TRAVEL TIME STUDIES-DEFINITIONS

Travel time: time taken

by a vehicle to traverse a
given section of highway.
Delay: time lost by a
vehicle due to causes
beyond the control of the
driver.
Operational delay:
delay caused by the
impedance of other traffic.
Stopped delay: delay
while vehicle is at rest (or
traveling at less than 5
mph).

Fixed delay: delay

caused by traffic control

devices such as traffic
signals. This delay occurs
regardless of traffic
volume and the associated
impedance.
Travel time delay:
difference between actual
travel time and travel time
at free flow speed.

TRAVEL TIME STUDIES-METHODS

Floating-Car Technique:

driver floats repeatedly with

traffic and attempts to pass as
many vehicles as passes
him/her in each run. Average
time traversing section is
recorded as the travel time.
Average-Speed Technique:
driver travels repeatedly at a
speed which in his/her opinion
is the average travel speed of
the traffic stream.

Moving Vehicle

Techniques: Vehicle makes a

round trip over the test section
and records the following
information:

The time to travel in each

direction in minutes, Ti, Tj.
The number of vehicles traveling
in the opposite direction of flow,
Nj.
The number of cars that
overtake the vehicle in the
studied direction of flow, Oi.
The number of vehicles that
passes the test car, Pi.

TRAVEL TIME STUDIES-METHODS

License Plate Observation:
Observers positioned at the
beginning and end of the section
record the license plates (typically
the last 3 or last 4 digits) of passing
cars together with the times at
which the cars pass.
Through license plate matching,
the passing times of individual cars
can be identified at each section
end.
Travel time is computed for
individual cars as the differences
between the passing times at the
end and the beginning of the
section.
The average travel time recorded is
the section travel time.

Interviews:
Information on their travel time,
including delay, is obtained from
people traveling the study section.

HIGHWAY CAPACITY METHOD

Capacity
The maximum hourly rate at which persons

or vehicles can be reasonably expected to

traverse a point or uniform segment of a lane
or roadway during a given time period under
prevailing roadway traffic, and roadway
conditions

Level of service
"Level of service (LOS) is a quality measure
describing operational conditions within a traffic
stream, generally in terms of such service measures
as speed and travel time, freedom to maneuver,
traffic interruptions, comfort and convenience."
(HCM 2000, pg. 2-2).

LOS Measures

Maximum Service Flow Rates

The maximum flow rate at which persons or

vehicles can be reasonably expected to

traverse a point or uniform segment of a lane
or roadway for a given level of service during
a given time period under prevailing roadway
traffic, and roadway conditions

Multilane Speed-Flow Curve

Multilane Speed-Flow Equations

Level of service
A letter designation, A through F, that

describes a range of operating conditions on

a particular type of facility. Level of service A
represents the best level of service and
describes free flow operations and very low
delays. Level of service F represents the
worst operating conditions.

Multilane highway-freeway
capacity and level of service are measured in

one direction of travel

Ideal Conditions
12-foot minimum lane width
12-foot minimum total lateral clearances at

the roadside
All passenger car in the traffic stream
local drivers
No direct access points along roadway
Divided highway
Alignment sufficient to allow for free flow
speeds over 60 mph

Mixed Traffic, Driver, Vehicular, and

Roadway Characteristics
Capacity and Level of Service

Multilane Highways -

Description

More than one lane per travel

direction contrary to two-lane
highways.
Access is not limited as with freeway.
Posted speed limit usually between
40 and 55 mph
May be undivided or may include
medians
Located in suburban areas or highvolume rural corridors
May include a two-way left-turn
median lane
Traffic volume, AADT, ranges from
15,000 to 40,000/day
Volume may reach 100,000/day
assuming grade separation and no
cross-median access
Signals may exist at major crossing
points
Access may be partially controlled

LOS on Multilane Highways Definition

Level of service A Good

maneuverability, and ease of
absorption of minor disruptions.
Level of Service B Good
Maneuverability, and Minor
absorption are easily absorbed
although localized impacts may occur.
Level of Service C Some restrictions
on maneuverability exist. Minor
disruptions may cause serious
deterioration in service and queues.
Level of Service D Severe restriction
in maneuverability due to congestion.
Minor disruptions may cause serious
deterioration in service and queues.
Level of service E Operations are
unstable, at or near capacity.
Disruptions can not be easily
dissipated and result in long queues.
Level of service F Flow breaks
down. Operation is highly unstable
(stop and go traffic).

Mixed Traffic, Driver, Vehicular, and

Roadway Characteristics

Step 3. Construct a speed flow curve

for the facility using free flow speed
interpolations.

Step 4. Determine the average

passenger car speed, S, associated
with the flow rate computed in Step 2
given the curve constructed in Step 3.

Step 5. Compute the density.

Step 6. Use table to assess the level of

service associated with previous
density.
v

Level of Service Computation

Step 1. Compute the free flow speed

FFS BFFS f LW f LC f M f A
Where: FFS = free flow speed,
BFFS = base free flow speed (60 mph,
default),

Step 2. Compute the flow rate

vp

V
( PHF )( N )( f p )( f HV )

f HV

1
1 PT ( ET 1) PR ( ER 1)

Where: fLW = adjustment for lane width,

fLC = adjustment for lateral clearance,
fM = adjustment for median type,
fA = adjustment for access point density.

Free flow speed adjustment factors

Mixed Traffic, Driver, Vehicular, and Roadway

Characteristics

Computation of FHV

Case 1. Extended general

segment (No single grade is too
steep, more than 3%, or too
long, more than mi, to have a
significant impact on capacity.)
Use Tables to obtain ET and ER
as a function of terrain.

