Traffic Volume Studies

Traffic Engineering Studies and Analysis
Traffic Engineering Studies
• Traffic Volume Studies.
• Spot Speed Studies.
• Speed and Delay Studies.
• Origin and Destination (OD) Studies.
• Parking Studies.
• Accident Studies.
Traffic Volume Studies
Traffic Volume or Flow
• A measure to quantify traffic flow.
• Expressed as the number of vehicles that pass a

given point during unit time.
• Since carriageway width of roads varies, volume is

generally expressed as number of vehicles per
hour or per day per traffic lane.
Classified Traffic Volume Studies
• In most developing countries, traffic stream consists
of “Mixed Traffic Flow”
• Traffic stream may be classified as-

• Fast moving.
• Cars, buses, trucks, Three wheelers, Two wheelers.
• Slow moving.
• Bullock carts, cycles, cycle rickshaws.
• Determination of volume of each vehicle class

separately and finding total volume is called
“classified traffic volume studies”
Traffic Volume Characteristics
• Volume is dynamic and varies from time to time.
• Hourly traffic volume varies considerably. Peak hourly

volume is generally much higher than the average hourly
volume of the day.
• Even within peak hour, traffic flow may vary within shorter
durations like 5 or 10 minutes.
• Daily traffic volumes vary during different days of the week

and during different months.
Traffic Volume Characteristics (contd)
• If true picture of traffic flow is to be obtained, the classified
traffic volume study should be conducted continuously by
recording direction wise counts of each class of vehicle at
selected time intervals like 10 or 15 minutes.
• From this data, it is possible to obtain hourly, daily and

seasonal variation in traffic flow.
• These details can be collected by establishing permanent

traffic count stations and recording traffic flow
continuously.
• Alternately, statistical methods are adopted making use of

appropriate sampling techniques or ‘short counts’
Traffic Volume Characteristics (contd)
• Traffic volume data generally considered reliable only for
time duration when studies carried out.
• However traffic generally follows a rhythmic pattern and is

repetitive.
• Following details are generally required-

• Volume variation during different hours of day.
• Average volume during different days of the week.
• Average volume per day during different seasons of the year.
• Variation in volume on different lanes.
• Directional distribution.
• Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)
Objectives of Traffic Volume Studies
• To decide priority for improvement and upgradation of roads.
• For geometric design or redesign of roads.
• For analyzing traffic trends and projecting future traffic volumes.
• For computing roadway capacity.
• To plan traffic operation and control of existing facilities.
• For planning one way streets and other regulatory measures.
• To plan and design new facilities.

• Turning movement studies at intersections are used for traffic control
measures or upgrading intersection.
• For structural design/ strengthening of pavements.

Pedestrian Volume Studies
• Pedestrians also form major part of road users.
• Pedestrian volume studies are required to plan and design

separate pedestrian facilities like footpaths, subways, foot-over-
bridges, pedestrian crossings, pedestrian signals.
Methods
• Manual counts.
• Field team at pre determined locations of selected roads
and intersections.
• They physically count vehicles and record them at

prescribed time intervals.
• Possible to obtain details (which cannot be obtained by

mechanical or automatic counters) like type of vehicle,
direction of movement, number of occupants in vehicles,
pedestrian counts etc.
• Main drawback – cannot be carried out 24 x 7 x 365.
• Statistical analysis is used to work out peak and average

traffic volumes.
Methods
• Automatic counters.
• May be fixed (permanent) or portable type.
• Can automatically record total number of vehicles

crossing a particular section of road.
• Modern techniques detect vehicle classes based on

axle spacing or overall length or height of vehicle.
• Main advantage is that this method can be used

throughout the day and night for any duration.
Methods
• Automatic counters (contd).
• Speeds of vehicles can also be recorded.
• Main disadvantage – not possible to record every

vehicle type and turning movements, vehicle
occupancy, load details etc.
• Also, not possible to record pedestrian movements.

