University of Diyala

College of Engineering
Civil Engineering Department

Traffic
Engineering
Speed
Studies
 Speed

Speed is the rate of movement of traffic or

of components of traffic and is expressed in
metric units in (K.P.H). It relates to safety,
time, comfort, convenience, and
economics.
 Purpose of Speed Studies
1. Establish parameters for traffic operation and
control, such as speed zones, speed limits, and
passing restrictions.
2. Determine the adequacy of highway geometric
characteristics, such as radii of horizontal curves
and lengths of vertical curves.
3. Evaluate the effect of speed on highway safety.
4. Determine speed trends.
5. Determine whether complaints about speeding
are valid.
 Types of Speed
1- Spot speed:
It is the instantaneous speed of a vehicle at
specified location.

2- Running speed:
It is the average speed maintained by a vehicle over
a given section whiles the vehicle in motion.

3- Journey speed:
It is effective speed of a vehicle between two points.
 Example-1
If the total travel time of a mean stream on
a segment of road with length 1.2 km is 1
minute including 10 sec. delay according to
traffic operation and 10 sec. lost time
outside the road. Calculate the journey and
running speed?
 e e d
Sp
pot
S
 Spot Speed Studies
 It is designed to measure the speed
characteristics at a specified location under the
traffic and environmental conditions prevailing at
the time of the study.

 Spot speed data are used in many traffic

engineering activities such as:
1. determining traffic signal timing,
2. roadway capacity,
3. evaluating the effectiveness of improvements,
4. installing speed zones.
Locations for Spot Speed Studies
1. Locations that represent different traffic
conditions on a highway or highways are used for
basic data collection.
2. Mid-blocks of urban highways and straight, level
sections of rural highways are sites for speed
trend analysis.
3. Any location may be used for the solution of a
specific traffic engineering problem.

The duration of the study should be such that the

minimum number of vehicle speeds required for
statistical analysis is recorded. Typically, the
duration is at least 1 hour and the sample size is at
least 30 vehicles.
Methods of Measuring Spot Speed
1. Direct-Timing Procedure
Two reference points are marked on the pavement
at a suitable distance apart and an observer starts
and stops and accurate stop-watch as a vehicle
crosses these two marks. From the known distance
and the measured time intervals speeds are
calculated.
Methods of Measuring Spot Speed
2. Enoscope
A simple device called Enoscope eliminates the
parallax effect that creeps in when the direct
readings are taken by one observer. This device is
an L-shaped box, open at both ends, with a mirror
set at a 45-degree angle to the arms of the
instrument.
Methods
3.
of Measuring Spot Speed
Pressure Contact
Tube
 Pneumatic tubes are used to
indicate the time of entering
and leaving the base length
(section).
 When a vehicle passes the
first tube, an air impulse is
sent, which activates an
electromagnetically controlled
stop-watch in the hands of the
observer.
 And when the vehicle passes
second tube, the stop-watch
automatically stops. The
Methods of Measuring Spot Speed
4. Radar Speed Meter
This meter work on the
Doppler principle that the
speed of a moving body is
proportion to the change in
the frequency between the
radio wave transmitted to
the moving body and the
radio wave received back.
The instrument is set up
near the edge of the
carriage way, with angle
(15-20) degree between the
direction of vehicle and axis
of transmission of the radio
wave.
Methods of Measuring Spot Speed
5. Video Camera Method
The recording by camera is used in this method.
Two points are marked on the pavement section and
orient the camera on the area of section to record
the vehicles that passes through the section.
 Analysis of Spot Speed Data
 The analysis of speed data is concerned by
statistical methods.
 There are four steps to understand the
mathematical analysis of the observed data of spot
speed, these are as following:
1. Frequency Distribution Table
2. Frequency Distribution Curves
3. Identification to Spot Speed Characteristics
4. Fitting a Normal Distribution Curve to Observe
Speed Data
 Analysis of Spot Speed Data
requency Distribution Table
 The individual speeds of vehicles collected from
the field are used to prepare the frequency
distribution table.
 The frequency distribution table shows the total
number of vehicles observed in each speed group.
 Analysis of Spot Speed Data
requency Distribution Curves
 Analysis of Spot Speed Data
requency Distribution Curves
 Analysis of Spot Speed Data
Spot Speed Characteristics
1. Average speed
It is the arithmetic mean of all observed vehicle
speeds.

where:
ū: arithmetic mean
fi: number of observations in each speed group
ui: mid value for the ith speed group
 Analysis of Spot Speed Data
Spot Speed Characteristics

2. Median Speed
This is the speed at the middle value in a series of
spot speeds that are arranged in ascending order.
50 percent of the speed values will be greater than
the median; 50 percent will be less than the median.

