Module 1

CE 108 – PRINCIPLES OF
TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING
BY: ENGR. ROMEL N. VINGUA

TRANSPORTATION
ENGINEERING
Introduction to Transportation
In its most simple definition, transportation is

defined as the movement of people and goods.
Transportation engineering:
“Engineering discipline which deals with the
planning, geometric design, traffic operations
and interactions between modes of
transportation for the safe, efficient and
convenient movement of persons and goods.”
Transportation Objectives
- Ensure high standards for safe and secure
transportation.
- Protection of environment and property.
- High public confidence in the safety and
security of our transportation system.
- Contribute to, support and sustain economic
growth and social development.
- An effective transportation system is:

• Affordable.
• Accessible.
• Responsive to passengers.
• Good for users and local communities.
• Competitive and harmonized (domestically and
internationally).
• Multi-modal.
- Protect the Physical Environment:
• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and
pollution from the transportation sector.
• Prevention and mitigation of environmental
damage from transportation activities.
Systems Approach to Transportation
-
Problem solving with emphasis on the coordination of

the many sub-systems which perform a number of
functions as part of a larger system.
- Transportation systems can be considered a
system within themselves or as part of a larger
system meant to raise our standard of living and
enhance aggregate community values.
- History shows a one to one correlation between
social prosperity and efficient transportation.
- Problem definition-is there one and exactly what is
it?
- Establish goals and objectives-what are we

trying to accomplish?
- Establish criteria for design and evaluation-
how will the results be measured?
- System synthesis-what are the possibilities?
- System analysis- test and compare the
consequences.
- Select the best alternative-which satisfies all
or most of the defined objectives?
- If not satisfied, revise objectives,
assumptions or add alternatives.
Systems approach must consider
all relevant factors:
• Legal-Legislative.
• Engineering.
• Economic.
• Political.
• Social.
• Psychological.
• Environment.
Traffic engineering deals with
interactions of:
• Physical environment.
• Human behavior-demographics.
• Driver attitude.
• Pedestrians.
• Vehicles (traffic).
• Infrastructure.
• Economic prosperity/development.
Design considerations:
• Safety.
• Efficiency.
• Effectiveness.
• Structural integrity.
• Ease of maintenance.
• Recyclable.
• Aesthetically pleasing/driver comfort.
• Cost effectiveness for agencies.
• Cost effectiveness for users
• High user utility.
• Commercial just in time delivery.
History of Transportation
- Transportation dates back to antiquity:
• Footpaths.
• Pack-animal trails.
• Simple sleds and wheeled carts (10,000 b.c.).
• Ships.
- As civilization evolved, the need for
transportation increased:
• Nepal: 5000 b.c.
• Egyptians: 3000 b.c.
• Greeks-Babylon pavements: 2000 b.c.
• Romans: 500 b.c.
- Roman Empire:
• One-way streets in ancient Rome.
• Raised crosswalks.
• Quartzite illuminated curbs.
• Standard road geometrics and vehicle design.
• Special off-street parking facilities were
provided to get chariots off the traveled way.
• Vehicles were prohibited from entering the
business districts of large cities in the Roman
Empire during certain hours of the day because
of traffic congestion.
• Large navy-movement of people and goods:
- Napoleonic Empire brought the rebirth of national

road transportation systems:
• Standard structural design and materials.
• Standard planning.
• Standard urban-rural transportation layouts.
- Modern traffic engineering evolved with the advent
of the motor vehicle.
• First centerline marking was applied in Wayne
County, Michigan, 1911.
• First traffic signal installed in Houston, Texas, 1921.
• First coordinated signal system was in operation in
Houston, Texas, 1922.
• Integrated logistics systems WWII.
Transportation Modern Times

- Significant economic growth and increased
standard of living after World War II marked the
beginning of the modern road transportation
era.
- History shows an almost perfect correlation
between increases in transportation efficiency
and increases in gross national product.
- Transportation in North America contributes
approximately 20% of the nation’s total GNP.
• 100 billion CDN
• 1 trillion USD.
Road Classification
- Road networks are composed of various road
types, each performing a particular service in
facilitating vehicular traffic between points of origin
and destination.
- Road Classification:
• Ranking in some type of order.
• Ranked according to type of service provided to
public.
• Assists in establishing the geometric design
standards for each group of roads.
• Necessary for communication between engineers,
administrators and the general public.
- Classification systems provide a basis for sorting of
transportation statistics.
Different classification schemes have been
applied for different reasons in rural and urban
areas:
• By Design Type: based on geometric features for
location and design purposes (e.g. freeways,
highways, conventional streets).
• By Administrative Responsibility: denote level of
government responsible and method of financing
(e.g. national, provincial, rural municipality, city,
national park, provincial park, etc.).
• By Route Numbering: for traffic operations (e.g.
primary, secondary, municipal, county numbering).
• By Functional Classification: for transportation
planning purposes, based on operational needs
associated with adjacent land use (e.g. the character
of service they provide).
- Functional Classification: has become the
predominant method.
- Two major considerations when classifying
roads:
• Access.
• Mobility.
- By providing more opportunity to access adjoining
properties, the mobility of drivers using the roadway
is reduced. Failure to provide optimal balance
between through movement and access can lead to
an obsolete road network not able to handle future
needs.
- First step in design is to define the function the
facility is to serve.
- Six recognizable stages in each trip:
• Access – driveways.
• Collection – gathers up from lesser streets.
• Distribution – main streets.
• Transition – when going between each of the
stages.
• Main movement – usually the longest portion.
• Termination – arrival at destination point.
Road Classification Criterion
- Land Use: the intensity of access needs changes
with land use, roads within the network must be
appropriately designed and classified to meet the
varying needs.
- Service Function: all roads provide a type of
service (traffic, access to land, or both)
- Traffic Volume: high volumes of traffic carried by
freeways, while low volumes associated with
collectors and locals.
- Connections: public lanes and locals connect with
collectors, collectors with arterials, and arterials with
expressways and freeways.
Road Classification Criterion
- Flow Characteristics: characteristics of traffic
flow:
• Freeways and rural arterials are expected to
have uninterrupted flow.
• Flow on local roads restricted by providing full
land service, traffic crossing, parking for vehicles,
and entering and leaving the roadway.
- Running Speed: average running speed depends
on the type and condition of the surface, intensity of
adjacent land development, access to the roadway,
and vehicle types.
- Vehicle Type: locals roads are used mainly by
passenger cars and small trucks; freeways and
arterials generally carry a large proportion of
commercial vehicles.

Module 1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Module 1

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Module 1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

CE 108 – PRINCIPLES OF

BY: ENGR. ROMEL N. VINGUA

In its most simple definition, transportation is

- An effective transportation system is:

Problem solving with emphasis on the coordination of

- Establish goals and objectives-what are we

- Napoleonic Empire brought the rebirth of national

Transportation Modern Times

You might also like