Module-1-Introduction-to-Transportation-Engineering

Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.:IM-TRANSPO-2S-2023-2024
College of Engineering
Bayombong Campus
DEGREE PROGRAM BSCE COURSE NO.

SPECIALIZATION SE/CEM/TE/WRE COURSE TITLE Principles of Transportation Engineering
YEAR LEVEL 3rd TIME FRAME 1 WK NO. 1-2 IM NO. 1
I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE
Introduction to Transportation Engineering
II. LESSON TITLE
1. System
III. LESSON OVERVIEW
1. Introduction to Transportation Engineering
IV. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Define concepts of transportation planning and engineering, and Introduce technical terms in
transportation
• Identify the importance of a good transport system via various means of transportation
V. LESSON CONTENT
Introduction to Transportation Engineering
For as long as the human race has existed,

transportation has played a significant role by
facilitating trade, commerce, conquest, and social
interaction, while consuming a considerable
portion of time and resources. The primary need for
transportation has been economic, involving
personal travel in search of food or work, travel for
the exchange of goods and commodities,
exploration, personal fulfillment, and the
improvement of a society or a nation. The
movements of people and goods, which is the
basis of transportation, always has been
undertaken to accomplish those basic objectives or
tasks that require transfer from one location to
another. For example, a farmer must transport
produce to market, a doctor must see a patient in the office or in the hospital, and a salesman must visit
clients located throughout a territory. Every day, millions of people leave their homes and travel to a
workplace— be it a factory, office, classroom, or distant city.
Defined by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (1987) as the application of technological 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, convenient, economical, and
environmentally compatible movement of people and goods.
“In accordance with Section 185, Fair Use of Copyrighted Work of Republic Act 8293, the copyrighted works included in this material may be reproduced for educational purposes
only and not for commercial distribution,”
NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 1 of 9
Practice of Transportation Engineering
Transportation engineering involves a diversity of basic acitivies performed by such specialists as

policymakers, managers, planners, engineers, and evaluators.
Because of the multidisciplinary content of transportation engineering, concepts are drawn from the fields
of economics, geography, operations research, regional planning, sociology, psychology, probability, and
statistics, together with the customary analytical tools of engineering, are all used in training
transportation engineers and planners
The importance of transportation in world development is multi-dimensional, one of the basic functions
of transportation is to link residence with employment and producers of goods with their users. From a
wider viewpoint, transportation facilities provide the options for work, shopping, and recreation, and give
access to health, education, and other amenities.
Systems Approach
Systems approach represents a broad-based and systemic approach to problem-solving that involves a
system. It is a problem-solving philosophy used particularly to solve complex problems (Khisty and
Mohammadi, 2001).
Whereas, a system is a set of interrelated parts, called components, that perform a number of functions
in order to achieve common goals. System analysis is the application of the scientific method to the
solution of complex problems. Goals are desired end states. Operational statements of goals are called
objectives; these should be measurable and attainable. Feedback and control are essential to the
effective performance of a system. The development of objectives may in itself involve an iterative.
Objectives will generally suggest their own appropriate measures of effectiveness (MOEs). An MOE is a
measurement of the degree to which each alternative action satisfies the objectives. Measures of the
benefits forgone or the opportunities lost for each of the alternatives are called measures of costs
(MOCs). MOCs are the consequences of decisions. A criterion relates the MOE to the MOCs by stating
a decision rule for selecting among several alternative actions whose costs and effectiveness have been
determined. One particular type of criterion, a “standard”, is a fixed objective: the lowest (or highest level)
level of performance acceptable. In other words, a standard represents a cutoff point beyond which
performance is rejected (Cornell, 1980).
With reference to communities, we often find a set of irreducible concepts that form the basic desires and
drives that govern our human behavior. To these desires, the term “values” is assigned. Values form the
basis for human perception and behavior. Because values a re shared by groups of people with similar
ties, it is possible to speak of societal or cultural values. Fundamental values of society include the desire
to survive, the need to belong, the need for order, and the need for security.
Hence, a “policy” is implemented, it is a guiding principle or course of action that is adopted to progress
toward an objective. Evaluating the current state of a system and choosing directions for change may be
considered as policymaking.
Steps in System Analysis

