CIVE461: Highway Engineering

Unit A: Introduction

Introduction to Transportation;
Driver and Pedestrian Characteristics

Supplemental Reading: W 5.1.2, 5.2

 Outline
• The transportation field
• Syllabus
• Unit A:
– Driver and pedestrian characteristics

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The Transportation
Field

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 Specialization / Experience
Electrical / Road
Electronic Design
Structural
Public
Computer / Transport
Telecom. Geotechnical Air
Traffic
Engineering Civil Transportation Land
ITS
Mechanical Environmental Maritime
Safety
Water &
Management Waste Water
Pedestrian /
Other

Other

Undergraduate Studies Graduate Studies and Work Experience

 Transportation engineers…

• Inside, we are all transportation engineers!

• Ever complained about traffic congestion,

parking availability, intersection delays, …

• Ever wondered why Beirut’s entry corridors

doesn’t have more lanes?
 Example: Surface Transportation in
Lebanon
• Road network
– 22,000 km of roads (6000 Mode Split in the Greater
km of which are paved; Beirut Area (GBA)
rest are managed by
municipalities)
Jitney, 19%
• Public transportation Bus/minibus,
10%
Type of Public Fleet Size Car, 71%
Transportation
Service (jitney) 32,000
Private bus 2400
Source: Nakkash (1999)
Public bus 40
Private minibus 4000
Source: Ministry of Public Works & Transport (2007) 6
 Importance of Transportation
• Mobility and accessibility
• Economic viability

Source: New York Times (2011) 7

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/20/growing-without-driving/?_r=0
Elements of a Transportation System

• Physical facilities (roads, runways, etc.)

• Vehicles (car, bus, truck, train, etc.)

• Control system and operating procedures

(e.g. traffic signals)

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 Factors Impacting the
Transportation System
• Market forces
– State of economy, competition, costs of services,
globalization

• Government actions
– Regulation, subsidies

• Technology
– Infrastructure, vehicle, traffic control
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 Transportation Social Impacts
• Congestion
– 1.75 million motorized trips in the GBA
– 1 car for every 3 persons
• Environmental (emissions, noise)
– 24% of CO2 emissions in Lebanon due to transport
• Safety
– About 549 fatalities, 6517 injuries from road accidents in Lebanon
in 2010 (Source: ISF)
7.0
• Well-being
Avg. Commute Satisfaction
6.0
5.1
– AUB students who 5.0
4.0 3.5
commute by car are least 3.0
3.0
satisfied 2.0
1.0
0.0
Source: 2010 AUB commuting survey Car/motorcycle Public transport Walk/bike 10
Transportation Research at AUB
• Neighborhood Initiative congestion studies
– Improving walkability and pedestrian safety
– Assessing parking deficit and options
– Improving public transport provision
• Driving behavior studies using a driving
simulator

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 Transportation Research at AUB
(cont.)
• Optimizing operations at Beirut Container Terminal

• Measuring and modeling travel behavior

– Car ownership decisions across cultures
– Measuring happiness and activities/travel
with Smartphone apps and surveys
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Specialization in Transportation
Planning

Design
(geometric, pavement, drainage,
structural)

Construction

Operation, Maintenance,
Management
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 Transportation Education at AUB
CIVE460 - Transportation Engineering & Laboratory
CIVE461 - Highway Engineering

CIVE661 - Urban Transportation Planning I

CIVE662 - Traffic Engineering I
CIVE663 - Transportation Systems Analysis
CIVE664 - Design & Management of Transport Operations
CIVE665 - Transportation Economics
CIVE666 - Public Transportation
CIVE761 - Urban Transportation Planning II
CIVE762 - Traffic Flow Theory
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This course is about highway engineering
that combines:
– Elements of Design and Planning
– Conventional Design and Creativity

Difference between a Tailor,

and a Fashion Designer?

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Syllabus

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 Units
• Unit A: Introduction
• Unit B: Highway Location & Geometric Design
• Unit C: Pavement Engineering
• Unit D: Design & Operation of Parking Facilities
• Unit E: Highway Planning

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 Instructor
Dr. Hani Al Naghi
• Room: …….., Ext. ……
• E-mail: ha18@aub.edu.lb
Office Hours: Tue, Thu 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
& by appointment at other times

“AUB strives to make learning experiences as accessible as possible.

If you anticipate or experience academic barriers due to disability
(including mental health, chronic or temporary medical conditions),
Please inform me immediately so we can privately discuss options.
In order to establish reasonable accommodations and facilitate a smooth
Accommodations process, you are encouraged to contact the
Accessible Education Office: West Hall 314, Ext. 3246” 18
Meeting Time, Location, & Website
• Lecture: Tuesday & Thursday (Bechtel 204)
9:30 – 11:00 a.m. (Section 1)
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (Section 2);
• Recitation: Wednesday
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. (Section 1; Bechtel ……)
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. (Section 2; Bechtel ……)
• Website: Moodle
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 Textbook & References
Textbook:
• [MW] Mannering, F. L. and Washburn, S. S., Principles of
Highway Engineering and Traffic Analysis, 5th ed., 2013.

