CEE531

TRANSPORTATION
ENGINEERING

1
HIGHWAY TRANSPORTATION COMPONENTS
 HUMAN FACTORS IN HIGHWAY
TRANSPORTATION

Components of the Highway Mode of Transportation:

a. Human (Driver & Pedestrian)
b. Vehicle
c. Road.
d. Bicycle.

Most important abilities: to see & to hear

 DRIVER
CHARACTERISTICS

• The Human Response Process:

• Most of the information received by the driver is
visual
• Ability to see is of fundamental
importance in the driving task.

• Abilities (for same person) are affected by:

• Influence of alcohol
• Fatigue
• Time of day
 VISUAL RECEPTION

The principal characteristics of the eye are:

1. Visual acuity
2. Peripheral vision
3. Color vision
4. Glare vision and recovery
5. Depth perception
 HEARING PERCEPTION

➢ It is important when warning sounds given by emergency vehicles are to be detected. Hearing aid normally corrects
serious hearing problems
 PEDESTRIAN
CHARACTERISTICS

Pedestrian walking speed

importance:

1- it is used in signal design

2- cross walks
3- Side walks
4- Pedestrian underpasses and
over passes
 PEDESTRIAN
CHARACTERISTICS, C O N T.
- Pedestrian walking speed varies from 3.0 to
8.0 ft/sec

- Average for male = 4.93 ft/sec

- Average for female = 4.63 ft/sec

4 ft/sec is used in Signal Design

 PEDESTRIAN
CHARACTERISTICS,
cont.

- Consideration should be given to people with special needs:

➢ Wheel chairs users need sloped ramps instead of stairs

➢ Blind people need sound instead of colors (use ring or music)

 PERCEPTION & REACTION PROCESS
- The process through which a driver, cyclist, or pedestrian evaluates
and reacts to an event. It is divided into four stages:
1. Perception: visual reception
2. Identification: understanding the event
3. Emotion: taking decision
4. Volition (Reaction): the driver executes the action

It is called the PIEV process

 PERCEPTION & REACTION PROCESS, C O N T.

- The total time of the whole process from perception to reaction is

called perception-reaction time

- Perception Reaction time could vary from 0.5 sec to more than 7
sec, depending on:

a. How complicated is the situation

b. Environmental conditions
c. Age
d. Being tired
e. Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs
 PERCEPTION & REACTION PROCESS, C O N T.

- AASHTO specifies 2.5 sec for stopping sight distance for design
purposes

- For unexpected or complex conditions, this time is normally

increased (by 35%)

◼ ITE recommends 1.0 sec for signal timing (~85th Percentile)

◼ Why less for signals?

 Perception-Reaction Time (PRT)
Reaction Distance
◼ Impact of PRT is the distance traveled during that time

– How many feet are traveled at 75 mph during a 2 sec. PRT?

– a 3 sec. PRT?

1.47 × Velocity × Time

 PERCEPTION & REACTION PROCESS, C O N T.

- Example-1:
Calculate the perception-reaction distance for a driver who has a 55
mph speed

Answer:
Distance = 55 x 1.47 x 2.5
= 202.1 ft
 Vehicles
Braking Distance Formula
 Vehicles
Stopping Sight Distance
Perception-Reaction Distance + Braking Distance

SSD = 1.47 Vt + (V2/30(f±G))

db = (V12-V22) / 30(f±G) Identify the

User characteristics,
Where: Vehicle Characteristics,
db= Braking Distance and Roadway Characteristics
In the SSD
V1 = initial speed
V2 = Final speed
F = friction factor = a/g = -11.2/32.2 (acceleration due to gravity)
G = grade%
 VEHICULAR CHARACTERISTICS
Highway Vehicle:
➢ Vehicle Design: Mechanical Engineer
➢ Facilities Design: Civil Engineer

Vehicular Characteristics:
1. Static: includes the weight and the size of the vehicle
2. Kinematic: involves the motion of the vehicle w/o considering
the forces
3. Dynamic: considers the forces that cause the motion of the
vehicle
 STATIC VEHICULAR CHARACTERISTICS

• Size:
Affects the physical components of the highway (width of lanes,
shoulders, parking lots)
• Weight:
Affects pavement depth and maximum grades
• Design Vehicle:
The vehicle that has the characteristics that meet the requirements of
nearly all vehicles expected to use the highway
 DYNAMIC VEHICULAR CHARACTERISTICS
- The following forces affect the vehicle while in motion:
a. Air resistance
b. Grade resistance: it is the force created by the weight of the
vehicle in the opposite direction of motion when the vehicle is
moving on up grade. Speed-distance curves are used to find
the effect of grade on the vehicle speeds on upgrade
 DYNAMIC VEHICULAR CHARACTERISTICS

c. Rolling Resistance: the forces that are

created by the frictional effects of the moving
parts of the vehicle and the frictional slip
between surface and tires. It depends on the
speed and the type of pavement
d. Curve Resistance: they are the external
forces that act on the front wheels of the
vehicle when it is turning on a horizontal
curve. They are directly proportional to the
vehicle speed and inversely proportional to the
curve radius
 PASSENGER CAR DIMENSIONS AND
WEIGHTS

- The design of the vehicles reflects the available technology

- The consumer chooses his car based style and cost
- Vehicle design is affected by energy efficiency legislation (1973/74)
crises)
- Physical limitations are applied to trucks only
- Vehicle Design affects facilities design (e.g.: eye height affects sight
distance)
PASSENGER CAR DIMENSIONS AND
WEIGHTS
 HIGHWAY ACCELERATION RATES

- Acceleration rates are important for the design of merging and weaving
sections and climbing lanes ( see figure below)
- See Fig 4.5
 HIGHWAY DECELERATION RATES

- As vehicle size increases, deceleration rate

decreases

- Difference in deceleration rates leads to

accidents (rear end collisions) in congested
traffic stream
 DESIGN VEHICLES
- Highway geometric design depends on the design vehicle (weight,
dimensions, & operating characteristics). Passenger cars include (light
vehicles, vans, pickups, …) & trucks include all types of trucks
- AASHTO defined 15 classes of design vehicles P = passenger car
SU = single unit truck BUS = single unit bus
A-Bus = articulated bus
WB-12 = semi-trailer intermediate, … etc
 DESIGN VEHICLES
- WB-15 = semi-trailer combination large
WB-18 = semi-trailer full trailer combination
WB-19 = interstate semi-trailer
WB-20 = interstate semi-trailer
WB-29 = triple semi-trailer
WB-35 = turnpike double semi-trailer
MH = motor home
P/T = passenger car with travel trailer
P/B = passenger car with boat trailer
MH/B = motor home with boat trailer
 DESIGN
VEHICLES:
 DESIGN
VEHICLES:

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