TRAFFIC ENGINEERING

Traffic Engineeringn may be defined as that phase of engineering which deals with safe and efficient
movement of people and goods on streets and highways. It includes such aspect as (1) planning of
street and highway facilities, (2) geometric design of street and highway facilities, (3) traffic
operations and control, (4) traffic safety, (5) maintenance of traffic facilities and controls, and (6)
management of traffic facilities and controls.
ELEMENT OF TRAFFIC ENGINEERING
1. Studies and data collection. The first activity in traffic engineering is often to understand
and document the problem and to gather information for the proper analysis and design
work. The emphasis must be on more than which studies to undertake. The amount data
required for meaningful conclusions, and the need to assure the quality of the data, must be
adressed.
2. Geometric Design. Facilities must be designed according to certain criteria and standards,
and plans must be documented and implemented.
3. Capacity analysis and evaluation. The operation of every traffic facility is governed by
interactions among drivers and their vehicles, and between the driver, the vehicle, and the
road way. There are well-established procedures to estimate how many vehicles can be
carried at various levels of driver quality of flow, for specified roadway conditions. These
procedures may used to aid in facility design, for planning purposes, or for evaluation of
existing operations.
4. Control, operations, and management. Drivers are guided and controlled by a mixture of
road markings, signs, and signals. There are well-defined requirements on the use,
placement, and phisical configuration of these control devices, in order to achieve
uniformity in the communication with the driver. The concern of the traffic engineer is not
only with the proper use of the control devices, but their use to enchace the operation of
the traffic steam.
Summary. This chapter has provide an overview of the traffic engineers duties, the key issues the
traffic engineer is likely to face, and the information available with which to do the job.

BASIC CONCEPTS OF TRAFFIC ENGINEERING
System of facilities. What are they? What purpose are they intended to serve? How well can they
handle the purpose?
Travel demand. Where does it come from? How is it usually quantified? How do different generators
interact?
Influencing the demand pattern. Can it be done? How? Why?
Measuring the performance. What does the public want out of the facility? Is it different than what
the system operator would desire? How does the system get set?
















The system of facilities
Four types differ in their function as follows
Function Urban Rural
Through movement exclusively Freeway Interstate
Through mevement primarily, Arterial Primary
some land access
Traffic movement to above faci Collector Secondary
lities, access to abutting proper
ty
Access to abutting land and local Local Tertiary
traffic movement


Travel demand
Travel demand is generated by activity ---people going places for work, shopping, recreation, and
other purposes. Thus, much attention in transportation planning is focused on:
Spatial distribution of residences and activity centers
THE SYSTEM OF
FACILITIES
Free ways Arterial
Intersections others
TRAVEL DEMAND
Trip-generation rates
Mode split Route
selection
MEASURING THE
PERFORMANCE
System User
TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEMS
MANAGEMENT
INFLUENCING THE
DEMAND
Reducing Shifting
Repackaging
Temporal distribution of trips
Mode selection for the trips
Influencing the demand pattern
Traffic engineers job often starts with a given pattern of demand, which in at least some sections
the network exceeds system demand. Basically, these fall into three categories:
1. Shift the temporal distribution of the demand
2. Reduce the magnitude of the demand
3. Repackage the demand

Measuring the performance
The traffic engineer is concerned with quantifying how well the facility or system is working, for the
purpose of (a) assesing the excisting condition, (b) evaluating alternative improvement, (c)
quantifying associated costs and benefits, and (d) communicating the result to both technical and
non technical audiences. The most quantitative measures are:
Volumes or flow rates: demand volume, discharge volume
Speeds or delay: average travel speed, spot speeds, space mean speeds, stopped delay
Trip times: average travel time
Demand-to-capacity ratios: v/c ratio
Aggregate system measures: total travel times, vehicle-miles traveled
Other measures

COMPONENTS OF THE TRAFFIC SYSTEM
Critical characteristics of road users
A number of critical characteristics of road users are quantifiable and can be taken into account in
traffic engineering decisions. These include perception and reaction times and visual acuity, which
are measurable and can be related to critical traffic analysis. Other important characteristics, such us
physical strength and dexterity, hearing, and psychological factors are less quantiviable.
a. Perception and reaction time
The driving task is a continuous series of visual and audio cues that the motorist must
monitor and respond to. The perception of, and reaction to, a particular cue or stimulus
involves four distinct actions on the part of the drivers:
1. Perception: the recognition or realization that a cue or stimulus exists that requires a
response
2. Intellection or identification: the identification or interpretation of the cue or stimulus
3. Emotion or decision: the determnation of an appropriate response to the cue or
stimulus
4. Volition or reaction: the physical response that results from the decision.

Consider a typical example of a driver approaching a STOP sign. The driver first sees the sign
(perception), then recognizes it as a STOP sign (intelection), then decides to STOP (emotion), and
finally puts his or her foot on the brake (volition).
The total time taken for this sequence of events is referred to as the PIEV time or perception-
reaction time. It is a critical parameter in many computional and design analysis. In the case of a
driver approaching a STOP sign, the perception-reaction time represent the time between first
noticing the sign and depresing the brake pedal. While this is happening, the vehicle continuous to
move its initial speed. The vehicle may travel a significant distance while the perception-reaction
sequence take place.
dp = 1,468 v t
where dp = perception-reaction (PIEV) distance (ft)
v = speed of vehicle (mph)
t = perception-reaction time (sec) and
1,468 = conversion factor from mph to fps
Driver perception-reaction time varies with a number of complex factors. In general, it increase with
Age Fatigue Complexity of a cue or task Physical impairments Presence Alcohol or
drug

CRITICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF VEHICLES
For purposes of geometric design American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials (AASTHO) has establish a set of ten design vehicle with standard physical dimensions.
These base vehicles are used to determine a variety of geometric highway features such as lane
widths, lane widening on curves, minimum curb and corner radii, clearance heights, and similar
factors.
Acceleration Performance of Vehicles
Da = 0,733 at
2

Braking Performance of Vehicle
Db = (v
2
u
2
) / 30 (f + g)
V = initial speed of vehicle (mph)
U = final speed of vehicle (mph)
F = coefficient of forward rolling or skidding friction
G = grade, expressed as a decimal
30 = units conversion factor
Application ofBreaking and Reaction Distance Formulae ds = dp + db
Ds = 1,468 v t + (v
2
+ u
2
)/30(f + g)
1. Safe-Stopping Distance
2. Timing of Clearance or Change Intervals of Traffic Signals
3. Sign Placement
4. Accident Investigations

CRITICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGHWAYS
Hierarchy of movement for a typical trip (destination sequence)
Primary Movement Transition Distribution Collection Terminal Acces
Highway facilities are classified by the relative amounts of through and land-access service they
provide. There are three primary classifications: 1. Arterials 2. Collectors 3. Local Streets

Geometric Features of Streets and Highways
Geometric design has four basic elements
1. Horizontal Alignment
2. Vertical Alignment
3. Cross-section design
4. Chanellization