Traffic Wisam Abdulla Najim ALHalfi

Capacity

The term "capacity" is used to express the maximum number of vehicles

which have a reasonable expectation of passing over a section of a lane or a
roadway during a given time period under prevailing roadway and traffic
conditions. However, in a broad sense, capacity encompasses the relationship
between highway characteristics and conditions, traffic composition and flow
patterns, and the relative degree of congestion at various traffic volumes
throughout the range from light volumes to those equaling the capacity of the
facility as defined above.

Highway capacity information serves three general purposes:

1. For transportation planning studies to assess the adequacy or

sufficiency of existing highway networks to current traffic demand, and
to estimate when, in time, projected traffic demand, may exceed the
capacity of the existing highway network or may cause undesirable
congestion on the highway system.
2. For identifying and analyzing bottleneck locations (both existing and
potential), and for the evaluation of traffic operational improvement
projects on the highway network.
3. For highway design purposes.

The capacity of a roadway segment with relatively homogeneous physical

and operational characteristics is the maximum number of vehicles the
segment can accommodate within a unit of time. In cases where the capacity
is different at different points on the segment, the point with the least capacity
is considered to represent the capacity for the entire segment. For example,
for a roadway segment with a narrow bridge, the capacity of the narrow
bridge is assumed to represent the capacity of the roadway segment. Usually,

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an access-controlled, divided, multi-lane highway can carry approximately

2,000 vehicles per hour per lane (vphpl). This results in a total of
approximately 48-thousand vehicles per day per lane or over 17.5 million
vehicles per year per lane.

The determination of capacity involves the observation of highways of

various types operating under high-volume conditions.

The direct observation of capacity is difficult to achieve for several reasons.

The recording of a high, or even a maximum, volume or flow rate for a given
facility does not ensure that a higher flow could not be accommodated at
another time. Furthermore, capacity is sometimes not a stable operating
condition.

Demand - The number of users desiring service on the highway system,

usually expressed as vehicles per hour or passenger cars per hour.
Demand is the principal measure of the amount of traffic using a given
facility. Thus, the term demand relates to vehicles arriving, while the term
volume relates to vehicles discharging.
Traffic demand varies by month of the year, day of the week, hour of the day,
and subhourly interval within the hour. These variations are important if
highways are to effectively serve peak demands without breakdown. The
effects of a breakdown may extend far beyond the time during which demand
exceeds capacity and may take up to several hours to dissipate. Thus,
highways minimally adequate to handle a peak-hour demand may be subject
to breakdown if flow rates within the peak hour exceed capacity.

Demand and Volume

Demand and volume are two measures used to quantify traffic passing point
on the a roadway. Although both demand and volume results from drivers

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seeking service ,these two measures are different in that demand quantifies
approaching traffic ,while volume quantifies discharging traffic . Based on a
general principle that discharging traffic can only be as much as out not more
than approaching traffic, volume can only be equal to demand but not greater
than demand. The demand- volume relationship can be illustrated by three
cases :

Case1: demand is less than capacity, hence, volume is equal to demand

Case2: demand is equal to capacity, and is also equal to discharge volume
Case3: demand exceeds capacity, and therefore discharge volume is less than
demand
Two exhibits are used to illustrate the demand- volume relationship. The x-
axis in both figures represents time. for the example problem ,that were are
studying the approach to a stop controlled intersection. The y – axis in
exhibits 1 is volume and that in exhibits 2 is queue.
In case1 demand is less than capacity during period T 1. During this period,
demand is equal to volume because traffic approaches the intersection at the
same rare as traffic discharges from the intersection, hence , no queue is
building up .

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In case2 demand is equal to capacity during period T2 .During this period, the
rate of traffic approaching reaches the maximum limit which this approach
can handle. Traffic approaches as fast as it departs the stopped approach . No
queue is building up.

In case 3 demand exceeds capacity during period T3. During this period, the
rate of traffic approaching the intersection exceeds the maximum rate at
which the approach discharges traffic. At this point ,volume equal to capacity
.Since there more arrival than departure, as queue is building on the approach.

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Level of service(LOS) : A qualitative measure describing operational

conditions within a traffic stream, based on service measures such as speed
and travel time, freedom to maneuver, traffic interruptions, comfort, and
convenience. The level of service concept places various traffic flow
conditions into 6 levels of service. These levels of service, designated A
through F, from best to worst, cover the entire range of traffic operations that
may occur.

The factors that may be considered in evaluating level of service include the
following:

1- Speed and travel time (i.e. operating speed and overall travel time).
2- Traffic interruption or restriction (i.e. No. of stops per km = delay).
3- Freedom to maneuver (i.e. to maintain desired speed).
4- Safety and accidents
5- Driving comfortable and convenience.
6- Economy (i.e. vehicle operating cost).

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However, in a practical approach to identifying the level of service, travel

time and the ratio of demand volume to capacity are commonly used. In
general, the various levels of service would have the following
characteristics:

Level of Service A : This is free flow, with low volumes and high speeds.
Traffic density is low, with speeds controlled by driver desires, speed limits,
and physical roadway conditions. There is little or no restriction in
maneuverability due to presence of other vehicles, and drivers can maintain
their desired speeds with little or no delay.

plate(1)LOS A

Level of Service B :This is in the zone of stable flow, with operating

speeds beginning to be restricted somewhat by traffic conditions. Drivers
still have reasonable freedom to select their speed and lane of operation.
Reductions in speed are not unreasonable, with a low probability of traffic
flow being restricted. The lower limit (lowest speed, highest volume) of
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this level of service has been associated with service volumes used in the
design of rural highways.

plate(2)LOS B

Level of Service C :This is still in the zone of stable flow, but speeds and
maneuverability are more closely controlled by the higher volumes. Most of
the drivers are restricted in their freedom to select their own speed, change
lanes, or pass. A relatively satisfactory operating speed is still obtained, with
service volumes perhaps suitable for urban design practice.

plate(3)LOS C

Level of Service D :This approaches unstable flow, with tolerable operating

speeds being maintained though considerably affected by changes in
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operating conditions. Fluctuations in volume and temporary restrictions to

flow may cause substantial drops in operating speeds. Drivers have little
freedom to maneuver, and comfort and convenience are low, but conditions
can be tolerated for short periods of time.

Level of Service E :This cannot be described by speed alone, but represents

operations at even lower operating speeds than in Level D, with volumes at or
near the capacity of the highway. At capacity, speeds are typically, but not
always, in the neighborhood of 25 mph; flow is unstable, and there may be
stoppages of momentary duration.

plate(5)LOS E

Level of Service F :This describes forced flow operation at low speeds,

where volumes are below capacity. These conditions usually result from

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queues of vehicles backing up from a restriction downstream. The section

under study will be serving as a storage area during parts or all of the peak
hour. Speeds are reduced substantially and stoppages may occur for short or
long periods of time because of the downstream congestion. In the extreme,
both speed and volume can drop to zero.

plate(6)LOS F

Note:
The example and the important notes will be given in the class.

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