Background

• Transportation Engineering – is a field or branch of civil

engineering that deals with the application of technology and
scientific principles to the
– planning,
– functional design,
– operation, and
– management of facilities
for any mode of transportation in order to provide for the
– safe,
– rapid,
– comfortable,
– economical, and
– environmentally compatible
movement of people and goods.
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 Background

• Traffic Engineering – phase of transportation

engineering that deals with the
– planning,
– geometric design, and
– traffic operations
of roads, streets, and highways, their networks,
terminals, abutting lands, and relationships with
other modes of transportation.

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 Background

• Traffic Management – is a term used to

embody the activities undertaken by a
highway transportation agency to improve
roadway system safety, efficiency, and
effectiveness for both providers and
consumers of transportation services.

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 Background
• Traffic Management – is a term used to embody the activities
undertaken by a highway transportation agency to improve
roadway system safety, efficiency, and effectiveness for both
providers and consumers of transportation services.

Two types of traffic management:

– Conventional – uses traditional traffic engineering tools or simple
devices to regulate and control traffic
– Advanced – relies more on advanced technology through the use of
Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)

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Introduction to traffic flow theory

A. Types of Flow
• Uninterrupted – vehicles are not required to
stop by any cause external to the traffic
stream
• Interrupted – vehicles are required to stop by
cause outside the traffic stream, such as a
traffic sign, or signal (usually at an at-grade
intersection)

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Introduction to traffic flow theory
B. Basic Traffic Flow Variables

1. Speed (u) – rate of motion (length of road/time),

[kilometers per hour]
2 principal average speeds:
– Time mean speed (spot speed)
arithmetic mean of the speeds of vehicles passing a point during a given
interval of time
It is a common practice among traffic engineers to report the “spot
speed” for a given location
If 3 cars are traveling at constant speeds u1, u2, and u3:
ut = ⅓ (u1 + u2 + u3)

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 Introduction to traffic flow theory
– Space mean speed (harmonic mean speed)
average speed of vehicles occupying a given length of road at an instant of
time

Considering again the 3 cars, the average travel time is:

t= (
1 D
3 u1 + uD2 + uD3 =) 1
N å D
ui

The space mean speed is computed as:

us = D/t

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 Introduction to traffic flow theory
B. Basic Traffic Flow Variables

2. Volume (q) – number of vehicles passing at a point or section

of roadway per lane for a given time period (number of
vehicles/time),
[vehicles per hour ph, passenger car units per hour, vehicles per 15 minutes]
– Flow rate – same as volume but less 1-hour period (usually
expanded)

Time Flow rate Volume

8:00 – 8:15 400 veh/15 min 1,600 veh/hour
8:15 – 8:30 350 veh/15 min 1,400 veh/hour

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Introduction to traffic flow theory
B. Basic Traffic Flow Variables

3. Density (k) – number of vehicles in a given length of

roadway or lane at an instant of time (number of vehicles
per length of roadway), [vehicles per kilometer]

Fundamental equation relating speed, volume and density:

q = us ´ k

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Introduction to traffic flow theory
B. Basic Traffic Flow Variables

• Time headway – inverse of volume (1/q)

[seconds]

5 seconds

• Space headway – inverse of density (1/k)

[meters]

20 meters

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Introduction to traffic flow theory
C. Lane utilization
• distribution of the total traffic volume to the individual lanes
of multi-lane freeways/highways (US HCM)
• also referred to as lane distribution, traffic distribution or
traffic split, it is normally measured in percentage (%) or
ratio of total traffic

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Introduction to traffic flow theory

D. Weaving

p The crossing of two or more traffic streams traveling in the

same general direction along a significant length of highway,
without the aid of traffic control devices (US HCM)
p Lane change – maneuver employed in weaving
p Measured in terms of frequency over a defined length (e.g.,
frequency per 100 meters)

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Introduction to traffic flow theory
E. Level of service

• Level of service (LOS) – a qualitative measure describing operational

conditions within a traffic stream and their perception by motorists
and/or passengers (US HCM)
– Letter designation that describes a range of operating conditions on
a particular type of facility

• Measures of Effectiveness (MOE) – parameter that describes the

effectiveness or quality of service provided to the driver or passenger

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Introduction to traffic flow theory

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Introduction to traffic flow theory

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Introduction to traffic flow theory

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Introduction to traffic flow theory

LOS A LOS B

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Introduction to traffic flow theory

LOS C LOS D

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Introduction to traffic flow theory

LOS E LOS F

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