Traffic volume count at Intersections
• Incoming and
outgoing traffic at
every limb is recorded
in fixed interval of
time – 5, 10, 15 mins.
• Data on turning
movements required
for designing signal
timings.
• Pedestrian volume will

help in design of foot
paths etc.
Traffic volume count at Intersections
• In addition to volume, other details are also collected like
waiting time, queue length and direction of turning
movement.
• Occupancy of vehicles, number of pedestrians walking along

each leg of the intersection.
• Data on turning movements are required for design of signal

timings or to justify the need for grade separated intersections.
• Queue length and delay data can be used for economic

analysis of intersection improvement proposals.
• Studies at peak and off peak hours helps in design of different

sets of signal timings for different times.
Presentation of Traffic Volume Data
• Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)
• Obtained by determining average daily traffic for all 365
days of year.
• Data useful in deciding relative importance of route and in
phasing development programme.
• Also useful in determining growth rate of different vehicle
classes.
• Average Daily Traffic (ADT)

• Traffic volume counts carried out for few days (3-7 days)
and average daily traffic volume obtained.
• Traffic on non urban roads generally carried out twice in a
year – peak season and lean season.
Presentation of Traffic Volume Data
• Trend Charts
• Show volume trends over periods of years.
• Useful for estimating rate of growth and for planning future
expansion.
• Variation charts
• Show hourly, daily and seasonal variation.
• Used for deciding facilities and regulations required during
peak periods.
• Volume Flow Diagram at Intersections

• Show details of crossing and turning vehicles.
• Used for intersection design.
Design Hourly Traffic Volume
• Peak hourly traffic volume is very high and it may be
uneconomical to design facilities for this volume.
• Annual average hourly volume will not be sufficient since

considerable times of the year, this traffic will be exceeded, so
there will be congestion.
• Hence, a ‘Design Hourly Traffic Volume’ is adopted which is

generally 30th highest hourly volume of the year.
• This ensures some economy and also congestion will be there

only in 30 hours of an year, which may be acceptable.
Capacity
Definitions
• Traffic Volume. Number of vehicles that pass a particular
point in a given unit of time per lane. Veh/hr/lane.
• Traffic Density. Number of vehicles occupying a unit length of

a lane of a road at a given instant of time. Veh/km.
• Capacity. Traffic volume that can pass a particular point in a

given unit of time per lane. Veh/hr/lane.
• Basic capacity. Max number of vehicles that can pass a given

point in a given unit of time under ideal conditions. Two roads
with same physical features will have same basic capacity.
Basic capacity is the theoretical capacity.
Definitions
• Possible Capacity.
• Max number of vehicles that can pass a given point per hour
under the prevailing roadway and traffic conditions.
• Possible capacity is generally much lower that basic capacity. In
the worst case, traffic may be so congested that vehicles may
be unable to move at all. Possible capacity will then become
zero.
• Possible capacity value varies from zero to basic capacity.
• Practical Capacity.
• Max number of vehicles that can pass a given point per hour
without traffic density being so high as to cause unreasonable
delay, hazard or restriction to drivers.
• It is of primary importance and also called ‘Design Capacity’.
Theoretical/ Basic Capacity
• Theoretical/ basic capacity of a road or lane is given by-
qc = 1000V/S
Where,
qc = Capacity of a single lane (vehicles/hour)
V = Design Speed (kmph)
S = Average centre to centre spacing of vehicles (m), also called Space Headway
• S = Average length of vehicle + Average clear gap between vehicles. It is

required for safe stopping of vehicles.
• Depends upon-
• Speeds of leading and following vehicles.
• Type and characteristics of the two vehicles.
• Driver characteristics of the following vehicle.
• Roadway geometrics.
• Environment – weather, lighting etc.
Theoretical/ Basic Capacity
• It is considered that
S = L + 0.278Vt
Where,
L = Average length of vehicle (m)
V = Speed (kmph)
t = Reaction time (seconds), generally taken as 0.7 sec.
Basic Capacity - Numerical
• Estimate the theoretical/ basic capacity of a traffic lane with one
way traffic flow at a stream speed of 40kmph. Assume average
length of vehicle = 5 m.
Ans. qc = 1000V/S
And, S = 0.278Vt + L
V = 40kmph, Assume reaction time = 0.7 sec
S = 0.278 x 40 x 0.7 + 5
= 12.78 m
qc = 1000 x 40/12.78
= 3130 vehicles/hour/lane
Factors Affecting Practical Capacity
• Lane Width. Capacity decreases as lane width decreases.
• Lateral Clearance. Vertical obstructions like retaining walls,

culverts, parked vehicles etc near the road decreases capacity.
• Width of Shoulders. Narrow shoulders decrease the effective

width and capacity since vehicles tend to travel in the centre.
• Commercial Vehicles. Larger commercial vehicles reduce capacity

due to size and reduced speed.
• Alignment and Geometrics. Improper alignment and geometrics

like sight distances, camber, gradients etc.
• Intersections. Capacity reduces with intersections.

