AUTOMATIC

DAILING OF NEXT HOUSEHOLD TO THE INTERVIEWER TO
ASK THE NEST QUESTION AUTOMATIC SKIPPING AND
BRANCHING WITHIN THE LIST OF QUESTIONS DEPENDING
ON THE ANSER TO THE PREVIOUS QUESTION , IMMEDIATE
LOGIC CHECKS ON ANSWER PROVIDED
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Taxi Survey
• Large urban areas usually have a sizeable amount of travel by taxis.
• In such cases, a separate taxi survey is necessary
• The survey consists of issuing questionnaires or log sheets to the
taxi drivers and requesting them to complete the same.
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Post Card Survey

• In this method reply-paid questionnaires are
handed over to each of the drivers at the survey
points and requisting them to complete the
information and return by post
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Registration number survey

• REGISTRATION NUMBER PLATE SURVEY

CONSISTS OF NOTING THE REGISTRATION
NUMBER OF VEHICLES ENTERING OR
LEAVING AN AREA AT SURVEY POINTS
LOCATED ON THE cordon LINE.
• BY MATCHING THE REGISTRATION
NUMBER OF THE VEHICLES AT THE POINT
OF ENTRY AND EXITFROM THE AREA , ONE
IS ENABLED TO IDENTIFY TWO POINTS ON
THE PATHS OF THE VEHICLES.
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Registration number survey

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TAG SURVEY
• IN THIS METHOD AT EACH POINT WHERE THE
ROADS CROSS THE CORDON LINE, VEHICLES ARE
STOPPED AND A TAG IS AFFIXED ,USUALLY UNDER
A WIND SCREEN WIPER.
• THE TAGS FOR DIFFERENT SURVEYS STATIONS
HAVE DIFFERENT SHAPES/COLOUR TO IDENTIFY
THE SURVEY STATION.
• THE VEEHICLES ARE STOPPED AGAIN AT THE EXIT
POINTS WHERE THE TAGS ARE REMOVED.
• THE TIME OF ENTERING AND LEAVING THE AREA
MAY BE MARKED ON THE TAGS IN ORDER TO
ENABLE THE JOURNEY TIME TO BE DETERMINED
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Public Transport Survey

• IN THIS METHOD INTERVIWER MAY ENTER
THE VEHICLE AND CARRY OUT THE
INTERVIEWS WHEN THE VEHICLES IS IN
MOTION.
• POST-CARD QUESTIONNAIRES ELIMINATE
DELAYS, BUT ARE LIKELY TO EVOKE POOR
RESPONSE OR CONTAIN AN ELEMENT OR BIAS.
• THESE QUESTIONNAIRES MAY ALSO BE
COLLECTED AT THE STATIONS INSIDE THE
SURVEY AREA
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Public Transport Survey

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Commercial Vehicle Survey

• COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SURVEYS ARE
CONDUCTED TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ON
JOURNEYS MADE BY ALL COMMERCIAL
VEHICLES BASED WITHIN THE STUDY AREA.
• THE ADDRESSES OF THE VEHICLES
OPERATORS ARE OBTAINED AND THEY ARE
CONTACTED .
• FORM ARE ISSUED TO DRIVERS WITH A
REQUEST THAT THEY RECORD PARTICULARS
OF ALL THE TRIPS THEY WOULD MAKE
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Commercial Vehicle Survey