Level terrain: any combination

of grades and horizontal
alignment that permit heavy
vehicle to maintain
approximately the same speed
as passenger cars.
Rolling terrain: Any
combination of vertical and
horizontal alignment that
causes heavy vehicles to reduce
their speeds substantially
below those of passenger cars
but not to travel at crawl speed
for any significant length of
time.

Mountainous terrain: Any

combination of horizontal and
vertical terrain that causes
heavy vehicles to operate at
crawl speed for a significant
distance.

Case 2. Specific grade

Longer than 1.0 mi and less
steep than 3%, or longer
than 0.5 mi and steeper than
3%.
Use tables to obtain ET and ER on
upgrades
On downgrades use Table to
obtain ET and set ER=1
(level terrain conditions)

Mixed Traffic, Driver, Vehicular, and Roadway

Characteristics

Case 3. Composite
grades Two or more
segments of different grades.

Sub-case 1. Length
less than 4000 ft or
grades lesser than
4%.
Compute an average
grade and use specific
grade tables.

Sub-case 2. Length
greater than 4000 ft
or grade > 4%. Use
truck performance
curves to compute a
single grade that
results in the same
final speed as the
series of consecutive
grades over the same
length. Then, use
specific grade tables.

Mixed Traffic, Driver, Vehicular, and Roadway

Characteristics

Passenger car Equivalents

Passenger Car Equivalents for Trucks

Passenger car Equivalents for RVs

Passenger car Equivalents

Mixed Traffic, Driver, Vehicular, and Roadway

Characteristics
Multilane Highway - LOS Example

Example 9.10 Determining the LOS of a Multilane Highway

Segment of Uniform Grade
A 3200 ft segment of 3.25 mi four lane undivided multilane
highway in a suburban area is at a 1.5 percent grade. The highway
is in level terrain, and lane widths are 11 ft. The measured
free-flow speed is 46.0 mi/h. The peak-hour volume is 1900
veh/h, PHF is 0.90, and there are 13 percent trucks and 2
percent RVs. Determine the LOS, speed, and density, for
upgrade and downgrade.

Mixed Traffic, Driver, Vehicular, and Roadway

Characteristics

Mixed Traffic, Driver, Vehicular, and Roadway

Characteristics - LOS

Mixed Traffic, Driver, Vehicular, and Roadway

Characteristics - PCE
Multilane Highway Example of PCE Computation
Example 9.11 Computation of PCE for Consecutive Upgrades
Using Average Grades

A segment of freeway consists of two consecutive upgrades of 3 percent, 2000 ft long

and
2 percent, 1500 ft long. Determine the PCE of trucks/buses and recreational vehicles on
this composite upgrade if 6 percent of the vehicles are trucks and buses and 10 percent
are
recreational vehicles.

Solution: The average grade technique can be used since subsection grades are less than
4 percent and the total length is less than 4000 ft.
total rise == (0.03 x 2000) + (0.02 x 1500) == 90 ft
average grade == 90/(2000 + 1500) == 0.026, or 2.6%
total length == 3500/5280 == 0.66 mi
Enter Table 9.26, with 2-3 percent grade and length 1/2-3/4 mi, and obtain ET for
trucks/buses of 1.5.
Enter Table 9.27, with 2-3 percent grade and length greater than 1/2 mi, and obtain ER
== 1.5.

Mixed Traffic, Driver, Vehicular, and Roadway

Characteristics - PCE
Example 9.12 Computation of PCE for a Consecutive Upgrade; Using
Performance Curves
A consecutive upgrade consists of two sections, the first of 2 percent
grade and 5000 ft long, and the second of 6 percent grade and 5000
ft long. Trucks comprise 10 percent of traffic, and recreational
vehicles comprise 6 percent. Determine (a) the equivalent grade and
(b) the PCEs. Entry speed is 55 mi/h.

Mixed Traffic, Driver, Vehicular, and Roadway

Characteristics - PCE
Solution:

(a) Since the lengths of both grades

exceed 4000 ft, the average grade
technique does, not apply. Instead,
the performance curve for standard
trucks must be used, as illustrated in
Figure 9.14.
1. Find the point on the 2 percent
curve that intersects with length =
5000 ft. In this case (point 1), that
point signifies that the speed of a
truck at the end of the first grade
(point 2) is 47 mi/h.
2. Since 47mi/h is also the speed of
the truck at the beginning of the 6
percent grade, draw a line
horizontally, at 47 mi/h, that
intersects the 6 percent grade curve
(point 3). The reference distance is
located on the horizontal axis (point
4).

3. Find the point on the horizontal

axis that has a value 5000 ft greater
than that at point 4. This point (point
5) represents the distance traveled by
a truck on a 6 percent grade whose
initial speed is 47 mi/h. The final
speed for this truck is found to be 23
mi/h (point 7), which is also the crawl
speed, since the 6 percent curve is
horizontal at that point.

Mixed Traffic, Driver, Vehicular, and Roadway

Characteristics - PCE
4. Finally, determine the intersection of
the lines LCG = 10,000 ft and VEG =
23 mi/h (point 8). Since this point
lies on the 6 percent grade curve, the
equivalent
grade, GE, is 6 percent.
(b) PCEs for typical trucks on specific
freeway upgrades:
LCG = 10,000/5280 = 1.89 mi
GE = 6 percent
By = 3.5 (from Table 9.26)
ER= 4.5 (from Table 9.27)
Note that if the average grade technique
had been (incorrectly) used, G A
would have been calculated as (100 +
300)/10,000, or 4 percent, resulting
in values for By of3.0 and ER of2.0,
both lower than the correct values
of3.5 and 4.5.

Mixed Traffic, Driver, Vehicular, and Roadway

Characteristics - PCE

Freeway Speed-Flow Curves

Freeway Speed Equations