1. Recognize community problems and values
2. Establish goals
3. Define objectives
4. Establish criteria
5. Design alternative actions to achieve steps 2
and 3
6. Evaluate the alternative actions in terms of
effectives and costs.
7. Question the objectives and all assumptions.
8. Examine new alternatives or modifications of
step 5
9. Establish new objectives or modifications of
step 3
10. Repeat the cycle until a satisfactory solution is
reached, in keeping with criteria, standards,
and values set.
Transportation Policymaking
Transportation planners and engineers recognize the fact

transportation systems constitute a potent force in shaping the
course of regional development. Transportation encompasses
a broad set of policy variables, and the planning and
development of transportation facilities generally raises living
standards and enhances the aggregate of community values.
Engineers and planners also recognize that most

transportation issues can be characterized by great size,
breadth, complexity, diversity, cost, and uncertainty. An
example of a transportation system model is shown. It consists
of inputs, such as land, labor, and capital, fed into three
subsystems: (1) the physical subsystem, (2) the activity
subsystem, and (3) the human subsystem. The physical subsystem consists of vehicles, pavements,
tracks, rights-of-way, terminals, and other manufactured or natural objects. The activity subsystem
includes riding, driving, traffic control, and so on. These activities interface with the human subsystem—
individuals and groups of people who are involved with the physical and activity subsystems. Outputs
from the system include the movement of people and goods and improvement or deterioration of the
physical environment.
Movement and Transportation
A city can be considered as a locational arrangement

of activities or a land-use pattern. The location of
activities affects human beings, and human activities
modify locational arrangements. Interaction between
activities is manifested by the movement of people,
goods, and information.
The reason that people and goods move from one

place to another can be explained by the following three
conditions: (1) complementarity, the relative
attractiveness between two or more destinations; (2)
the desire to overcome distance, referred to as
transferability, measured in terms of time and money
needed to overcome this distance and the best
technology available to achieve this; and (3) intervening opportunities to competition among several
locations to satisfy demand and supply. How people and goods move from an origin to a destination is a
matter of mode choice (a person might choose to take the bus downtown rather than use her car). This
decision is made depending on such attributes as time, speed, efficiency, costs, safety, and convenience.
Geographers describe a trip as an event and travel as a process (Abler et al., 1971).
A simple connection between land use and transportation is shown in the figure. Land use is one of the
prime determinants of movement and activity. This activity, known as trip generation, will dictate what
transportation facilities, such as streets and bus systems will be needed to move traffic. When such
additional facilities have been provided, the system will naturally have increased accessibility.
Transportation Systems Characteristics
The physical plant of most transportation systems consists of four basic elements:
1. Links; it is the pathway connecting two or more links.

2. Vehicles: the means of moving people and goods from one node to another node.
3. Nodes/Terminals: the nodes where travel and shipment begins or ends. Parking garages, off-
street parking lots, loading docks, bus stops, airports, and bus terminals are examples.
4. Management and labor: the people who construct, operate, manage, and maintain the links,
vehicles and terminals.
(Note: In Local Context, think of this, the link is path the vehicle starts its journey to its end of the entire
journey (ex. Sta. Fe to Solano E-Jeep trip). The nodes can be the bus stops or drop off per municipality
(Sta.Fe-Aritao-Bambang-Bayombong-Solano).
These four elements interact with human beings, as users or nonusers of the system, and also with the
environment. The behavior of the physical, human, and environment subsystem is highly complex
because it involves of people as drivers, rides, and nonriders, using vehicles of differing character and
performance on links with diverse physical characteristics in a myriad of environmental conditions.
Researchers have identified nine categories of human behavior that are affected by transportation:
1. Locomotion (passengers, pedestrians)