Practical Capacity
• If Vsf is the free mean speed (at which volume is maximum) and
Kj is the jam density (density at zero speed), it is found that the
flow is maximum at speed Vsf/2 and density Kj/2.
• Hence, max flow or capacity is given by

qmax = Kj Vsf/4
Where,
qmax = Max Traffic flow or Capacity in vehicles/hour
Kj = Jam Density or number of vehicles occupying a unit length of

roadway when vehicles are not moving in vehicles/km
Vsf = Free Mean Speed of vehicles in a unit roadway length (speed

at which volume is maximum) in kmph.
Practical Capacity - Numerical
• The free mean speed on a roadway is found to be 80kmph.
Under stopped conditions, the average spacing between
vehicles is 6.9m. Determine the capacity flow.
Ans.
qmax =Vsf Kj/4
Vsf = 80kmph
Kj = 1000/6.9 = 145 vehicles/km
qmax = 80 x 145/4
= 2900 vehicles/hour/lane
Thank You

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Traffic Engineering Studies and Analysis

Traffic Engineering Studies

• Traffic Volume Studies.

• Spot Speed Studies.

• Speed and Delay Studies.

• Origin and Destination (OD) Studies.

• Expressed as the number of vehicles that pass a

• Since carriageway width of roads varies, volume is

• Traffic stream may be classified as-

• Determination of volume of each vehicle class

• Hourly traffic volume varies considerably. Peak hourly

• Daily traffic volumes vary during different days of the week

• From this data, it is possible to obtain hourly, daily and

• These details can be collected by establishing permanent

• Alternately, statistical methods are adopted making use of

• However traffic generally follows a rhythmic pattern and is

• Following details are generally required-

• For geometric design or redesign of roads.

• For analyzing traffic trends and projecting future traffic volumes.

• For computing roadway capacity.

• To plan traffic operation and control of existing facilities.

• For planning one way streets and other regulatory measures.

• To plan and design new facilities.

• For structural design/ strengthening of pavements.

• Pedestrians also form major part of road users.

• Pedestrian volume studies are required to plan and design

• They physically count vehicles and record them at

• Possible to obtain details (which cannot be obtained by

• Main drawback – cannot be carried out 24 x 7 x 365.

• Statistical analysis is used to work out peak and average

• May be fixed (permanent) or portable type.

• Can automatically record total number of vehicles

• Modern techniques detect vehicle classes based on

• Main advantage is that this method can be used

• Speeds of vehicles can also be recorded.

• Main disadvantage – not possible to record every

• Also, not possible to record pedestrian movements.

• Pedestrian volume will

• Occupancy of vehicles, number of pedestrians walking along

• Data on turning movements are required for design of signal

• Queue length and delay data can be used for economic

• Studies at peak and off peak hours helps in design of different

• Average Daily Traffic (ADT)

• Volume Flow Diagram at Intersections

• Annual average hourly volume will not be sufficient since

• Hence, a ‘Design Hourly Traffic Volume’ is adopted which is

• This ensures some economy and also congestion will be there

• Traffic Density. Number of vehicles occupying a unit length of

• Capacity. Traffic volume that can pass a particular point in a

• Basic capacity. Max number of vehicles that can pass a given

• S = Average length of vehicle + Average clear gap between vehicles. It is

• Lateral Clearance. Vertical obstructions like retaining walls,

• Width of Shoulders. Narrow shoulders decrease the effective

• Commercial Vehicles. Larger commercial vehicles reduce capacity

• Alignment and Geometrics. Improper alignment and geometrics

• Intersections. Capacity reduces with intersections.

• Hence, max flow or capacity is given by

Kj = Jam Density or number of vehicles occupying a unit length of