CE 60115 Geometric Design of

Transportation Facilities

Lecture 2
10.08.2022 – 12.08.2022
 CE 60115 Geometric Design of Transportation Facilities

Relationship of Traffic with Geometric Design

Primary Design Controls

❑ Design hourly volume
❑ Design vehicle
❑ Design driver
❑ Design speed
❑ Desired cross section
 CE 60115 Geometric Design of Transportation Facilities

Traffic flow Highly variable

 Time of day
 Day of week
 Month or season of the year
 Direction
 Response to singular events (both planned &
unplanned)
Data sources
Existing facility
• Traffic counters (permanent, temporary)
New facility
• Planning forecasts
 Traffic Volume
• A measure to quantify the traffic flow

Volume = number of vehicles passing a specified point during a stated period of

time expressed as vehicles/hour or PCU/h

• Count the number of vehicles

crossing a reference line in a
time period or in a hour

• For mixed traffic: convert it in

Passenger Car Unit
 CE 60115 Geometric Design of Transportation Facilities

Traffic Volume
▪ Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)
▪ Average Daily Traffic (ADT)
▪ Design Hourly volume (DHV)
- 30th Hourly Volume
▪ Directional Design Hourly volume (DDHV)
▪ Peak Hour Traffic
▪ % of trucks

▪ Traffic composition (Classified Traffic Volume)

▪ Heterogeneous and Suggested PCU/PCE values
“Annual Average Daily Traffic” (AADT)
- AADT: Projected annual average daily volume in veh/day
- Average of 24 hr traffic volume at a given location over full 365 day year
- Total traffic in a year/365 days (assuming no malfunctions)

Used for
▪ Highway design – high speed facility
▪ Estimate highway revenues
▪ Establish overall volume trends
▪ Establish annual accident rates
▪ Analyze benefits of road improvements
 CE 60115 Geometric Design of Transportation Facilities

“Average Daily Traffic” (ADT) – continuous count

- Basic measure of traffic demand

Definition: “Total volume during a time period divided by the number of days in
that time period”
- Average of 24 hrs volume at a given location for some period of time less than a
year ( 6 months/ season/ days...)
Traffic count of 3 to 7 days/ number of days
(weekdays)
Example: 72 hour (3-day) continuous count on a roadway yielded 60,000 vehicles.
What is the ADT?

Used for urban roads and rural

highways design
 CE 60115 Geometric Design of Transportation Facilities

Peak-Hour Traffic
• “Peak-Hour” refers to rush-hour conditions that generally occur during normal
weekdays
• Highest volume that occurs during any 60 minute period of a day
• More useful than for facilities designs in urban areas
• 8 to 10% of days traffic
 CE 60115 Geometric Design of Transportation Facilities

Design Hourly Volume (DHV)

- 30th Highest Hourly Volume
Hourly traffic volume - % of
AADT

No of hours in one year with traffic

volume exceeding that shown in Y-axis

• Exceed 29th times in a year

• Balances cost and Capacity
• For future traffic projection
• Fairly stable as % different of AADT
• May need to increase if large seasonal variations in traffic
30th HV- Observations
• Curve steepens (left side) after 30 hour volume- few hr only traffic is more
• Curve is flat ( right side)- many hours in which traffic is <30 HV
• Generally 30 HV- 15% ADT on Rural Roads
• Max. HV- 25% ADT – 67% higher than 30 HV

Rural roadways
❑ 30th highest volume = 15% of ADT
• Use a range of k = 12% - 18%
❑ Maximum highest volume = appx 16% - 32% of ADT
Urban roadways
• Typically more predictable and less daily fluctuation
K = 8% - 12% of ADT
 For highway design purpose, if only the ADT is known,
the 30 HV should be estimated from 30th-hour
percentage factors for similar highways in the same
locality, operating under similar conditions

Exception
• For a road with large seasonal fluctuations
• Severe congestion results during peak hours
- Desirable to choose an hourly volume for design that is about 50 percent of
volumes expected to occur during a few highest hours of the design year,
whether or not that volume is equal to 30 HV
 CE 60115 Geometric Design of Transportation Facilities

Directional Distribution
Which needs more capacity for a given 2-way volume?
- Direction reverses from the AM to PM peak periods
- Local determination is necessary
- Considers directional variation in traffic and fraction of AADT both

Directional Design Hourly Volume (DDHV) = D x DHV= D x K x AADT

K: Proportion of daily traffic occurring

during the peak hr (30 th highest hr. vol)
D: Proportion of traffic in dominant
direction (e.g. 60:40), D= 0.6)

K: 0.15-0.2 (rural) and 0.07 to 0.12

(urban)
 CE 60115 Geometric Design of Transportation Facilities

Q1. The Estimated Future Average Daily Traffic for a Rural Highway is 8,200
veh/day. The relationship between peak hour flows and ADT is shown in previous
fig. Estimate the design hourly volume and maximum hourly volume.

