Traffic Systems

CIVE 5305
2016

Learning Objectives
Characteristics of traffic
systems
What technological advances
are taking place?
What are the advanced
methodologies to be used?
Introduction to design of traffic
systems.

Function of Transportation Systems

Enabling persons and goods to overcome distance
efficiently, safely, and environmentally friendly manner.
System & Components

Origin

Transfer

Collection

Transfer

Line Haul

Destination

Distribution

Notes: (1) Between an origin (O) and a destination (D), a

number of transfers could take place at terminals (e.g., the
inter-modal case). (2) For a road network, in dynamic
assignment, intermediate origin-destination nodes are used.

Traffic System & Components (Cont.)

Flow Entities: vehicles (various types & sizes)
Facilities
Node

Link

Links: roadways
Nodes: intersections, interchanges
Network of links & nodes

Node

Legend
Origin & Destination Node
Destination Node Only
Origin Node Only
Intermediate Node

Links &
Nodes

Example of traffic network

Ottawa Downtown

Roadway System Elements HCM(2010)

Roadway System Elements HCM(2010) Exhibit 2-1a

Roadway System Elements HCM(2010)

Exhibit 2-1(b)
Exhibit 2-1(b)

The system of facilities

10

Urban Roads & Highways Hierarchy

Classification
- Local
- Collector

- Arterial - Freeway

Arterial
Freeway

Collector

Signalized
intersection
Arterial
Local
11

Interchange

Service Function
Locals: Land/property
access: primary
Collectors: Traffic movement
& land access are of equal
importance
Arterials: Traffic movement:
primary function
Freeways: Traffic movement:
primary function,
Optimum mobility

Access

Mobility

12

Connectivity by Classification
Classification
Local
Collector
Arterial
Freeway

Normally Connected With

Local, Collector
Local, Collector, Arterial
Collector, Arterial, Freeway
Arterial, Freeway

13

A Suburban Road Network

Speed (km/hr)

kilometers

Speed

The Nature of Transportation Demand

16

Travel demand and transportation

planning
Socio-economic

Travel
demand

System of
facilities

Life Cycle of a transportation system

SocioPlanning,
System
Economic
Design and
Management,
Environment Implementation including
Operations

Infrastructure
Management
Maintenance
Rehabilitation

17

Imbalance of demand and capacity

Congestion

(1) In some cities, a midday peak occurs.

Capacity
Demand
Time with in a 24 hr cycle

Traffic congestion: an imbalance of demand

for transportation and available capacity
18

Can you optimize by using

traffic control alone?

Is there a role for

traffic demand
management?

19

Do you have the

technology and
methodology to test
these?

20

Influencing the demand pattern

Measures:
Reduce demand
Shifting demand (other times, other routes)
Repackaging the demand
(Tools: higher auto occupancy, shift to public transit,
bicycle, walking, telecommuting, etc.)

21

The concept of influencing the demand for sustainable

system operation and management
(Note:Person movement emphasis)

22

Traffic Stream Components and

Characteristics
Critical Components of the traffic system
Drivers

Vehicles
Roads and highways
The general environment
Control devices

23

Road User Characteristics

Addressing Variability
Single values of the human characteristics are
used -- that safely accommodate the vast majority
of users -- most often 85th percentile

24

Critical characteristics for drivers

- Perception reaction time
- Visual acuity
Perception -- perceiving a situation which calls
for a response
Reaction -- decision to take action
Visual acuity -- the ability to read letters at
certain distances (this is static visual acuity)
25

Dynamic visual acuity -- the ability to see objects

in relative motion with the eye.
Other characteristics -- depth perception -- ability
to discern relative distances between objects;
glare recovery; color vision , etc.

Factors affecting human characteristics

Some of these are:

- Age

- Fatigue - Presence of alcohol

- Presence of drugs

Is there a role for

artificial intelligence to
overcome deficiencies?