3. Modal Speed
This is the speed value that occurs most frequently
in a sample of spot speeds.
 Analysis of Spot Speed Data
Spot Speed Characteristics
4. Percentile Spot Speed
This is the spot speed value below which certain
percent of the vehicles travel. These are computed
from cumulative frequency distribution curve.
There are 4 percentile speeds of significance.
-98th % speed: used as design speed
- 85th % speed: as upper speed limit
- 50th % speed: median speed
- 15th % speed: as lower speed limit
 Analysis of Spot Speed Data
Spot Speed Characteristics
5. Percentile Range
This is the difference between 85th and 15th
percentile speeds. (= P85 – P15)

6. Pace
This is the range of speed (usually taken at 16
km/hr intervals) that has the greatest number of
observations.

7. Speed Range
R = Max. speed – Min. speed

8. Interval
 Analysis of Spot Speed Data
Spot Speed Characteristics
9. Standard Deviation of Speed
It is the average difference between observed
speeds and the time mean speed during the period
of study.

where:
S: standard deviation
ū: arithmetic mean
ui: mid value for the ith speed group
N: number of observed values
 Example-2
Speed Speed Speed Speed
Car No. Car No. Car No. Car No.
(k.p.h) (k.p.h) (k.p.h) (k.p.h)
1 35.1 23 46.1 45 47.8 67 56.0
2 44.0 24 54.2 46 47.1 68 49.1
3 45.8 25 52.3 47 34.8 69 49.2
4 44.3 26 57.3 48 52.4 70 56.4
5 36.3 27 46.8 49 49.1 71 58.5
6 43.8 28 57.8 50 37.1 72 45.4
7 42.1 29 36.8 51 65.0 73 48.6
8 50.1 30 55.8 52 49.5 74 52.0
9 51.8 31 43.3 53 52.2 75 49.8
10 50.8 32 55.3 54 48.4 76 63.4
11 38.3 33 39.0 55 42.8 77 60.1
12 44.6 34 53.7 56 49.5 78 48.8
13 45.2 35 40.8 57 48.6 79 52.1
14 41.1 36 54.5 58 41.2 80 48.7
15 55.1 37 51.6 59 43.5 81 61.8
16 50.2 38 51.7 60 58.0 82 56.6
17 54.3 39 50.3 61 49.0 83 48.2
18 45.4 40 59.8 62 41.8 84 62.1
19 59.0 41 40.3 63 48.3 85 53.3
20 45.7 42 53.0 64 45.9 86 53.4
21 52.8 43 45.0 65 44.7
 Example-2
Mid- Cumula
Speed No. of
point Freque tive
class Vehicl fi . u i (ui - ū) 2 fi (ui - ū) 2
speed ncy % Frequen
(kmph) es (fi)
(ui) cy %

34-37.9 36 5 180 174.49 872.43 5.81 5.81

38-41.9 40 7 280 84.81 593.68 8.14 13.95
42-45.9 44 16 704 27.14 434.19 18.60 32.56
46-49.9 48 20 960 1.46 29.25 23.26 55.81
50-53.9 52 17 884 7.79 132.40 19.77 75.58
54-57.9 56 12 672 46.11 553.36 13.95 89.53
58-61.9 60 6 360 116.44 698.64 6.98 96.51
62-65.9 64 3 192 218.76 656.29 3.49 100.00
TOTAL 400 86 4232 677.00 3970.23 100
 Example-2
25.00

20.00

15.00
Frequency %

10.00

5.00

0.00
30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70

Speed kmph
Example-2
 Home work
At the Express highway, 161 reading are measured
for vehicles speed as spot speed. The data are
grouped with interval of 3 kmph. Determine the
statistics analysis for spot speed data?
Speed class No. of Observed
(kmph) Vehicles
15-17.9 2
18-20.9 6
21-23.9 12
24-26.9 20
27-29.9 30
30-32.9 32
33-35.9 28
36-38.9 15
39-41.9 10
42-44.9 6
- Questions
?