INTRODUCTION TO
TRAFFIC ENGINEERING
Nikhil Saboo, Dept. of Civil Eng., IIT BHU
What is Traffic Engineering?
Branch of Engineering which deals with the
improvement of Traffic performance on road
network and terminals through systematic traffic
studies, scientific analysis and engineering
applications
Two broad areas:
- Planning and Geometric design
- Regulation and Control
Traffic in India
Heterogeneous in nature
Different classes of vehicle with varying
characteristics
Motorized and non-motorized vehicles
Urban roads are congested in peak hours, causing
delay, accidents and reduced travel speeds.
Pedestrians not considered as an element- they are
rather considered as intruders by the drivers of
motorized vehicles- significant proportion of fatal
accident victims.
Traffic in India
Statistics reveal that there is one death
every four minutes due to road accidents
Approximately 1,50,000 people killed
every year.
WHY?
Scope of Traffic Engineering
Traffic Characteristics
Traffic Study and Analysis
Planning and Analysis
Geometric Design
Traffic Operation, Regulation and Control
Road Safety Aspects
Administration and Management
Traffic Characteristics
Human Characteristics:
Physical
Mental
Psychological and
Environmental
Physical: Permanent or Temporary
Permanent: Vision, hearing, strength and general reaction.
Acuity of vision; peripheral vision; eye movement and depth judgement; glare
vision and glare recovery
Temporary: Fatigue, alcohol or drugs and illness
Mental: Knowledge, skill, intelligence, experience and literacy
Psychological: Attentiveness; Fear, Anger, Attitude etc.
Environmental: Traffic stream characteristics; Roadside features;
Atmospheric condition and locality
Traffic Characteristics
For which vehicle should I design the road?
Vehicular Characteristics:
Static:Dimensions, maximum turning angle, total weight,
height of driver seat and headlight, wind shield, clearance
below chassis, gross weight, axle and wheel loads.
Dynamic: Speed, acceleration/deceleration and braking
characteristics, power of vehicle, length of wheel base, height
of center of gravity.
Traffic Characteristics
Dimensions: width, length and height
Weight: gross and axle weight
Traffic Characteristics
Traffic Characteristics
Braking Characteristics: The deceleration and braking
characteristics of braking (such as mechanical, fluid or air brake)
and its efficiency.
Braking test at a desired speed can be used to measure the skid
resistance of the pavement
If the breaks are applied till the vehicle comes to stop, it may be
assumed that wheels are fully locked and the ‘brake efficiency’ is
100%.
Atleast two of the following measurements are required
Braking distance
Initial speed
Actual duration of brake applications
Traffic Engineering Studies and Analysis
Traffic volume studies What to do?
Spot speed studies Collection of data
Speed and delay studies How to do?
Origin and destination studies Presentation of data
Parking studies
What to do?
Accident studies
Traffic Engineering Studies and Analysis
Traffic volume studies
Measure to quantify traffic flow
Number of vehicles that pass through across a given transverse line
of the road during unit time (per hr. per day per traffic lane)
Different vehicles: classified traffic volume studies
All vehicles should be converted to passenger car unit (PCU)
Direction wise traffic count should be done
Lane distribution should be recorded
Traffic flow is dynamic and varies from time to time
Hourly, daily and seasonal variation in traffic
Traffic Engineering Studies and Analysis
IRC 106: 1990
Guidelines for the
capacity of urban
roads in plain areas
Traffic Engineering Studies and Analysis
Importance of traffic volume studies
Decide the priority for improvement and up-gradation of
roads.
Geometric design or re-design of roadway facilities.
Projecting the future traffic
Computing capacity of roads.
At intersections: need for grade-separated intersection;
design of signals
Pavement design
Pedestrian count: sidewalks; FOB; pedestrian signals.
Traffic Volume Counts: Methods
Manual or Mechanical
Manual
Classification of different types of vehicle and their counts at
desired intervals
Direction wise movements
Classified vehicle counts with number of passengers
Pedestrian traffic count
Commercial vehicles data
Not practicable to carry out manual count for full 24 hours a day
and on all days round the year.
Short counts are taken and statistical tools are used for analysis
Traffic Volume Counts: Methods
Mechanical
Permanent/Portable
Impulse type recorder (actuation of the counter is required)
Other modern sensing techniques: classified vehicle count
Weigh in motion systems
Not possible to record every vehicle type, get details about
turning movement, vehicle occupancy and type of commodity
transported by commercial vehicles.
Traffic Volume Counts: Methods
Traffic Volume Counts: Methods
Traffic count at intersections:
Data on turning movements: signal timing, need for grade
separated intersections
Data on queue length, delay and occupancy of different
vehicles: economic analysis of intersections.
Pedestrian volume counts: design of side walks, deciding
suitable facility for pedestrian crossing including timing of
signalized intersection.
Peak and off peak hours count: different sets of signals for
different time of the day
Traffic Volume Counts: Methods
Traffic Volume Data: Presentation
AADT: average daily traffic volume recorded for the 365
days of the year. Used in deciding the relative importance of
a route and in phasing road development programme. Also
used in determining growth rate.
ADT: Traffic counts carried out for few days (3-7 days).
Carried out two times for urban roads (7-days).
Trend charts
Variation charts
Traffic flow maps
Volume flow diagram at intersections
Design hourly volume: 30th highest hourly volume.
Speed Studies
Spot speed: Instantaneous speed at a
particular location or cross section
Space mean speed
Time mean speed
Use: planning and control; design; deciding
design speed; accident studies; study of
traffic capacity; vehicular and driver
behavior
Measurement
Time taken to cover a short distance, 15 or 30 m
Graphic recorder, electronic meter, photographic
methods, speed radar meter.
Speed Studies: presentation
Speed distribution table
Frequency distribution
diagram
Cumulative speed distribution
diagram
85th percentile speed is taken
as the safe speed
15th percentile speed is the
minimum speed
98th percentile speed is the
design speed
Speed and delay studies
Uses: location of delay, causes of delay, fluctuation in
speeds, duration of delay, proposing improvement
strategies, benefit-cost ratio, efficiency of road, level of
service.
Fixed and operational delay
Fixed delay: due to traffic signals
Operational delay: interference of traffic movements such as
turning vehicles, parking and un-parking, pedestrians etc.
Methods: Floating car method, License plate method,
Interview technique, Elevated observations, Photographic
technique
Speed and delay studies: Floating car method
(Observer)
A B
T T T u1
T
C C C u2
TV
at t=0
continued …
(Observer)
A B
T T T u1
T
C C u2
C
TV
at t=ta
Number of vehicles crossing TV during the period = Na
continued …
(Observer)
A B
T T T u1
T
TV v C C u2
C
also at t=ta
where, u1 < v < u2
continued …
(Observer)
A B
T T T u1
T
C TV
C u2 C
at t=ta+tw
Number of trucks overtaken by TV during tw = m
Numbers of cars which overtook TV during tw = n
continued …
No. of vehicles observed by the Observer during ta+tw =
Na+n-m
Na nm
Traffic flow, q
t t
a w