26

Vehicle & Facility Characteristics

- Design vehicle: basic dimensions, other features
- Braking performance

- Safe stopping sight distance

- Decision sight distance
Is there a role for
intelligent systems to
overcome deficiencies?
27

Levels of Analysis
For traffic
operation
analysis

For traffic
planning

Source:
PTV
America
28

New Generation Intelligent Transportation

Systems (ITS)
Drivers

Vehicles

Infrastructure
Wireless
devices

Subsets or complete connectivity can be achieved

Please see other ITS files for details

29

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)

ITS improve transportation safety and mobility and
enhance productivity through the use of advanced
information and communications technologies.
ITS encompass a broad range of wireless and wire
line communications-based information and
electronics technologies.
ITS technologies are integrated into the
transportation system's infrastructure and in
vehicles.
30

ITS Applications: Methodological

Requirements
To fully assess the impact of ITS in an urban
environment, specialized microsimulators are
needed with the ability to model ITS applications
Such microsimulators require extensive input data;
the use of GIS and related software is highly
desirable to facilitate model development and
enhance accuracy
GIS also provides an effective framework for
transportation studies (e.g., network planning,
routing and optimization)
31

Modelling Techniques (Also see U.

of Quebec Seminar)
Statistical and neural network methods for
model development
Pattern recognition methods
Statistical methods
Neural nets
Bayesian methods for modelling & pattern
recognition
Etc. Etc.

ITS

33

ITS: Software-based virtual

detector, using video camera

34

ITS: Illustration of the placement of an Remote

Traffic Monitoring System (RTMS) detector

35

ITS: Wireless detectors imbedded into road (Roess et al)

ITS: Travel time estimates from wireless

detectors imbedded into road

37

Progressive Applications of
Technology in Traffic Eng.
Base: Manual control at major intersections, no
controls elsewhere (except through traffic circles
rotaries)
Isolated traffic signal control
Progression along major arterials (fixed control for
all periods)
38

Area Traffic Control(ATC) & Freeway Traffic

management system(FTMS)
Traffic Adaptive Control & other ITS Application
Linking of Street Traffic Control and Freeway
Traffic Management Intelligent (Smart) Corridor
Electronic Toll Route (ETR) Electronic road
pricing(ERP) Road weather Information System
39

ITS: Hypothesized relative effectiveness of features in

control system effectiveness (Roess et al)

40

System & Components (Cont.)

Control System
Vehicular control
Human control
Autonomous vehicle (Self driving vehicle)
Autonomous driving
Automated highway system (AHS)
Human-machine systems (partial control by
machine) (Active safety)

Dubai debuts driverless minibus

A man walks near an autonomous 10-seater car during a trial run

along the Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard on September 1, 2016.
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), in collaboration with
the UAE real estate development company Emaar Properties,
accomplished the first phase of an experiment to test driverless
transit technology in the Emirate.(KARIM SAHIB / AFP)

Autonomous Vehicle

Autonomous Vehicle

Automated Highway System

AHS The Vision
(California Style)

Dedicated AHS lanes

Cars following in closely
spaced platoons
Automated merging /
diverging
Increased lane capacity x 2

AHS Platooning Concept

AHS Lane

Regular
Lane

Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (See previous

slides)
The result of the AHS Findings
Very heavy safety orientation

Use new technology on roadside and in

vehicles to make roadways safer

System & Components (Cont.)

Control System
Flow control
Regulations, design & technology

Trend in Automobile Transportation

Introduction to Physical Design of Traffic Facilities

The Design Process

Planning [Type of facility, demand analysis)
Facility Characteristics, Traffic Design [Traffic
volume & performance, facility size, cost &
impacts]
Location of Links (route layout)
[Configuration/orientation, location, cost & impact]

The Design Process (Cont.)

Physical Design
Geometrics horizontal & vertical alignment
Structural surface/guideway design
Drainage structures & other auxiliary systems
Earthwork planning (excavation quantities, overhaul,
borrow requirements)
Surface items (fine grading & finishing, seeding or soding,
other items, etc.)
Costs & impacts

Construction

Cross Sections
Traffic & function of facility => Design of
cross-section
- Dimensions of travel lanes, no of lanes,
shoulder width, median (if any), etc.
- Design level-of-service (LOS)
- Other features -- such as sight distance
restrictions

Cross-Sections (Continued)
Example of 2 Lane Road
Paved lanes

Shoulder
Rounding

Drainage
channel
Right-of-way (ROW)

Examples of Cross Sections (Source: AASHTO)

Design Standards & Design Guidelines

Structural Design => Provincial government

standards
Geometric Design => Provincial government
standards shaped by the Transportation
Association of Canada (TAC) guidelines (see
TAC Manual)
Traffic Design -- Capacity & Level of Service =>
Canadian Capacity Guide for Signalized
Intersections; Highway Capacity Manual
(Transportation Research Board)