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Chapter 5 Traffic Stream

traffic stream characteristic green shield model flow-density relation ship volume-speed relation ship

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Muhammad Faisal Habib Janjua
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370 views16 pages

Chapter 5 Traffic Stream

traffic stream characteristic green shield model flow-density relation ship volume-speed relation ship

Uploaded by

Muhammad Faisal Habib Janjua
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 5 1

Chapter 5: Traffic Stream Characteristics


Explain the difference between
uninterrupted flow and interrupted flow
Explain the three principal traffic-stream
parameters and how to obtain them
Explain the relationship among the three
macroscopic principal traffic-stream
parameters
Chapter objectives: By the end of these chapters the
student will be able to:
Chapter 5 2
5.1 Types of traffic facilities
Uninterrupted
flow facility
No external factors to cause periodic
interruption of flow.
Traffic flow is a product of interaction
between vehicles and geometric and
environment
E.g. Basic sections of a freeway
Interrupted flow
facility
Have external devices that periodically
interrupt traffic flow
Constant stopping and restarting
needed
E.g. Urban streets and arterials
Remember it does not mean the
quality of operation.
Chapter 5 3
5.2 Traffic stream parameters
Macroscopic parameters Microscopic parameters
Volume or flow rate, v or
q = 1/h
Headway (or time
headway), h
Speed, S or v Speeds of individual
vehicles, s
Density, k or D = 1/d Spacing (or distance
headway), d
Chapter 5 4
5.2.1 Volume and flow rate
Can you define these?
AADT
AAWT
ADT
AWT
DDHV = AADT * K * D
Whats the difference
between Volume and
Flow (or Flow rate)?
Sub-hourly volume and flow
rate
Define PHF = (peak hourly
volume) / (max. rate of flow
for that hour)
PHF = V/(4 * V
15
)
What does this tell you?
v = V/PHF
= peak flow rate for the 15-
minute peak period
(Review Tables 5.1 and 5.2
& 5.3 queuing)
Illustration of Daily Volume Parameters
Chapter 5 5
Volume, Flow Rate, and Queuing
Chapter 5 6
If capacity is
4,200 vph, then
the 15-min
capacity volume
is 4,200/4 =
1,050.
Chapter 5
5.2.2 Speed and travel time
Time mean and space mean speed: Know the difference?
Time mean
speed (TMS)
Average speed of all vehicles passing a point
over some specified time period
TMS = (d/t
i
)/n
Space mean
speed (SMS)
Average speed of all vehicles occupying a given
section over some specified time period or
harmonic mean of individual speeds.
SMS = d/((t
i
)/n) = nd/(t
i
)
(See page 112 and Table 5.5)
( )
( )
s f t
n
n n
SMS
s f t
n
n n
TMS
/ 7 . 58
3
) 2 * 0 . 44 0 . 88
/ 0 . 66
2
) 0 . 44 0 . 88
=
+
=
=
+
=
Illustrative Computation of TMS and SMS

Chapter 5 8
Chapter 5 9
Speed types
Do you know the difference among these speeds?
Average travel speed
Average running speed
Operating speed = Max safe speed , without exceeding
the design speed of the highway segment
Percentile speed = a speed below which the stated
percent of vehicles in the traffic
stream travel
Chapter 5 10
5.2.3 Density and occupancy
Definition: the number of vehicles occupying a given length of
highway or lane (vpm, vpmpl, v/km, v/km/lane)
Relationship among v, S, D:
v = S * D
Flow rate =Speed * Density
Unit length (1 mile or 1 km)
Chapter 5 11
Speed
EL
p t
Speed
L
p t
v
= = ) ( ) (
'
Occupancy as a surrogate parameter for density
Density is difficult to measure. So, we use occupancy as a surrogate
measure for density. This can be obtained by traffic detectors of any kind.
Occupancy: the percent of the roadway (in terms of time) that is
covered (occupied) by vehicles.
Apparent occupancy
Actual occupancy
Speed
EL L
p t
v
+
= ) (
This is the occupancy
measured at a point.
Chapter 5 12
Flow rate, speed and occupancy are given;
estimate density
EL L
mi ft O
D
v
app
+
-
=
5280
mi
veh
hour mi
hour veh
S
q
Speed
rate Flow
D = = = =
_
Typically occupancies given by the detectors are apparent
occupancies.
d v
app
L L
mi ft O
D
+
-
=
5280
But if average flow rate and average speed for a certain
time period are given, density can be computed as:
(Eq.5-7)
Chapter 5 13
Derivation of the Density-Occupancy
Relationship
| |
| |
( )
EL L
O D
EL L
D
EL L
S
q
S
EL L
T
N
T
T
O
S
EL L N
S
EL L
N T
S
EL L
t
t
N hr T
t
EL L
t
EL L
mph S
V
app
V
V
SMS
SMS
V o
app
SMS
V
SMS
V
o
SMS
V
p
p
o
p
V
p
V
SMS
+
=
+
=
+
=
+
= =
+
=
+
=
+
=
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
=
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
=
5280
5280
5280
5280
1
5280
5280
3600
3600
1
5280
3600
3600
5280
3600
3600 /
5280 / ) (
) (
) ( ) (
Estimate SMS using detector data
Compute total time occupied (not
occupancy) by N vehicles detected in
time period T
Solve the first equation for average
time occupied by each vehicle
Plug in the 3
rd
eq into 2
nd
eq
Compute the occupancy O
app
. N/T
turned out to be flow rate, q. Also
q/SMS is density by definition. Now the
relation between occupancy, O
app
, and
density, D, was established.
Solve for D. Voila, you get Eq. 5.7)

Chapter 5 14
5.2.4 Connection between macroscopic and
microscopic measures
These are in English units.
D (Density) = 5280 / d
a
where d
a
is average spacing

v (Flow rate) =3600 / h
a
where h
a
is average headway

S (Average speed) =d
a
/ h
a
Spacing or Space headway
Headway or Time headway
15
5.3 Relationships among flow rate,
speed, and density
F
l
o
w

(
v
)

Density (D)
Do you remember
whose flow model
is used for this?
S = S
f
(S
f
/D
j
)*D
v = S*D
16
5.3 Relationships among flow rate,
speed, and density
F
l
o
w

(
v
)

Density (D)
Optimal
flow or
capacity
Optimal (critical)
density
Jam
density
Mean free speed
Optimal speed
Speed is the
slope. S = v/D
Do you remember
whose flow model
is used for this?
S = S
f
(S
f
/D
j
)*D
Uncongested
flow
Congested
flow
Unstable flow area

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