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Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

The document summarizes fundamental principles of traffic flow, including: - Traffic flow is characterized by flow rate, density, and speed. Mathematical relationships between these elements help traffic engineers with planning and design. - Key elements are defined, such as flow rate, density, time and space mean speed, time and space headways. - Flow-density relationships are described, showing the inverse relationship between density and speed. Flow equals density multiplied by speed. - A fundamental diagram illustrates typical flow-density relationships, showing maximum flow occurs at an optimal density.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
132 views50 pages

Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

The document summarizes fundamental principles of traffic flow, including: - Traffic flow is characterized by flow rate, density, and speed. Mathematical relationships between these elements help traffic engineers with planning and design. - Key elements are defined, such as flow rate, density, time and space mean speed, time and space headways. - Flow-density relationships are described, showing the inverse relationship between density and speed. Flow equals density multiplied by speed. - A fundamental diagram illustrates typical flow-density relationships, showing maximum flow occurs at an optimal density.

Uploaded by

sofyan Elneder
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 6

Fundamental Principals
of Traffic Flow

page 213
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

■ Traffic flow theory involves


mathematical relationships

■ among the primary elements of a traffic stream:


■ flow,
■ density, and
■ speed.
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

■ help the traffic engineer in:


planning, designing, and evaluating
the effectiveness such as:
■ adequate lane lengths for storing left-turn
■ the average delay at intersections and freeway
ramp merging areas,
■ the level of freeway performance
■ simulation
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

■ 6.1 TRAFFIC FLOW ELEMENTS


■ 6.1.1 Time-Space Diagram

■ The time-space diagram is a graph that


describes the relationship between:
■ the location of vehicles in a traffic stream and
■ the time
as the vehicles progress along the highway.
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

This will be explained later


Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

6.1.2 Primary Elements of Traffic Flow

❑ flow,
❑ density (concentration),
❑ speed
❑ the gap or headway between
two vehicles in a traffic stream
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

6.1.2 Primary Elements of Traffic Flow


Flow rate:
Flow rate (q) is the equivalent hourly rate at which
vehicles pass a point on a highway during a time
period less than 1 hour.
It can be determined by:

Where
n = the number of vehicles passing a point in the roadway
In T sec
q = the equivalent hourly flow
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

6.1.2 Primary Elements of Traffic Flow

Traffic volume:
Traffic volume is the number of vehicles that pass a given point on the
highway in a given period of time. Period of time may be year, month,
day, hour, or sub-hour.

To distinct between volume and rate of flow, see the following example:

Example:
The following traffic counts were made during an hour-long study period:
Time period Number of vehicle (veh)
5:00 –5:15 100
5:15 –5:30 120
5:30 –5:45 110
5:45 –6:00 100

Calculate the hourly volume and the rates of flow?


Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

6.1.2 Primary Elements of Traffic Flow

Answer:

The hourly volume = 100+120+110+100 = 430 veh


The rates of low = [ No. of veh.] / [time(in hours)]

Time period Number of Rate of flow


vehicle vph
(veh)
5:00 –5:15 100 100/0.25 = 400
5:15 –5:30 120 120/0.25 = 480
5:30 –5:45 110 110/0.25 = 440
5:45 –6:00 100 100/0.25 = 400
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

6.1.2 Primary Elements of Traffic Flow

Peak hour factor is:


Peak hour factor is the ratio of total hourly volume to the maximum 15-
min rate of flow within the hour. It may be computed as:

PHF = V/(4*V15)max
where:
PHF = the peak hour factor;
V = hourly volume, in vph; and
(V15) max = volume during the peak 15 min of the peak hour,
in veh/15min
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

Density:
■ Density (k)
■ sometimes referred to as concentration,
■ the number of vehicles traveling over a unit
length of highway at an instant in time.
■ The unit length is usually 1 kilometer (km)
■ the unit of density is vehicles per km (veh/km).
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

Speed:
Speed (u) is the distance traveled by a vehicle
during a unit of time.
It can be expressed in:
miles per hour (mi/h) ,
kilometers per hour (km/h),
feet per second (ft/sec), or
meter/second (m/sec).

Note: 1 km/h = 1/3.6 m/sec


1 m/sec = 3.6 km/h
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

Time mean speed :


is the arithmetic mean of the speeds of vehicles
passing a point on a highway during an interval
of time.
The time mean speed is found by:

where
n = number of vehicles passing a point on the highway
Ui = speed of the ith vehicle (m/sec)
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

Space mean speed :


■ is the harmonic mean of the speeds of vehicles
passing a point on a highway during an interval
of time.
■ the total distance traveled by two or more vehicles on a
section of highway divided by the total time required by
these vehicles to travel that distance.
■ This is the speed that is involved in flow-density
relationships.
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

■ The space mean speed is found by:

■ Where:
■ Us = space mean speed (m/sec)
■ n = number of vehicles
■ ti = the time it takes the i th
vehicle to travel
across a section of highway (sec)
■ Ui = speed of the i th vehicle (m/sec)
■ L = length of section of highway (m)

The time mean speed is always higher


than the space mean speed.
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

Time Headway
■ Time headway (h) is the difference between the
time the front of a vehicle arrives at a point on
the highway and the time the front of the next
vehicle arrives at that same point.
■ Time headway is usually expressed in seconds.
■ For example, in the time space diagram (Figure
6.1), the time headway between vehicles 3 and
4 at d1 is h 3 – 4.
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