References:
• [W] Wright, P. and Dixon, K., Highway Engineering, 7th ed.,
2004. (on reserve at the Engineering Library)
• [A] AASHTO, A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways
and Streets, 2004.
• [S] Schoon, J.G., Geometric Design Projects for Highways:
An Introduction, 2nd ed., 2000. (on reserve at the
Engineering Library)

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 Course Requirements, Tentative
Due Dates, and Grading
Date / Due Date % of Total Grade
Midterm exam* Friday October 21, 2016 30%
(6:00 - 8:00 PM, Nicely 500)

Design project 1 (Road) Wednesday October 26, 2016 20%

Design project 2 (Parking) Wednesday November 19, 2016 10%
Final exam TBD 35%
Class attendance, participation, and attitude 5%

(*) No makeup shall be held for the midterm exam - in case of (excused)
absence, the weight on the midterm shall be transferred to the final
exam which would then carry a weight of 65%
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 Requirements for Passing the
Course
• A student’s course average should be greater
than or equal to 60%; and

• A student’s combined average on the midterm

exam and final exam (representing 65% of the
course grade) should not be less than 58%, after
considering the raise on the midterm and final
exams (the raise is such that the average class
grade on the midterm and final exams is in the
range of 70-75%).
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 Course Learning Outcomes
• Students will know the fundamental principles of highway
engineering: roadway characteristics, highway location, and
geometric design.
• Students will have the ability to apply fundamental concepts in design
of geometric alignment of highways.
• Students will have the ability to apply the principles of highway
planning (traffic forecasting).
• Students will have acquired the fundamental abilities to design
highway facilities.
• Students will have the ability to design parking facilities.
• Students will maintain/develop their knowledge of and familiarity
with latest software tools for highway geometric design.
• Students will have the opportunity to interact with their peers.
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Unit A: Motivation
and Outline

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 Highway Transportation
• 4 main components:
– Driver
– Pedestrian
– Vehicle
– Road

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 Highway Transportation (cont.)
• To design highways, need to understand
the characteristics of the 4 components
and know their limitations

• Cannot consider average values only

– E.g. drivers: age (18-70), vision, reaction
– E.g. vehicles: compact / full size / buses /
trucks
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 Highway Transportation (cont.)
• Road is to be designed:
– To accommodate a wide range of vehicle
characteristics
– To permit its use by drivers (and pedestrians)
with a wide range of physical characteristics

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Unit A: Introduction to Highway Engineering
Outline

1. Driver
– Characteristics
– Perception and reaction process

2. Pedestrian
– Characteristics

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Unit A: Introduction to Highway Engineering
Outline (cont.)

3. Vehicle
– Static characteristics
• Size and weight
– Kinematic characteristics
• Acceleration and deceleration
– Dynamic characteristics
• Forces acting on a vehicle
• Braking distances
• Turning radii
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Unit A: Introduction to Highway Engineering
Outline (cont.)

4. Road
– Sight distance (SD)
• Stopping SD
• Decision SD
• Passing SD

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Driver Characteristics

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 Driver Characteristics
• Skills and perceptual abilities of drivers on
roadways vary:
– Hear, see, evaluate, react to information
– Vary by time of day (e.g. due to fatigue)

• Criteria used for roadway design should be

compatible with capabilities of most drivers

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Perception and Reaction Process
• Process through which driver evaluates and
reacts to a stimulus

• Examples of stimuli?

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Perception and Reaction Process
(cont.)
• 4 phases in information processing:
– Detection - visual perception of a control device, sign,
object
– Identification and understanding of device/object (e.g.
a boulder blocking a lane)
– Decision of what action to take in response to stimulus
(e.g. step on brake pedal, pass another vehicle, change
lane, etc.)
– Reaction: initiation of the action decided upon

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Perception and Reaction Process
(cont.)
• Each phase consumes time
– Total time = Perception–Reaction time

• Design aspect controlled by P-R time:

stopping distance

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 Perception-Reaction Time
Value
• P-R time varies from 0.5 – 7.0 sec, depending on
driver (age, fatigue, etc.), complexity of situation,
weather factors, etc.
• AASHTO stipulates a P-R time of 2.5 sec for
stopping sight distance
– Encompasses decision times of 90% of drivers under
most highway conditions
– Notes:
• 2.5 sec includes the time until driver starts braking, but it
does not include the braking distance
• AASHTO = American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials 36
 Perception-Reaction Time
Example
• P-R time = 2.5 s
• Driver moving at 90 km/h observes object
blocking road
• Then: distance traveled before driver
applies brakes:
D = Speed × Time
= (90 km/h × 1 h/3600 s × 1000 m/km)
× 2.5 s
= 62.5m 37
 Pedestrian
Characteristics

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 Pedestrian Characteristics
• Influence the design and location of pedestrian
control devices such as:
– Pedestrian signals
– Crosswalks
– Underpass / elevated walkways

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Pedestrian Characteristics (cont.)
• Safety:
– US pedestrian fatalities: 6,256 in 1995 / 5,494 in 2004
(Source: ITE, Transportation Planning Handbook, 2009)
– Lebanon: road accident fatalities (Source: ISF)

Category 2007 2010

Number Percentage Number Percentage
Driver 186 37.43 203 36.97
Passenger 134 26.96 166 30.24
Pedestrian 177 35.61 180 32.79
Total 497 100 549 100

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Pedestrian Characteristics (cont.)
• Walking characteristics are important in addition
to visual and hearing / perception characteristics
• E.g. traffic signal timing should permit pedestrians
to safely cross the intersection
– Considering walking speed of pedestrians which varies
between 1-2 m/s or 3.6-7.2 km/h (1.2 m/s typical for
timing pedestrian traffic signals)

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 Green Man+ (Singapore)
• Additional green time (up to 12 more seconds) can be
requested by elderly/disabled people by tapping a card
near the push button to allow safer crossing

Source:
http://www.onemotoring.com.sg/publish/on
emotoring/en/on_the_roads/traffic_manage
ment/green_man_plus.html#MainPar_86754
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