Mulungushi University

Department of Engineering
CIE 462 – Transportation Planning & ENGINEERING
(Pre-requisite – CIE 435 – HIGHWAY ENGINEERING)
FIFTH Year 1st Semester– Civil
Engineering

Lecturer: Frank Mwangilwa

BEng (Civil), MSc Eng. (Struct), MSc. (Arch. & Civ), MEIZ, R.Eng.
1.Process of Survey

2. Traffic Analysis Zone

3. Types of Surveys

1) Define the purpose and Usage
2) Define the data collection objectives and
Constraints
3) Identify the target population and Area
4) Select Survey Mode and Sampling Procedure
5) Develop Survey questionnaire
6) Survey Implementation
7) Post processing
 Definition
 The area for which you want to carry out the
study/purpose of a transportation plan

 • Depending on the need for the study , your study area

can be –
 -A state/Province
 - A particular region
 - A city
 Geographic areas dividing the planning region into
relatively similar areas of land use and land activity

 Zones represent the origins and destinations of travel

activity within the region
 -Every household, place of employment, shopping
center and other activity are first aggregated into zones
and then further simplified into a single node called a
centroid.
 Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZs) serve as the primary Unit
of analysis in a travel demand forecasting model. TAZs
are where trips begin and end.

 The Smaller the TAZs, the more accurate the forecasts

might be. It depends on what scale you want to analyse,
at city level, provincial level etc.

 -One should consider roadway network and physical

geography when delineating TAZ boundaries.
 Those zones outside the study area along the model
boundaries are defined as external zones. To accurately
reflect travel patterns within the study area, the study
area should be large enough so that nearly all(over
90percent) of the trips begin and end within the study
area.

 Intrazonal trips are those that are short enough to begin

and end within the same zona and, thus are not
assigned to the roadway network.
 A single movement from Origin to Destination for a
particular purpose is called a Trip.
 People travel to reach their activities at different
destinations
 Road Inventory
 Traffic Volume Counts
 Household Survey
 Public transport system study
 Pedestrian Survey
 Intersection Survey
 Inventory of road network system‘
 “Inventory”- a complete list of items

 Review of Existing transport infrastructure and

facilities including;
-Major intersections
-Flyover bridges
-Parking/pedestrian facilities
 Objectives
 To appreciate the physical characteristics of the
identified road network in terms of right of way,
carriage way, number of access points, surface type,
etc.
 To identify physical constraints and bottleneck
points along the identified road network
 To assess the capacity potential of the identified
road network
 To understand the existing transportation situation
in order to develop a rational land use and transport
plan and mobility improvement measures.
 Survey Methods; Manual

 Sampling Size
 -Two sections for a road with similar land use
 Samples to be collected where ever section has
variation

 Expected Output
 Physical characteristics and physical constraints of
road network and transport infrastructure
Expected Output
 Physical characteristics and physical constraints of
road network and transport infrastructure
 Traffic Volume Counts
 This survey is carried out to understand the variety
of vehicles that passes through a road over 24
hours a day/to get Average Daily Traffic (ADT)

 Objective's
 To appreciate traffic characteristic in terms of size,
composition and variation- directional
 To appreciate the spatial distribution of traffic
 To establish the level of service on the road network
system
 Survey Methods
 Manual Methods
 Using automatic devices like Sensors
 Video Photography
 Survey Methods
 Traffic Volume Counts
 The accuracy of traffic counts can be improved by
increasing the count duration or by counting in
more than one period of the year. Improved
accuracy can also be achieved by using local
knowledge to determine whether there are days
within the week or periods during the year when
the flow of traffic is particularly high or low.
 Local knowledge should also be used to select
appropriate locations for conducting the traffic
counts to ensure a true reflection of the traffic
using the road and to avoid under- or over-
counting.
 The traffic volume count should be carried out
continuously for 24hours of the day, for three to seven
days to get the Average Daily Traffic

 Expected Output
 -Traffic Characteristics of the study
 Traffic Volume
 Spatial distribution of traffic
 Circulation of traffic
 Objectives
 To get Socio-economic characteristics of the household
 To get travel characteristics of the household(total trips,
purpose of trips, mode used, trip length, trip origin and
destination etc.)
 To appreciate desired pattern of traffic
 To get an opinion (of the resident of the study area)
regarding transport problems of the city and probable
areas of improvement.
 Survey Methods ; Household Interviews

 Sampling Size
 Expected Outcomes
 Socio-economic profile of the study area, number of
trips, purpose of trips, mode used, trip length, trip origin
and destination, vehicle ownership
 Objectives
 • To appreciate system and operational Characteristics
 • To appreciate the performance and economic characteristics.

 Survey Methods
 Inventory
 User surveys
 Operator Surveys
 Sampling Size
 Sampling Size can be decided based on the size and
characteristic of study area

 Expected Output :
 System and operational characteristics
 Volume Counts
 Across
 Along

 Objectives:
 To appreciate pedestrian characteristics in terms of size
composition and variation –directional and temporal
 Safety; Continuity of street lighting for carriageway and
pavements
 Convenience : Prescience of pedestrian signage, street
infrastructure such as garbage bins, seating, drinking
water.
 Survey Methods
 Manual Counts
 Video

 Sampling Size;
 Day count will then give the Average Daily Traffic (ADT)

 Expected Output;
 Number of Pedestrians and need for additional
pedestrian facilities
 Intersection Survey
 • Intersection Turning Movement Survey
 • Queue length Survey

 Objectives
 • Measures turning movements at key intersection
during the morning and evening peak hours
 • A queue length survey at major bottlenecks can show
the severity of traffic congestion quantitatively.
 Survey Methods
 • Manual Counts
 Sampling Size
 Directional movement of traffic in the peak hour
 Counts for 2 hours each in the morning and evening
 Peak periods unless these exist extended peak hours

 Expected Output
 • Performance characteristics of an intersection.
.