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CHAPTER 1: TRANSPORTATION AS A
SYSTEM
At the end of this chapter, the students shall be
able to:
a. Define transportation and discuss the
importance of transportation (social,
economical, etc.)
b. Define transportation Engineering and
discuss the different modalities of
transportation.
c. Discuss the different
components/elements of transportation
system.
Transportation- the movement of people and
goods from one point to another.
Engineering- is the creative application of
science, mathematical methods, and empirical
evidence to the innovation, design, construction,
and maintenance of structures, machines,
materials, devices, systems, processes, and
organizations.
Transportation Engineering- is the
application of scientific and engineering
principles to the planning, design, operation,
and management of transportation systems and
facilities.
Traffic Engineering - is the branch of civil
engineering that deals with the safe and efficient
movement of people and goods on roadways.
Transportation System defined as a facility
consisting of the means and equipment
necessary for the movement of passengers or
goods.
There are four basic elements of transportation
system namely:
a. Way- The way is the medium of travel
used by a transport mode. It may be
purely artificial, such as roads and
railways; or natural, such as air or water.
Roads, railways and inland waterways
PRINCIPLES OF TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC ENGINEERING PART 1
restrict vehicles movement to a specific
pattern, while air and sea allow flexibility.
b. Terminal- The terminal represents the
second important element of a transport
mode giving access to the way for the
users or acting as an interchange between
different types of ways. It is the farthest
point to which the transport system
extends–literally the end of the line.
Probably the simplest terminal is parking
for a private car, while the most complex
one is an airport. Terminals are also
considered as integrated transportation
points as they can act as interchanges
where travellers can transfer between
vehicles to modes.
c. Carrying Unit- The carrying unit is the
actual transportation media- the vehicle
which facilitates the movement. Each
‘way’ demands a distinctive form of
carrying unit- aircraft for the sky, ships
for the sea, motor vehicles for roads and
train or tram for railways.
d. Motive Power- Motive power is perhaps
the key element in transportation
development. The natural power of horse-
drawn carriages and sailing vessels
provided the initial energy for
transportation. The exploration of steam
power provided the opportunity for the
introduction of steamships and railways,
while the internal combustion engine
stimulated the development of road and
air transportation.
Types of Transportation Services:
The Transport system is broadly divided into
three major divisions as shown in the figure
below:
Private Transport- Private Transport has
flexible routes, spaces, timings. Road-based
private transport can further be classified as
Fast, Slow. Fast is the mechanised mode that
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includes car, 2 Wheeler, etc. Slow mode is
also called non-mechanised modes such as
cycles, animal-drawn private vehicles.
Public Transport- Public Transportation
includes all multiple-occupancy vehicle
services designed to transport customers on
local and regional routes. It is transportation
by van, bus, or rail or other conveyance,
either privately or publicly owned, providing
to the public general or special service.
Vehicle Registration and Driving
License in the Philippines:
In the Philippines, the Land Transportation
Office is the government agency with the
mandate to oversee the registration of
vehicles. According to LTO, motor vehicles
are classified as follows:
a. Private Vehicles- refers to motor
vehicles owned by private individuals or
companies and are not intended to be
used for hire.
b. For Hire Vehicles- refers to motor
vehicles authorized to be used as public
vehicles by virtue of a franchise granted
by LTFRB.
c. Offical/Government Vehicles- refers
to motor vehicles owned by the
Philippine government.
d. Diplomatic vehicles- refers to motor
vehicles owned by foreign government or
by their diplomatic officials in the
Philippines.
PRINCIPLES OF TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC ENGINEERING PART 1
Different examples of vehicles per type
The issuing procedure of driving license is
provided for under the Republic Act 4136. The
LTO has the full responsibility for the issuance of
driving licenses.
There are three types of driving license issued by
the LTO namely:
a. Student Drivers’ permit- This is not a
driver’s license per se, but it does give one
proper authorization to drive a motor
vehicle along the Philippine roads legally,
with certain restrictions. It is a document
issued by the LTO to first-time drivers. Its
issuance signifies that an individual has
legal authorization to drive motor vehicle,
provided that they are under the guidance
of a licensed driver.
b. Nonprofessional Driver’s License-
is an official document issued by the Land
Transportation Office (LTO) of the
Philippines which authorizes the license
holder to operate a private motor vehicle.
This is the type of driver’s license most
people get since they just want to drive
their own motorcycles or lightweight cars
on the streets.
c. Professional Driver’s License- This
type of license allows the individual to
drive vehicles for a living or for a paid
purpose. This commonly applies to those
who have to drive large commercial
vehicles for a living.
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TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM:
A transportation system is commonly
conceptualized as the set of relationships
between nodes, networks, and demand. These
relationships involve locations spatially
expressing this demand, flows between them,
and infrastructures designed to handle and link
these flows.
 Demand. A derived function for the
mobility of people, freight, and
information for a variety of
socioeconomic activities.
 Nodes. Where movements are
originating, ending, and transiting
