2/10/2014

Traffic Engg and

Safety
CE-444

TRAFFIC ENGINEERING & SAFETY

Credit Hours = 3 (16 weeks)

Total Periods : = 48

Text Book
1. Priciples of Highway Engineering and Traffic
Analysis by Fred L. Mannering, W.P.Kilareski,
and S.S.Washburn
2. “Introduction to Traffic Engineering, a manual for
data Collection and analysis” by Thomas R Currin.
2

1
 2/10/2014

Course Outline
Introduction
• Typical Transportation/Traffic Issues and Solutions
• Introduction to Traditional Traffic Studies
• Modes of Transport
• Traffic Engineering Elements
• Traffic Surveys/Studies

Course Outline
Traffic Flow Characteristics
(1) Nature of Traffic Flow
(2) Parameters Connected With Traffic Flow
(3) Interrupted and Uninterrupted Traffic
(3) Analysis of Speed Flow and Density Relationship
(4) Traffic Stream Characteristics and Models: Flow,
Speed, Density
(5) Queuing Theory, Queuing Models and Analysis
(6) Traffic Volume Studies
(7) Highway Level of Service Analysis

2
 2/10/2014

Course Outline
Traffic Signals
• Basic Concepts of Traffic Signals and Signalized Intersection
• Types Traffic Signals
• Signal Design, Phasing and Timing Plan
• Queuing Theory, Queuing Models and Analysis for Traffic
Signals
• Delays at Isolated Traffic Signals
• Level of Service Analysis for Signalized Intersections

Course Outline
Traffic Safety
• Introduction
• Traffic Safety Measures
• Basics of Highway Safety management
• Highway Safety Analysis
• Traffic Safety Audits and Identification of Hazardous
Location
• Safety Considerations in Highway Design
• Highway Safety Countermeasures

3
 2/10/2014

Course Outline
Practicals
• Spot speed study
• Turning movement counts / vehicle counts
• Vehicle delay study
• Saturation flow study
• PHF Study
• Parking study
• Vehicle occupancy study
• Level of Service Analysis for Signalized Intersections
• Highway Level of Service Analysis
• Use of Traffic Analysis and Simulation Software
“SYNCHRO”
7

Course Outline
Term Project
 Students are asked to select a topic of their own interest
within the scope of this course.
 Students are required to submit a project report and present
their projects at the end of the course.
 The term project may include any case study or
identification of a real time traffic or safety problem and
recommended solution.
 Due importance is given to learning the procedure to
carryout research and case reporting (preparation of a
project report).

4
 2/10/2014

Grading
• Final Paper: 45 %
• Class Tests: 25-30%
• Quiz Tests: 08-10%
• HWs: 02-05%
• Term Paper: 10-15%

A REMINDER
• Always try your best and be contented on
whatever comes to you, because it is the
will of Allah.
• Always believe that whatever is
happening to you in this life is the best
from HIM.
• It is only HE who knows the BEST and
HE knows ALL.
10

5
 2/10/2014

Points for Consideration

• Be attentive
• Do not hesitate to ask questions
• Make notes of what is being taught in the
class
• Always bring calculators
• Always bring the book/notes
• Follow the rules/instructions
• Always try to be positive
11

Present Transportation Issues

and Trends
• What are the current transportation issues?
– Man-inflicted/Natural disasters (security)
– Large number of crashes and their severity
– Congestion in urban areas
– Contribution to environmental pollution
• Where are the solutions?
– Security management
– Congestion management
– Safety management
– Multimodalism
– Intelligent Transportation Systems 12

6
 2/10/2014

Present Transportation Issues

and Trends
• What are the current transportation issues?
– Man-inflicted/Natural disasters (security)
– Large number of crashes and their severity
– Congestion in urban areas
– Contribution to environmental pollution
• Where are the solutions?
– Security management
– Congestion management
– Safety management
– Multimodalism
– Intelligent Transportation Systems 13

Traffic and safety studies needed for effective

congestion and safety management:
Traffic generation,
Parking demand,
Capacity and quality of traffic,
Control and geometry improvements,
Road hazard and countermeasures identification

14

7
 2/10/2014

What Answers Are Sought?