Q2. Calculate DDHV for the given information: Average traffic per day 17000 veh,
traffic in both direction 55:45, hourly traffic as percent of AADT is 10%
 CE 60115 Geometric Design of Transportation Facilities

Traffic Composition
- How does it affect design?

❑ Number of lanes required

Motorized/NMT
❑ Lane widths - Car, Bus, 2W, truck,
❑ Alignments cyclists, rickshaws, LCV etc.
❑ Grades Need to make it homogeneous
❑ Turning Radii for design purpose
❑ Bridge clearance
❑ Bridge structural design
❑ Pavement design
❑ Signal timings
In general, trucks produce a much greater equivalent demand on all aspects of
the highway system versus passenger vehicles
 CE 60115 Geometric Design of Transportation Facilities

% Trucks
▪ Heavy vehicles/ commercial vehicles
▪ To be designed for type of vehicles which use the
road most
▪ Larger the % truck- effect traffic speed and
capacity
 CE 60115 Geometric Design of Transportation Facilities

Design Vehicle
Key vehicular controls for geometric design
❑ Physical characteristics
❑ Performance characteristics
❑ Proportions of vehicles types utilizing the road

Influence radii, width, clearance and parking geometrics

Width- Affects width of Traffic lane, shoulder & parking facilities
Length of vehicle & wheelbase - Affects capacity, turning radius
Height- Affects clearance to various structures (over-bridge, overhead
gantries…)
Weight- Affects structural design of pavements – pavement thickness,
gradient
➢ Design of expressways/ motorways/NH- largest design vehicle
➢Streets and junctions in residential areas- passenger car
AASHTO classification of vehicles
• Passenger car (P)
• Single unit Truck (SU)
• Single unit Bus (BUS)
• Articulated bus (ABUS)
• Combination of trucks ( Intermediate semi-trailer-WB-40, large semi-
trailer-WB-50 and double bottom semi-trailer-full trailer-WB-60)
• Recreational Vehicles ( Motor Home-MH, Car and camper trailer-P/T,
car and boat trailer-P/B)
Design Vehicle Dimensions (AASHTO-2001)

Type of Vehicle Symbol Height(m) Width (m) Length(m)

Passenger car P 1.3 2.10 5.80
Single unit truck SU 3.4-4.1 2.40 9.20
Single unit Bus BUS-12 3.70 2.60 12.20
Articulated Bus ABUS 3.40 2.60 18.30
Intermediate Semi-Trailer WB-40 4.10 2.40 13.90
Large semi-trailer WB-50 4.11 2.59 16.76
Double bottom WB-60 4.11 2.59 19.81
SUMO Netedit
AASHTO Design Vehicle Dimensions
 Performance Characteristics
Acceleration Capabilities
❑ Acceleration capabilities decline at higher speeds
❑ Truck acceleration performance is worse than cars
❑ Upgrades reduce acceleration performance
- Influences the steepest allowable upgrade
Braking/Deceleration Capabilities
❑ Longer braking distances for heavy trucks
❑ Cornering/Turning Capabilities
❑ The higher center of gravity makes trucks more likely to tip on sharp
curves
Governs permissible and limiting values of
Power of the vehicle gradients
Vehicular pollution- Noise and air pollution
Passenger Car Acceleration
Effects of Acceleration and Deceleration on Design
Acceleration capability affects design of:
Intersections
Freeway ramps
Climbing and passing lanes
Turnout bays for buses

Deceleration capability affects design of:

Intersections
Stopping sight distances
Sign placement
Traffic signal timings
Other Performance Factors
Air Resistance
Caused by air friction and vehicle’s frontal cross-sectional area.
Function of speed, cross-sectional area of front and density of air
Grade Resistance
Component of vehicle weight parallel to roadway
Function of weight and grade
Rolling Resistance
Frictional slip between pavement
and tires
Function of speed and pavement
roughness
Forces Acting on a Moving Vehicle
Selection of Design Vehicle
AASHTO: The designer of a highway facility should consider:

“The largest design vehicle likely to use the facility with

considerable frequency.”

OR

“A design vehicle with special characteristics appropriate to a

particular intersection in determining the design of critical

features such as turning radii.”