(intermediacy), entry or exit points in a
transport system. They vary according to
the geographical scale being considered
ranging from local nodes (such as a
subway station) to global nodes (such as
port or airport terminals).
 Networks. Composed of a set of linkages
expressing the connectivity between
places and the capacity to handle
passenger or cargo volumes.
 Locations. Nodes where demand is
expressed as an origin, destination, or
point of transit. The level of spatial
PRINCIPLES OF TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC ENGINEERING PART 1
accumulation of socioeconomic activities
(production and consumption) jointly
defines demand and w here this demand
is taking place.
 Flows. The amount of traffic over a
network, which is composed of nodes and
linkages. This is jointly a function of the
demand and the capacity of the linkages
to support them.
 Infrastructures. The conveyances such
as roads and terminals expressing the
physical reality of a network and are
designed to handle demand with specific
volume and frequency characteristics.
Facilities enabling access to a network are
jointly characterized by their centrality
and the linkages that radiate from them.
Transportation System is a functional system in
the context of society as a whole because it
provides a service- the movement of goods and
people from place to place.
PHILIPPINE TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM
The Philippines is a member of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations, composed of 7,641
islands which are broadly categorized in three
main geographical divisions from north to south:
Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
It has a total land area of about 300,000 sq.km
stretching 1,850 kilometres from north to south.
The Philippines is divided into 17 regions, 82
provinces, 146 cities, 1,488 municipalities, and
42,036 barangays (PSA, 2016). Regions other
than Bangsamoro are divided for administrative
convenience. Calabarzon was the region with the
greatest population as of 2020, and the National
Capital Region (NCR) was the most densely
populated.
As of May 1, 2020, the Philippines had a
population of 109,035,343. In the year 2020, 54
percent of the country's population is
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concentrated on urban areas. Manila being its
capital, and Quezon City (the country's most
populous city) are in Metro Manila. About 13.48
million people (12 percent of the Philippines'
population) live in Metro Manila, the country's
most populous metropolitan area and the
world's fifth most populous. Between 1948 and
2010, the population of the Philippines
increased almost fivefold from 19 million to 92
million (CHP, 2020).
Transportation in the Philippines is by road, air,
rail and water. Roads are the dominant form of
transport, carrying 98 percent of people and 58
percent of cargo. In December 2018, there were
210,528 kilometers (130,816 mi) of roads in the
country. The backbone of land-based
transportation in the country is the Pan-
Philippine Highway, which connects the islands
of Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao (Asian
Development Bank, 2012).
Despite the popularity of rail transportation in
other countries, the rail transportation in the
Philippines is limited only to transporting
passengers within Metro Manila and the
provinces of Laguna and Quezon, with a short
track in the Bicol Region (PNR, 2020). The
country had a railway footprint of only 79
kilometres as of 2019, which it planned to
expand to about 250 kilometres. A revival of
freight rail is planned to reduce road congestion.
As of 2022, the Philippines has 90 national
government-owned airports, eight of which are
international airports. Ninoy Aquino
International Airport (NAIA), formerly known
as Manila International Airport, has the greatest
number of passengers (Francisco et.al, 2022).
The 2017 air domestic market was dominated by
Philippine Airlines, the country's flag carrier and
Asia's oldest commercial airline, and Cebu
Pacific (the country's leading low-cost carrier).
PRINCIPLES OF TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC ENGINEERING PART 1
Being an archipelagic country, the Philippines
also utilizes waterborne modalities such as
boats, ships etc. since most of the islands of the
country are not yet connected with bridges. The
Philippines has over 1,800 seaports; of these, the
principal seaports of Manila (the country's chief,
and busiest, port), Batangas, Subic Bay, Cebu,
Iloilo, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos,
and Zamboanga are part of the ASEAN
Transport Network.
LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK IN
PHILIPPINE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM:
In this chapter, we will going to discuss the
different legislations or laws that makeup or
established the transportation system in the
Philippines.
Republic Act 4136- “An act to compile the laws
relative to land transportation and traffic rules, to
create a land transportation commission and for
other purposes”. Also known as the Land
Transportation and Traffic Code, it provides
protocols on motor vehicles registration,
accessories of vehicles, and defines road traffic
rules and regulations.
Commonwealth Act 146- otherwise known as
the “Public Service Act” which created a regulatory
body and given the enforcement power and
authority to apprehend and impound vehicles.
Executive Order 125- Amending Executive
Order no. 125, entitled "Reorganizing the Ministry
of Transportation and Communications. Defining
its powers and functions, and for other purposes."
This law also established the Land Transportation
Office as the sectoral agency responsible for
implementing and carrying out policies, rules, and
regulations governing the land transportation
system of the country.
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Executive Order 202- “Creating the Land
Transportation Franchising and Regulatory
Board”. This law created the LTFRB and defined its
mandates as regulating and the Land Transport
Industry pursuant to the Public Service Act.
Republic Act 6975- “An act establishing the
Philippine National Police under a reorganized