2. Activities (vehicle control, maintenance, community life)
3. Feelings (comfort, convenience, enjoyment, stress, likes, dislikes)
4. Manipulation (Modal choice, route selection, vehicle purchase)
5. Health and safety (Accidents, disabilities, fatigue)
6. Social interaction (Privacy, territoriality, conflict, imitation)
7. Motivation (Positive or aversive consequences, potentiation)
8. Learning (operator training, driver education, merchandising)
9. Perception (images, mapping, sensory thresholds)
According to Khisty (1983), there are at least 11 properties of the physical environment that have a direct
impact on human behavior
1. Spatial organization: This dimension often includes the shape, scale, definition, bounding
surfaces, internal organization of object and society, and connections to other spaces and
settings. Indeed, this is the dimension that most people are referring to when they about the
physical environment. The degree of dispersion, concentration, clustering, and proximity of
facilities is also included.
2. Circulation and movement: This property includes people, goods, and objects used for their
movement (cars, trains highways, rails, etc.) and also the forms of regulating them.
3. Communication: Both explicit and implicit signals, signs, or symbols communication, required
behavior, responses, and meanings are covered by this dimension; in essence, these are the
properties of the environment that give user’s information and ideas.
4. Ambience: This dimension usually includes such items as microclimate, light, sound, and odor.
Those features of the environment that are critical for maintaining the physiological and
psychological functioning of the human organism are included. For instance, a passenger in a
bus enjoys the comfort of being protected from the weather but may be subjected adversely by
the noise level and vibrations prevalent in the bus.
5. Visual properties: the environment as it is perceived by its users is generally implied by this
property and includes color, shape, and other visual modalities.
6. Resources: The physical components and amenities of a transportation system could be included.
The measures of theses resources could embrace such dimension as the number of lanes or the
square footage of the terminals.
7. Symbolic properties: the social values, attitudes, and cultural norms that are represented or
expressed by the environment fall into this category.
8. Architectonic properties: this refers to the sensory or aesthetic properties of the environment.
9. Consequation: This is that characteristic of the environment that strengthens or weakens
behavior. Measure of consequation include such items as costs, risks, and congestion.
10. Protection: Safety factors in general are implied in this category.
11. Timing: All the items mentioned before are scheduled in time and some of them fluctuate with
various cyclical rhythms, such as daily, weekly, or hourly timings.
Transportation systems can be evaluated in terms of three basic attributes:

