CEE 320

Winter 2006

Traffic Concepts

CEE 320
Steve Muench

Outline
1. Basic Concepts
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Flow Rate
Spacing
Headway
Speed
Density

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Winter 2006

2. Relationships
3. Example

Concepts
Definitions
Volume, Speed, Density relationships
Speed

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Winter 2006

Space mean speed

Time mean speed

Flow Rate (q)

The number of vehicles (n) passing some
designated roadway point in a given time interval
(t)

n
q
t

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Winter 2006

Units are typically vehicles/hour

Flow rate is different than volume

Spacing

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Winter 2006

The distance (ft) between successive

vehicles in a traffic stream, as measured
from front bumper to front bumper

Headway (h)
The time (in seconds) between successive
vehicles, as their front bumpers pass a
given point.
n

t hi
i 1

n
n

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Winter 2006

i 1

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Headway

From HCM 2000

Speed
Time mean speed (spot speed)
Arithmetic mean of all instantaneous vehicle
speeds at a given spot on a roadway section

Space mean speed (u)

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Winter 2006

The mean travel speed of vehicles traversing a

roadway segment of a known distance (d)
More useful for traffic applications

Space Mean Speed

It is the harmonic mean (1/H = 1/a + 1/b + )
1 n
li

n
u i 1
t

1
t t1l1 t 2l2 ... t nln
n

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Winter 2006

Space mean speed is always less than time

mean speed

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Time Mean vs. Space Mean Speed

From HCM 2000

Density (k)
The number of vehicles (n)
occupying a given length (l)
of a lane or roadway at a
particular instant
Unit of density is vehicles
per mile (vpm).

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Winter 2006

n q
k
l u

Other Concepts
Free-flow speed (uf)
Jam density (kj)
Capacity (qm)
Density veh / mi

5,280
spacing ft / veh

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Winter 2006

Headway s / veh
Flow rate veh / hr

spacing ft / veh
speed ft / s

3,600
headway s / veh

Speed vs. Density

u uf

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Winter 2006

Speed (mph)

uf
Free Flow Speed

Density (veh/mile)

kj
Jam Density

k
1
kj

Flow vs. Density

k
q uf k

k
j

Congested Flow

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Winter 2006

FLow (veh/hr)

Optimal flow,
capacity, qm

Uncongested Flow

km
Optimal density
Density (veh/mile)

kj
Jam Density

Speed vs. Flow

q kj

Speed (mph)

uf
Free Flow Speed

u
u
uf

Uncongested Flow
um

Congested Flow
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Winter 2006

Optimal flow,
Flow (veh/hr) capacity, qm

CEE 320
Winter 2006

3-D Model

Example

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Winter 2006

I-5 over the ship canal bridge has 4 lanes in each direction. The
northbound capacity is 8200 veh/hr/lane and the free-flow speed
is 65 mph. What is the maximum flow rate, maximum density,
jam density? If a one-hour vehicle count in the northbound
direction for the outside lane gives 7034 vehicles in a noncongested condition, what is the estimated space mean speed
of these 7034 vehicles?

Traffic Time of Day Patterns

9.00%
8.00%

Percent of Daily Traffic

7.00%
6.00%
5.00%
4.00%
Rural Cars
Business Day Trucks
Through Trucks
Urban Cars

3.00%
2.00%

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Winter 2006

1.00%
0.00%
1

11

13

15

Hour of Day

17

19

21

23

From WSDOT 2003 Annual Traffic Report

From WSDOT 2003 Annual Traffic Report

Estimated Weekday Volume Profile: GP and HOV Lanes (Nov 98)

I-405 NE 37th St GP SB

2500

2000

1500
GP

1000

HOV

500

0
12 AM

2 AM

4 AM

6 AM

8 AM

10 AM

12 PM

2 PM

4 PM

6 PM

8 PM

10 PM

Estimated Volume and Speed Conditions (2/17/00)

I-5 NE 45th St-SB GP SB

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0
12 AM

2 AM

4 AM

6 AM

8 AM

10 AM

12 PM

2 PM

4 PM

6 PM

8 PM

10 PM

Estimated GP and HOV Volume and Speed Conditions

I-5 S Spokane St GP NB

2500
Saturday, J uly 31, 1999 Data
Multicolor =Average GP Lane
Gray =HOV Lane

2000

1500

1000

500

0
12 AM

HOV speed < 45 mph

2 AM

4 AM

6 AM

8 AM

10 AM

12 PM

2 PM

4 PM

6 PM

8 PM

10 PM

Estimated Weekday Volume, Speed, and Reliability Conditions (1999)

I-405 NE 37th St GP NB
2500

100
90

2000

80

GP

70
1500

60
50
HOV

1000

40
30

500

20
10

0
12 AM

0
2 AM

4 AM

6 AM

8 AM

10 AM

12 PM

2 PM

4 PM

6 PM

8 PM

10 PM

SR 520 Traffic Profile

General Purpose Lanes
1997 Weekday Average

Westbound

Eastbound

NE 60th St.

148th Ave.

405
Bvue. Way
92nd Ave.
84th

Ave.

520
Lk. Wash.
Ar
bo

Montlake

re
tu
Blvd.
m

5
0

6 8 10 12 2
AM
Time

6 8 10 12
PM

Uncongested, near
speed limit

Restricted movement
but near speed limit

6 8 10 12 2
AM
Time

More heavily congested,

45 - 55 mph

6 8 10 12
PM

Extremely congested,
unstable flow

CEE 320
Winter 2006

Primary References

Mannering, F.L.; Kilareski, W.P. and Washburn, S.S. (2005). Principles

of Highway Engineering and Traffic Analysis, Third Edition. Chapter 5

Transportation Research Board. (2000). Highway Capacity Manual

2000. National Research Council, Washington, D.C.