Department of Interior and Local Government, and lands, and relationship with other modes of
for other purposes”. This law established the PNP
under which the Traffic Management Group has
been organized as the traffic enforcement arm of
PNP covering national roads.
National Transport Policy (NTP)- To achieve
the Transport Vision, the Government hereby
adopts the National Transport Policy which all
elements of the transport system and all sub-
sectors of transportation, including passengers,
shippers, service providers, investors, agencies and traffic engineering profession was likewise
instrumentalities of government and those
involved in the movement of people and goods and
in the provision of transport infrastructure,
facilities and services, shall abide by and use as
guidance in transport development, management,
operations, and use.
The National Transport Policy (NTP) covers the
following policy focus areas:
(a) Resource Generation, Allocation and Cost
Sharing;
(b) Program and Project Selection;
(c) Cost Recovery and Subsidies;
(d) Regulation of Passenger Transport Services; with the assistance of Japan International
(e) Transportation Management in Urban and
Regional Areas;
(f) Support to Other Economic Sectors; and,
(g) Governance and Institutions.
PRINCIPLES OF TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC ENGINEERING PART 1
TRANSPORTATION & TRAFFIC
ENGINEERING PRACTICE
Traffic Engineering- is that phase of transportation
engineering that deals with the planning, geometric
design, and traffic operations of roads, streets, and
highways and their networks, terminals, abutting
transportation (Evans, 1950)
The title “traffic engineer” was first recognized in
the United States in the year 1921 but it was only in
the 1990’s where traffic engineering as a profession
was introduced in the Philippines.
The oldest organization for traffic engineers was
founded in 1930. It was called Institute of Traffic
Engineers (ITE) and upon its establishment, the
established and defined. (Evans, 1950)
In 1977, The Traffic Engineering and Management
(TEAM) Project was first implemented in Metro
Manila, this was the first time that the Philippines
considered traffic studies to be one of the key
factors in the design of transportation networks.
During that time, the Traffic Control Center (TCC)
which was later renamed as the Traffic Engineering
Center (TEC).
Also in 1976, the Transport Training Center (TTC)
was established in the University of the Philippines
Cooperation Agency (JICA).
In 1993, the TTC was renamed as National Center
for Transportation Studies (NCTS) as it became a
regular unit of UP Diliman. The NCTS focused on
research and support to graduate programs in the
fields of Transportation Engineering and
Transportation planning as additional functions.
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CHAPTER 2: INTRODUCTION TO
TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND
ENGINEERING
Transportation Planning marks the initial
stage of development for an area’s mobility. It
merges disciplines to determine how to design
the most functional transportation network
based on current and anticipated transit
patterns.
Transportation planning provides integrated
solutions by balancing policy, investments,
technology, and land use. These aim to support
long-term growth and strategic accessibility.
Successful transport planning analyzes
community needs, travel patterns, and
demographics before developing plans. This
involves examining the current infrastructure,
anticipating transport needs, and providing
recommendations for improvements. The
planning process should also include any
budgetary constraints.
Through the analysis of travel patterns and
demographics, transportation planning enables
policymakers to define their goals for a region.
They’re able to anticipate how characteristics
will change to define future policies. Spatial
planning designs and investments can then be
tailored to prepare for future needs and urban
mobility requirements. (www.ptvgroup.com)
Transportation planning has four main stages
namely:
a. Transportation survey, data collection
and analysis;
b. Use of transportation model;
c. Future land use forecasts and alternative
policy strategies; and
d. Policy evaluation.
PRINCIPLES OF TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC ENGINEERING PART 1
The entire process of transportation planning
(either local, regional, or national level), is based
on survey and data collection. This includes all
types of literature and data available on
transportation, journey behaviour patterns,
nature and intensity of traffic, freight structure,
cost and benefits, i.e., income, employment
estimates, etc.
The comprehensive knowledge of traffic flows
and patterns within a defined area is essential. In
addition to traffic data, planners also require
land use and population data for their study
area.
The details-of existing transport network are an
important source of information. In some cases,
a very detailed description of links and nodes in
terms of vehicle speed, carriage-way width and
nodal type is collected. Travel times and network
characteristics of public transport networks are
simultaneously collected. Finally, data
processing should be done. When this has been
completed, planners can begin their data
analysis.
The second stage of the transportation planning
process is to use the collected data to build up a
transportation model. This model is the key to
predicting future travel demands and network
needs and is derived in four recognised stages,
i.e., trip generation, trip distribution, traffic
assignment and model split.
The forecasting of future land use inputs is a
precarious task, for two important reasons.
Firstly, transport planners have to rely on the
judgment of to the types of planner for most of
their land use forecasts. This information is
vitally important since it has a profound effect
upon travel forecasts. Secondly, long-term
forecasting is beset with many statistical
problems. Transportation planners are usually
working on at least 10, and sometimes 25-years
ahead.
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The final stage of the transportation planning