1. Ubiquity - the amount of accessibility to the system, directness of routing between access points,
and the system’s flexibility to handle a variety of traffic conditions.
2. Mobility – the quantity of travel that can be handled. The capacity of a system to handle traffic
and speed are two variables connected with mobility.
3. Efficiency: the relationship between the cost of transportation and the productivity of the system.
Direct costs of a system are composed of capital and operating costs, and indirect costs comprise
adverse impacts and unquantifiable costs, such as safety. Each mode is efficient in some aspects
and inefficient in others.
Factors affecting Transportation Engineering
Transportation engineering has its full share of technological problems. Safer, faster vehicles with greater
capacity are sought for road haul, and smaller, more flexible units are sought for urban transport.
Improved roadways are needed to bear imposed loads and provide greater capacities. Problems exist in
vehicle-roadway dynamics, vehicle suspensions, roadway stability, reduction of pollution, and improved
terminal systems—all within the basic requirements of safety, dependability, and economy.
1. Economic Factors
Almost all transport development is economic in origin. The chief preoccupation of the first human
beings was the procurement of food, shelter, and sometimes clothing. As they became more
highly developed their wants increased, often beyond what their local economy could supply.
Means of transporting goods from distant places had to devised, adding to the costs of the goods
thereby secured. The need for transporting individuals over a wider area also arose.
2. Geographic Factors
Geography is closely related to economics. The geographical location of natural resources
determines the transport routes that give access to those resources and create economic utility,
that is, time and place utility, by taking them from a location where they have little value to
processing and consuming areas where their value is vastly increased.
3. Political Policies
Political policies frequently play a deciding role in transport development.
4. Military
The military might of a nation is primarily intended to support its political policies and to provide
for national defense. Concurrently, military strategy and tactics often have a direct influence on
transport development.
5. Technological Factors
Progress in direct and supporting technologies has played an obvious role in transportation.
Today's system of highway transport exists because of the invention of powerful, dependable,
lightweight gasoline engines, the development of pneumatic tires, and the use of concrete and
bituminous materials for highway surfaces. The future of automotive transport rests in part upon
the ability to design safe and ecologically acceptable vehicles.
6. Competition
Different modes of transportation compete with the system of transportation development. There
is real competition between products and industries tributary to transport materials.
7. Urbanization
The rapid growth pf urban areas by an even more rapidly expanding population is a phenomenon
that cannot be overlooked among transport development factors. Accessibility to land and
intensity of land use are closely related to transport availability. The urbanization progress sprawl
that accommodates so much that the urban population could not occur without the transportation
to give personal mobility to that population and access to land in almost any location.
8. Sociological
Internationally, transportation has changed the customs and patterns of various countries, in the
US (camper trucks, trailer courts), in the Philippines (Kuliglig). An omnipresent service station are
aspects of a migrant population that have accompanied highway transport development and have
brought new and difficult problems of health, sanitation, changes in moral standards, law
enforcement, and property values.
9. Cultural
Transportation’s contribution to cultural patterns include a decrease in provincialism. With the
disappearance of regional difference, much of the local color and character also disappear. The
easing of tensions from overcrowding in one region too often means land congestion and the
creation of new tensions where migration has occurred. National competitive animosities become
international.
Good transportation will not assure success in the marketplace, as the availability of transportation is a
necessary but insufficient condition for economic growth. However, the absence of supportive
transportation services will serve to limit or hinder the potential for a nation or region to achieve its
economic potential. Thus, if a society expects to develop and grow, it must have a strong internal
transportation system consisting of good roads, rail systems, as well as excellent linkages to the rest of
the world by sea and air. Thus, transportation demand is a byproduct derived from the needs and desires
of people to travel or to transfer their goods from one place to another. It is a necessary condition for
human interaction and economic competitiveness. The availability of transportation facilities can strongly
influence the growth and development of a region or nation. Good transportation permits the
specialization of industry or commerce, reduces costs for raw materials or manufactured goods, and
increases competition between regions, thus resulting in reduced prices and greater choices for the
consumer. Transportation is also a necessary element of government services, such as delivering mail,
defense, and assisting territories. Throughout history, transportation systems (such as those that existed
in the Roman Empire and those that now exist in the United States) were developed and built to ensure
economic development and efficient mobilization in the event of national emergencies.
The improvement of a region’s economic position by virtue of improved transportation does not come
without costs. Building vast transportation systems requires enormous resources of energy, material, and
land. In major cities, transportation can consume as much as half of all the land area. An aerial view of
any major metropolis will reveal vast acreage used for railroad terminals, airports, parking lots, and
freeways. Transportation has other negative effects as well. Travel is not without danger. In addition,
transportation can create noise, spoil the natural beauty of an area, change the environment, pollute air
and water, and consume energy resources.
A major task for the modern transportation engineer is to balance society’s need for fast and efficient
transportation with the costs involved. Thus, the most efficient and cost-effective system is created, while
assuring that the environment is not compromised or destroyed. In carrying out this task, the
transportation engineer must work closely with the public and elected officials and needs to be aware of
modern engineering practices to ensure that the highest quality transportation systems are built
consistent with available funds and accepted social policy.
Transportation Systems, Hierarchies, and Classification
The classification of transportation modes into different

operational systems or functional classes is useful in
understanding the complexity of the total transportation
system. For example, the emergences of functional
classification as the predominant method of grouping
highways has helped engineers to communicate with
economists, sociologist, planners, and administrator more
effectively.
A series of distinct travel movements are recognizable in

most trips. On a highway system, these movements are a
main movement along a free-way, a transition to an arterial
via freeway off ramp, then further movement along an
arterial where traffic is distributed and later collected via a
collector, finally accessing a terminal.
The transportation system that evolves in a developed

