TRAFFIC FLOW

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DESIGN SPEED
Traffic Flow
Traffic flow is the study of interactions between vehicles,
drivers and infrastructure (including highways, signage and
traffic control devices).
Issues with Traffic Flow
• Stop signs in wrong places
• No signs available
• One-way traffic
• No pedestrian walkways
• Weather
What helps?
• Stops lights
• Roundabouts
• Pedestrian walkways
• Bridges
• Fast lanes
• Bike lanes
SPEED STUDIES
Speed studies are necessary because the actual speed of
vehicles over a particular may vary depending on various
factors such as geometric features, traffic conditions, time,
place, environment and driver. Speed studies can be studied
under following heads:
• Travel time- is the reciprocal of speed and is simple measure
of how well road network is operating.
• Spot Speed- Is the instantaneous speed of a vehicle at a
specified section or location.
• Average speed- is the average of the spot speeds of all the
passing vehicles at a given point on the highway.
• Running speed- is the average speed maintained by a vehicle
over a particular stretch of road, while the vehicle is in first
motion.
• Overall speed and travel speed- Is the effective speed with
which a vehicle transverses a particular route between two
terminals.
RANGES FOR DESIGN SPEED
Traffic volume
It is the no. of vehicles moving in a specified direction on
a given lane and roadway that pass a given point or cross
section during a specified unit of time.
TRAFFIC VOLUME STUDY
• Traffic volume is the number of vehicles crossing a section of road per unit time at any
selected period. The unit for traffic count is generally taken as vehicles per day or
vehicles per hour.
• Traffic volume study are used for various purposes. They are used for roads improvement
and expansion, traffic operation and control, structural design of pavements, in geometric
design, planning and designing new facilities etc.
• Counting of traffic volume can be done in two ways-
1. Manual Counts
2. Mechanical Counters
Manual counts
• 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 can be for any duration,
but is usually conducted for 16 or 24 hours in a day, and for three or four days
consecutively.
• The count is conducted by persons standing at the roadside and recording passing vehicles
on a form, hence the term “manual traffic count”. This distinguishes it from counts by
machines that can record passing vehicles automatically, which are know as “automatic
traffic counts”.
• 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’.
Equipment for manual counts
• Watch
• clip board
• Pencil, rubber, sharpener
• Data sheet
Mechanical counters are digital counters built using
mechanical components. It is used to detect, totalize, and indicate a
sequence of events in applications that do not use electrical power.
Types of Mechanical Counter
• revolution counters
• rotary counters
• stroke counters
• pushbutton, or manual, counters
1. Revolution counters are mechanical counters that
record one count for each revolution of a shaft.
2. Rotary counters are designed to record a specified number
of counts per rotation.
3. Stroke counters record one count for each stroke. Typically,
the count stroke is measured in degrees.
4. Pushbutton counters are used for manual counting. The
pushbutton is actuated by the operator and typically records
one count for each actuation. Most pushbutton counters, or
manual counters, are handheld devices.
Thank You