Typical Design Vehicles
For residential streets:
Single unit trucks, school buses, fire trucks
For major roads and freeways (including ramps):
Tractor trailer
Passenger cars are almost never the design vehicle
Residential driveways
Occasionally parking lots
Turning Radius and Turning Path
▪ Turning radius of design vehicle is a critical component
of intersection/horizontal curve geometric design
• Turning radii increase at higher design speeds
• Turning path for the design vehicle based on:
Outer edge
• Trace of the left front overhang of vehicle

Inner edge
• Path of the inner rear wheel
 Minimum Turning Path for a Passenger Vehicle

Turning Radius- radius

of front outside tire
CTR- radius of c/l of
front axle of the
vehicle

2018 AASHTO: Figure 2-10, page 2-64

 CE 60115 Geometric Design of Transportation Facilities

IRC : 3
Single Unit Truck, Semi-trailer
Truck trailer combination
 CE 60115 Geometric Design of Transportation Facilities

IRC:3-1983
CE 60115 Geometric Design of Transportation Facilities

IRC:3-1983
Role of Human Factors in Roadway Design

Primary Design Control: Design driver

• Consideration of driver performance is essential- proper
roadway design and operation
- how they interact with the roadway and its information system and
why they make errors

• Suitability of a design rests - how effectively drivers are

able to use the roadway with their capabilities and
limitations
• When a design is incompatible with the capabilities of
drivers, What will happen??
 Role of the Driver
To operate a vehicle, a driver must be able to identify indication in
sufficient time to respond
Driver error causes significant amount of crashes
Alcohol
Distractions
Following too closely
Failure to yield

Proper driving is function of drivers’ ability to

❑ Receive necessary information and
❑ Use this information correctly
 The Driving Task, Driver Expectancy, and Sources of
Information
Drivers perform “n” of activities. Broadly classified into three task

Three Driving Task Categories

Control

Decreasing importance to
Basic driving tasks

Increasing task
Includes steering, speed control

complexity
Guidance

safe driving
Mid-level driving tasks
Includes road/path following and responding to
changes in road, weather, and traffic conditions
Navigation
Highest-level driving tasks
Includes trip-planning and route following
Driving task - complex and demanding

Driving often occurs at high speeds, under time pressure, in

unfamiliar locations, and under adverse environmental conditions
OLA/UBER/Rented
Driving task - simple and undemanding vehicle driver
- a driver becomes inattentive
Drivers in rural highway/ less
traffic volume @ straight road

Roadway designers need to consider guidance component of the driving

task so that their designs can aid driver performance

- Of the three major components of driving task, highway design and

traffic operations have great effect on guidance
 Roadway Guidance
Primary driver guidance activities
❑ Lane placement
❑ Road following
- Drivers use feedback process to follow road alignment, integrates
obstacle/collision–avoidance decisions
❑ Car following
- more complex than road-following decisions, involves speed-control
modifications
- Requires constant modification of speed to maintain
safe gaps between vehicles
 Roadway Guidance

❑ Passing maneuvres: decisions require modifications in road and car-

following and speed control;
❑ Other guidance activities: include merging, lane changing, and response
to traffic control devices- signal, sign

Driver decision to initiate, continue, or complete a passing

maneuver
 Providing Roadway Guidance Info
Drivers rely on both info from the current environment and previous experience

✓ Traffic control devices - Formal sources of information

▪ Signs (regulatory, warning)

▪ Marking and delineators
▪ Intelligent Traffic Systems
▪ Traffic signals

✓ Roadway environment
▪ Roadway alignment
▪ Sight distances
▪ Placement of signs and other obstacles (guardrail, and
▪ median barriers etc..)
 Ad Hoc Information

Drivers rely on “ad hoc” information gained immediately before a guidance

activity
▪ Information that pertains to the current or upcoming driving task
▪ Signs, markings, signals, ITS are all important sources of “ad hoc”
information
A Priori Expectancy
• Drivers develop “a priori” expectancy based on past experience
• Drivers will be more likely to respond correctly to familiar situations
• Improving expectancy to a situation is key to reduce driver errors and
subsequent crashes
• Expectancy affects how drivers perceive and handle information and
modify the speed and nature of their responses
• Nationwide design consistency is very important
• Avoid unusual design features
Think about it…..

Examples of expectancy violations in design…

Are there any cases where possessing “a priori” expectancy

actually leads to safety problems?

Shoulder rumble strips
Centre rumble strips
 Situational Demands

Drivers commit errors when task overloading or

underloading occurs

• Overloading examples…..

• Underloading examples…..
Task Overload Example
Task Overload Example
Task Underload Example
Identify the Human Factors Issues
Identify the Human Factors Issues
Identify the Human Factors Issues
Identify the Human Factors Issues
Identify the Human Factors Issues
Identify the Human Factors Issues
Work Zone Traffic Control
ASSIGNMENT -2
Identify the Human Factors Issues
Identify the Human Factors Issues
Work Zone Traffic Control
 Identify the Human Factors Issues
Work Zone Traffic Control

Consider a young/inexperienced driver in this situation

USA ROAD CONDITION (Left hand drive)

Mention cases where possessing “a priori”

expectancy actually leads to safety problems?

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