nation may not be as economically efficient as one that is
developed in a more analytical fashion, but it is one in which
each of the modes provides unique advantages for
transporting the nation’s freight and passengers. A business trip across the country may involve travel
by taxi, airplane or rail, and auto; transportation of freight often requires trucks for pick-up and delivery
and railroads or motor carriers for long-distance hauling. Each mode has inherent advantages of cost,
travel time, convenience, and flexibility that make it “right for the job” under a certain set of circumstances.
The automobile is considered to be a reliable, comfortable, flexible, and ubiquitous form of personal
transportation for many people.
However, when distances are great and time is at a premium, air transportation will be selected—
supplemented by the auto for local travel. If cost is important and time is not at a premium or if an auto is
not available, then intercity bus or rail may be used. Selecting a mode to haul freight follows a similar
approach. Trucks have the advantages of flexibility and the ability to provide door-to-door service. They
can carry a variety of parcel sizes and usually can pick up and deliver to meet the customer’s schedule.
Waterways can ship heavy commodities at low cost, but only at slow speeds and between points on a
river or canal. Railroads can haul a wide variety of commodities between any two points, but usually
require truck transportation to deliver the goods to a freight terminal or to their final destination. In each
instance, a shipper must decide whether the cost and time advantages are such that the goods should
be shipped by truck alone or by a combination of truck, waterway, and rail.
In summary, Transportation Engineering is a very diverse field. It embraces planning, functional design,
operation and the management of facilities for different modes of transportation. Transportation
engineering is a multidisciplinary field drawing on more established disciplines to provide its basic
framework, such as economics, geography, and statistics. Good Transportation provides for the safe,
rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical, and environmentally compatible movement of people and
goods. Transportation engineering is practiced by policymakers, managers, planners, designers and
engineers, operating and maintenance specialists, and evaluators.
VI. ASSIGNMENT
1. In your own words, explain the difference between the different scope/branches of Transportation
Engineering in the figure shown on the topic of “Practice of Transportation Engineering”.
2. Using System Analysis, create a problem-solving approach on Transportation Problems of NVSU
Students in Bayombong. (use a Flowchart diagram)
3. Create an essay regarding on the Transportation Problem in your respective Home Municipality.
4. Create a Book Report (minimum of 3 pages) on Chapter 1 on the book of Transportation Systems
Planning by K. Goulias with the current situation with the Philippine Transportation System.
VII. REFERENCES
Hay, W.W. (2014) “An Introduction to Transportation Engineering” 2 nd ed. Canada

Bureau of Traffic Operations (2023) “Traffic Impact Analysis Guidelines. Wisconsin.
Garber, N.J. & Hoel, L.A. (2009). “Traffic and Highway Engineering” 4th ed. Canada.
Khisty, C.J. & Lall, B.K. (2016). “Transportation Engineering: An Introduction” 3 rd ed. India.

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Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

DEGREE PROGRAM BSCE COURSE NO.

I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE

Introduction to Transportation Engineering

II. LESSON TITLE

III. LESSON OVERVIEW

1. Introduction to Transportation Engineering

IV. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES

Introduction to Transportation Engineering

For as long as the human race has existed,

Practice of Transportation Engineering

Transportation engineering involves a diversity of basic acitivies performed by such specialists as

Steps in System Analysis

Transportation planners and engineers recognize the fact

Engineers and planners also recognize that most

Movement and Transportation

A city can be considered as a locational arrangement

The reason that people and goods move from one

Transportation Systems Characteristics

1. Links; it is the pathway connecting two or more links.

1. Locomotion (passengers, pedestrians)

Transportation systems can be evaluated in terms of three basic attributes:

Factors affecting Transportation Engineering

Transportation Systems, Hierarchies, and Classification

The classification of transportation modes into different

A series of distinct travel movements are recognizable in

The transportation system that evolves in a developed

Hay, W.W. (2014) “An Introduction to Transportation Engineering” 2 nd ed. Canada

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