process is one of evaluating the alternative
policies, which have been suggested. This stage
is composed of economic valuation of transport
proposals, and cost-benefit analysis.

PRINCIPLES OF TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC ENGINEERING PART 1

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References:

Banks, James H. (2002) Introduction to

Transportation Engineering Second Edition

Sigua, Ricardo G. (2008) Fundamentals of

Traffic Engineering – Quezon City: The
University of the Philippines Press, c2008 346
p.; 23 cm

Mapa, Dennis S. (July 7, 2021). "2020 Census of

Population and Housing (2020 CPH)
Population Counts Declared Official by the
President" (Press release). Philippine Statistics
Authority. Archived from the original on July 7,
2021.

Mapa, Dennis S. (July 7, 2021). "2020 Census of

Population and Housing (2020 CPH)
Population Counts Declared Official by the
President" (Press release). Philippine Statistics
Authority. Archived from the original on July 7,
2021.

The Report: Philippines 2015 (Report). London:

Oxford Business Group. 2015. p. 152. ISBN 978-
1-910068-26-7.

Francisco, Kris A.; Lim, Valerie L. (December

2022). "Philippine Air Transport
Infrastructure: State, Issues, Government
Strategies" (PDF). PIDS Discussion Paper
Series. Quezon City, Philippines:

PRINCIPLES OF TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC ENGINEERING PART 1