SPEED STUDIES

PRESENTED BY: MEDSON GAGA AND PAUL NGOMWA

PREPARED BY: GROUP 8
TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Definition
2. Objectives
3. Important parameters
4. Methodology
DEFINITION
Speed is an important transport consideration because it relates to
time, safety, comfort, convenience and economics.
Speed measurements are most often taken at a point (or a short
section) of roadway under conditions of free flow(observed speeds are
not impeded by volume and density conditions).
The goal is to identify the speeds that the drivers use, regardless of
whether or not there is traffic. This data is utilized to evaluate
realistic speed limits by establishing speed trends. These studies are
referred to as spot speed studies.
OBJECTIVES

• Estimate the distribution of speeds of vehicles in a stream of traffic

at a particular location on a highway.
• Design of geometric features on a highway.
• Establishing the effectiveness of new or existing speed limits or
enforcement practices.
• Plan traffic regulation and control measures.
• Help in accident studies
• Determining appropriate speed limits for application
OBJECTIVES CONT….
• Specific control applications for the timing of
“yellow” and “all red” intervals for traffic signals and
development of appropriate signal progressions.
• Establishing speed trends at the local, state, and
national level to assess the effectiveness of national
policy on speed limits and enforcement.
IMPORTANT PARAMETERS
Some key statistics used to describe spot speed distributions:
• Average or time mean speed – the average speed of all vehicles
passing the study locations during the period of study.
• Standard deviation – the average difference between observed speeds
and the time mean speed during the period of study.
• 85th percentile speed – the speed below which 85% of the vehicles
travel.
• Median – the speed that equally divides the distribution of spot
speeds; 50% of observed speeds are higher and lower than the median.
• Pace – a certain increment in speeds that encompasses the highest
proportion of observed speeds.
METHODOLOGY
Categories
1. Manually-operated, handheld devices that are portable and can
be used in most places (e.g., stopwatch, radar gun, and laser
gun)
 METHODOLOGY CONT….
2. In-road devices that are installed into or on top of
the roadway surface (e.g., pneumatic road tubes)
METHODOLOGY CONT….
3. Out-of-road devices that are installed overhead or to
the side of the roadway surface (e.g. radar
recorders).
THANK YOU!