Traffic studies and their references

OMKAR POWAR
MT21TRE002

Table of Contents
Origin and destination studies ................................................................................................................ 2
Traffic volume studies ............................................................................................................................ 3
Parking Studies ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Travel time and delay studies ................................................................................................................. 5
Accidental studies ................................................................................................................................... 5
Highway economics ................................................................................................................................ 7
Environment Impact Study (EIA) IRC : 104-1988 .................................................................................... 8

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Origin and destination studies IRC 102 : 1998 ,Ref page no 3
O&D study gives the information about actual location or zone of origin of travel and its
destinations. This study provides the details as follows
1) Direction of travel
2) Selection of route
3) Trip length
4) Frequency of the trips on that particular route ,etc.
5) No of individual travelling on that route
These studies are useful in
• Adequacy of existing route
• Locate the road network required as per volume
• Location bridge
• Establishing the design standard
• To finding out congestion points
In this code it is given that how will you choose the survey points or Corden points , frequency
and duration consideration, how much sample size to be taken depending upon the traffic
volume on that Corden point.
Methods to collect the data are as follows
1) Road side interview method
2) Licence plate method
3) Tag on car method
4) Home interview methos
The data collected can be represented by any of the following form
a) Table showing matrix of no of trips between different zones
b) Desire line: Traffic volume shown in with different width and width is proportional
to no of trips in both direction.
Some manual data recording sheets attached referring to code is given below source
for this is taken from NPTEL Urban transport planning course.

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Traffic volume studies IRC:108-2015
Traffic volume is the measure of quantify the traffic flow expressed as number of vehicle that
pass across a given section of road per unit time per lane.
As the width of carriageway width may vary, the traffic volume is expressed per lane and can
be applicable as per conditions.
Since mixed traffic flow is there, to simplify our study we convert all the vehicles into standard
vehicle such as passenger car and write it in terms of factor called passenger car unit, represent
speed to length ratio.
This study carried out for
1) To decide priority for improvement
2) Geometric design/Redesign
3) Computing roadway capacity
4) Plan traffic operations and controls

Traffic volume can be measured either manually (most accurate but small sample), or
mechanically (Radar, pneumatic sensors, magnetic detectors)
To represent this data code has given forms
• AADT
• AAHT
• AAWT
• ADT

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 • Trend chart: To find traffic growth rate
• Variation chart: Seasonal, hourly, daily volume over length of road
• Traffic flow maps
• Volume flow diagram at intersection
• 30th highest hourly volume data
• Periodic volume count: long duration data, variance reduces

Code has given certain expansion factors

i. Hourly expansion factor
ii. Daily expansion factor
iii. Monthly expansion factor
iv. Peak hour factor
Some manual data recording sheets attached referring to code is given below

Parking Studies SP:12-2015

Vehicle has to stop at some point of time as it can’t move for all 24 hours.
Objective of this study is,

• To demotivate people from using personal vehicles

• To reduce parking demand through increased parking cost
• To promote public transport for mobility
• To have a optimum utilization of available parking spaces
• Effective management of parking space through use of ITS technologies
• Spaces already designated for parking must be utilized to highest efficiency and
financial viability
A. Off street parking: at locations where demand is high, kerb parking can not be provided
as POV of congestion, it is provided depending on space available.
a) Surface parking
b) Multi floor garage facility
B. On street parking: Kerb parking

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 Vehicles parked along the kerb, convenient for those who could find suitable space for
desired direction.
a) Parallel parking: No of veh parked are least in this case, preferred when width
is limited, Parking and unparking are most difficult and time consuming.
b) Angled Parking: Angle of 30,45,60,90 Angle of 30,45,60,90 Accommodate
more no of vehicles per unit length of kerb with maximum number of vehicles
being parked at 90 degrees.

Travel time and delay studies IRC: 102-1988

This gives the idea of running speed or the fluctuation in speed, the location and duration
of delays or stoppages and the overall travel speed between two desired locations along the
road.
The result of this study can be used to identify the location of congestion, causes of delay
hence helps in improvement of existing design or helps in design of new road.
Delay can be fixed (occur at intersection due to traffic signals), or operational (due to
various activities happening on road).
For this study moving car technique is adopted in which, depending upon method of
regulating the speed test vehicle further classified into

• Floating car method

• Average car method
• Restricted car method
a) Licence plate method
b) Interview approach
c) Elevated observations and photographic techniques used

Accidental studies (Prof. Tom Mathew IIITB/IRC:53-2Q12, FORMS A-1 AND A-4
(Second Revision)
Accident problem is very significant due to complex flow pattern and presence of mixed
vehicle flow.
Objectives of this study:
• To study the cause of accident
• To study existing design and control measure
• To evaluate the total loss due to accident
• Changes required in existing design
This accident may cause due to
Driver, Pedestrian, Passenger, Vehicle defect, Road condition and design defaults, Traffic
condition, weather condition, animals.
Accident reported in forms as follows:

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1) Locations files
2) Spot maps
3) Collision diagram
Accident data analysed as follows:

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Highway economics IRC: SP:30-2009
Study of highway economics and finance mainly involves the understanding of various cost
components of highway projects, the prioritisation of various alternative highway project,
decision of investment in a project at various stages, sources for the fund, policy making is
involved.
It include Time horizon, interest rate, inflation, salvage value, present worth, capital recovery
factors.

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Cost component includes agency cost(authority), user cost, vehicle operation cost , travel time
cost etc.
Lastly cost benefit ratio calculation is done.

Environment Impact Study (EIA) IRC : 104-1988

The objective of this study is
➢ To identify environmental impacts of the project and the
alternatives,
➢ Assign weightage to these impacts,
➢ propose treatments and provide necessary information for making
decision whether the project is acceptable from environmental
perspective or not.
Data recorded as follows:

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Based on this data best alternative is to choosed.

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