Space Headways
■ Space headway (d) is the distance
between the front of a vehicle and
the front of the following vehicle and
is usually expressed in meter (feet).
■ The space headway between
vehicles 3 and 4 at time t 5 is d 3 – 4
(see Figure 6.1).
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

Example 6.1 Determining Flow, Density,


Time Mean Speed, and Space Mean
Speed
■ Figure 6.3 shows vehicles traveling
at constant speeds on a two-lane
highway between sections X and Y
with their positions and speeds
obtained at an instant of time by
photography.
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

Example 6.1 ….
■ An observer located at point X observes
the four vehicles passing point X during a
period of T sec.
■ The velocities of the vehicles are
measured as 45, 45, 40, and 30 km/h,
respectively.
■ Calculate the flow, density, time
mean speed, and space mean
speed.
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

Example 6.1 ….

Figure 6.3 Locations and Speeds of Four Vehicles on a Two-Lane Highway at an Instant of Time
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

■ Solution: The flow is calculated by


Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

0.278 x ui
1/3.6 = 0.278
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

6.2 FLOW-DENSITY RELATIONSHIPS


The general equation relating
flow, density, and space mean speed
is given as:
Flow = density × space mean speed

q = k us
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

6.2 FLOW-DENSITY RELATIONSHIPS

q= k
us
k = q / us us = q / k
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

Space mean speed = (flow) × (space headway)


us = qd
Where:
d = (1/k) = average space headway

d5 d4 d3 d2 d1

1 Km

K = 5 veh /Km
d = (d1 + d2 + d3 + d4 + d5) / 5
= 1Km/K = 1/K
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

k = q / us

Density = (flow) × (travel time for unit distance)


k = qt t = 1 / us
Where:
t is the average travel time for unit distance.

5 4 3 2 1

1
Km
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

t = 1 / us

5 4 3 2 1

1
Km
Time taken by vehicle 1 to travel unit length (1Km) = t1
Time taken by vehicle n to travel unit length (1Km) = tn

t = (t1 + t2 + t3 + --- + tn ) / n = ∑t /n
us = (n L) / ∑t,
us = n / ∑t, where L = 1 Km
1/us = ∑t /n,
1 / us = t
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

5 4 3 2 1
h5 h4 h3 h2 h1

1 Km
Assume:
q = 5 veh / minute = 5 veh / 60 sec
1/q = 60 sec /5 vehicles = 12 sec per vehicle = h

h = 1/q
d=1/K
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

Given that:
q = k us h = 1/q t = 1 / us
d=1/K
You can conclude that:

Average space headway = (space mean speed) × (average time headway)


d = us h

Average time headway =


(average travel time for unit distance) × (average space headway)
h=td
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

6.2.1 Fundamental Diagram of


Traffic Flow
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

Figure 6.4 Fundamental Diagrams of Traffic Flow


Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

Figure 6.4 Fundamental Diagrams of Traffic Flow


Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

6.2.2 Mathematical Relationships


Describing Traffic Flow
■ Mathematical relationships describing traffic
flow can be classified into two general
categories:
macroscopic and microscopic
depending on the approach used in the
development of these relationships.
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

6.2.2 Mathematical Relationships


Describing Traffic Flow
■ The macroscopic approach considers flow
density relationships whereas
■ the microscopic approach considers
spacings between vehicles and speeds of
individual vehicles.
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

6.2.2 Mathematical Relationships


Greenshields Model
Linear relationship
y = a - bx
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

6.2.2 Mathematical Relationships


Greenshields Model
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

6.2.2 Mathematical Relationships


Greenshields Model
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

Veh./km
Fundamental Principals of Traffic Flow

Thus:
a = 62.68 and b = -0.53
Us = 62.68 – 0.53 K
Uf = 62.68 km/h
Kj can found at Us = 0
Kj = 62.68/0.53 = 118 veh/km
qmax = Kj * Uf / 4
= (118 * 62.68)/4
qmax = 1849 veh/h

qmax occur at Kj /2 = 118/2 = 59 veh/km


qmax occur at Uf /2 = 62.68/2 = 31.3 km/h
Example 1

Two sets of students are collecting traffic data at two


sections, xx and yy, of a highway 450 m apart.
Observations at xx show that five vehicles passed that
section at intervals of 3, 4, 3, and 5 s, respectively. If
the speeds of the vehicles were 50, 45 , 40, 35,and 30
km/h, respectively.
1)draw a schematic showing the locations of the
vehicles 20 s after the first vehicle passed section xx
2)Determine the time mean speed, the space mean
speed, and the density on the highway.
Example 1

Two sets of students are collecting traffic data at two


sections, xx and yy, of a highway 450 m apart.
Observations at xx show that five vehicles passed that
section at intervals of 3, 4, 3, and 5 s, respectively. If
the speeds of the vehicles were 50, 45 , 40, 35,and 30
km/h, respectively.
1)draw a schematic showing the locations of the
vehicles 20 s after the first vehicle passed section xx
2)Determine the time mean speed, the space mean
speed, and the density on the highway.

5 4 3 2 1

450 m
Example 2

Use the following relationship between speed and density


to answer the following questions:
• Derive the speed-density and
density-flow relationships.
• Draw the relationship between
flow and density using the above
chart.
• Find the density at maximum flow.
• Calculate the speed at maximum
flow.
• Find the capacity
Example 2 (continued)

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