• Current highway and parking use
• Current traffic characteristics
• Current traffic and parking quality
• Current highway safety
• How to improve current traffic conditions
• Impact of new highway projects/improvements
• Impact of a new land development
• Future traffic conditions

15

Scale of the Studies

• Single facilities (intersection, road
section)
• Arterial streets
• Corridors (several parallel roads)
• Local areas (part of the network)
• Entire systems (city, province,district)

16

8
 2/10/2014

Traditional Traffic Studies

• Volume studies
• Speed studies
• Travel time studies
• Delay studies
• Density studies
• Headway and spacing studies
• Accident studies

17

Special Traffic Studies and

Analyses
• Traffic impact studies and analyses
• Safety analyses
– Identification of hazardous locations
– Identification of hazard sources
– Identification of countermeasures
• Corridor studies
• Parking studies
• Congestion analyses
• Pedestrian studies
• Before-and-after studies
18

9
 2/10/2014

Transportation System

• A transportation system is an infrastructure that

serves to move people and goods efficiently. The
transportation system consists of fixed facilities,
flow entities, and a control component.
• Efficient safe, rapid, comfortable, convenient,
economical, environmentally compatible.

19

Transportation System

Major transportation subsystems

• Land transportation: highway, rail
• Air transportation: domestic, international
• Water transportation; coastal, rivers
• Pipelines: oil, gas, water

20

10
 2/10/2014

Highway Transportation System

• Fixed facilities: roads, bridges,
intersections, interchanges,
service stations, etc.
• Flow entities: passenger cars, buses, trucks,
pedestrians, etc.
• Control component: highway
administration, local transportation
agencies, traffic control devices; signs,
markings, signals.
21

Traffic Engineering
• Traffic engineering is that phase of
transportation engineering which deals with
the planning, geometric design and traffic
operations of roads, streets, and highways,
their networks, terminals, and relationships
between different modes of transportation

22

11
 2/10/2014

Traffic Engineering
 Traffic studies are carried out to:
 Provide a basis for planning and designing traffic
facilities, including the selection of geometric
standards, economic analysis, and the determination
of priorities; assist traffic operation by determining
the need for traffic control devices such as signs,
traffic control signals, pavement markings, and
school and pedestrian crossings

23

Traffic Engineering
• Traffic Engineering covers a broad range of engineering
application with common focus: the nation’s system of
highways and streets.
• Often defined as the nation’s “lifeblood circulation
system”
– Infrastructure supports the vast majority of people
and goods.
– Including economy and the environment, assurance
of public safety and security.
– Basic mobility of all social functions.
– Basic access to the most remote regions.
24

12
 2/10/2014

Objectives
• Traffic Engineering
– “Deals with the Safe and Efficient movement
of people and goods on streets and highways”
– Other Objectives
• Speed
• Comfort
• Convenience
• Economy
• Environmental compatibility

25

Objectives
• Safety:
– The principal goal of the traffic engineer
remains the provision of a safe system for
highway traffic
• Speed:
– While speed of travel is very much desired, it is
limited by transportation technology, human
characteristics, and the needs to provide safety
• Comfort:
– Comfort involves the physical characteristics of
vehicles and roadways, and is influenced by our
perception 26

13
 2/10/2014

Objectives
• Environmental compatibility:
– Harmony with the environment is a complex
issue that has become more important over time

– All transportation systems have some negative

impacts on the environment

– Air and noise pollution in some forms, and

utilize valuable land resources
27

Mobility
Road
Functions

Accessibility
28

14
 2/10/2014

Mobility and Accessibility

• Mobility
– Ability to travel to many different destinations
– Provided by Freeways, Motorways…..
• Accessibility
– Ability to gain access to a particular site or area
– Provided by Local Streets

29

Hierarchical Rural

Structure of
Road
Networks

Urban

30

15
 2/10/2014

Mobility vs. Accessibility

Road Class Road Function
Freeways/Motorways Through movement exclusively
Arterials Through movement primary and
some land access

Collectors Traffic movement to higher rank

roads, access to abutting properties

Local Roads Access to abutting land and local

traffic movement

31

Mobility vs. Accessibility

32

16
 2/10/2014

Mobility vs. Transportation Mode

33

Mobility vs. Transportation Mode

34

17
 2/10/2014

Traffic Engineering
 Person and Vehicle Movement

 How many people may be moved in vehicles of different

types/facilities

 Goods Movement /Freight

 Trucks

 Vital to Economy

 Must be incorporated into Transportation system plans

35

Components of Traffic System

 Road Users
 Drivers
 Pedestrians
 Bicyclists
 Passengers
 Vehicles
 Private
 Commercial
 Street and Highways
 Traffic Control Devices

36

18
 2/10/2014

Modes to Transportation
• Urban People-Transportation
– Automobile
– Taxi/For-Hire Vehicles
– Bus Transit/Rapid Bus Transit (RBT)
– Rail/Subway

37

Modes to Transportation
• Intercity People-Transportation
– Automobile
– Intercity Bus
– Railroad
– Air
– Water

38

19
 2/10/2014

Modes to Transportation
• Urban & Intercity Freight Transportation
– Long-Haul Trucks
– Local Trucks
– Railroads
– Water
– Air Freight

39

Elements of Traffic Engineering

• Traffic Studies
• Facility Design
• Traffic Control
• Traffic Operations
• Performance Evaluation

40

20
 2/10/2014

Elements of Traffic Engineering

• Traffic Studies
– Involve measuring and quantifying various
aspect of highway traffic. Studies focus on data
collection and analysis that is used to
characterize traffic, including (but not limited
to) traffic volumes and demands, speed and
travel time, delay, accidents, origins and
destinations, modal use, and other variables
(e.g. safety).

41

Elements of Traffic Engineering

• Facility design
– Involves traffic engineers in the functional and
geometric design of highways and other traffic
facilities.
– Traffic engineers are not involved in the
structural design of highway facilities

42

21
 2/10/2014

Elements of Traffic Engineering

• Traffic Control
– is a central function of traffic engineers and
involves the establishment of traffic regulations
and their communication to the driver through
the use of traffic control devices, such as signs,
markings, and signals.
• Traffic Operations
– Involves measures that influence overall
operation of traffic facilities, such as one-way
street system, transit operation, and surveillance
43
and network control systems.

Elements of Traffic Engineering

• Performance Evaluation
– Is a mean by which traffic engineers can rate
the operating characteristics of individual
sections of facilities and facilities as a whole.
– Such evaluation relies on measures of
performance quality and is often stated in terms
of “levels of service.”
– Levels of service (LOS) are letter grades, from
A to F, describing how well a facility is
operation using specified performance criteria.
(A –Excellent; F- undesirable).
– As part of performance evaluation, the capacity
of highway facilities must be determined.
44

22
 2/10/2014

• Traffic Systems Management (TSM):

– involves virtually all aspects of traffic
engineering in a focus on optimizing system
capacity and operations.
– Specific aspects of TSM include high-
occupancy vehicle priority systems, car-pooling
programs, pricing strategies to manage demand,
and similar functions.

45

• Intelligent Transportation System (ITS):

– It refers to the application of modern
telecommunication technology to the operation
and control of transportation system.
– Such systems include but not limited to
automated toll-collection systems (E-toll),
vehicle-tracking systems, in vehicle GPS and
mapping systems, automated enforcement of
traffic lights and speed laws, Variable Message
Signs, etc.

46

23
 2/10/2014

GPS

Variable Message Signs

47

E-Toll System

Traffic Control Centre

48

24
 2/10/2014

Who Are Traffic Engineers’

Clients?
• Policy makers
• Highway administration
– State/Province
– District
– City
• Citizens groups
• Land developers
• Business owners
49

Challenges for a Traffic

Engineer
• Urban congestion has been a major issue for many
years.
• Given the transportation demand cycle, it is not
always possible to solve congestion problems through
expansion of capacity.
• Traffic engineers therefore are involved in the
development of programs and strategies to mange
demand in both time and space.

50

25