Traffic Management Fundamentals

Fundamentals of Traffic Management

• Traffic Management is understood by knowing commonly used words and terminologies.
• Some terms have operational definitions, while others have general definitions.
• Most terminologies align with Chapter 1, Article 1 of the United Nations Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (UN-VCRT) of 1968.
• The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) adopted UN definitions in their "Highway Safety Design Standards" of 2012.
• Highway is the entire width between boundary lines that is dedicated to public use for vehicular traffic, whether maintained by the public authority or not.
• Highways include roads, streets, boulevards, and avenues functioning as public thoroughfares.
• Articulated vehicle: Combination of a motor vehicle and a semi-trailer coupled to the motor vehicle (UN-VCRT, 1968).
• Light trailer: Is any trailer with a permissible maximum weight not exceeding 750 kg.
• Semi-trailer: Trailer designed to connect to a motor vehicle where part of it rests on it, bearing a substantial portion of its weight.
• Permissible Maximum Weight: Maximum weight of the laden vehicle deemed permissible by the registering state's authority.
• Power Driven Vehicle: Any self-propelled road vehicle, but does not include territories of contracting parties.
• Built-up Area: An area with sign-posted entries and exits.
• Management: The skillful employment of means to achieve an objective.
• Operation: A series of actions impacting an intended purpose, manner of action, or natural process of activity.
• Driver: Someone who drives a motor vehicle or other vehicle, or guides animals on roads, singly or in herds.
• Give way: A driver must not proceed if it forces other drivers to alter direction or speed abruptly.
• Laden Weight: The actual weight of the vehicle with its load, including crew and passengers.
• Motor Cycle: Any two-wheeled vehicle, with or without a side-car, equipped with a propulsion engine.
• Motor Vehicle: Any power-driven vehicle for carrying people or goods, including trolley-buses connected to electric conductors.
• Does not include: Agricultural tractors used incidentally or vehicles used for carrying persons or goods.
• Arterial Highways/Roads: High-capacity urban roads connecting collector roads to expressways or freeways, primarily used for through traffic.
• Motorway: Road designed for motor traffic, not bordering properties, featuring separate carriageways for each direction, divided by a strip, not crossing at level, and specially marked.
• Collector Road: Connects low-to-moderate highways/roads to arterial highways.
• Funnels traffic from one local highway to another or between arterial and local highways. Also known as Distributor Road.
• Lane: Longitudinal strip within a carriageway marked by longitudinal road markings.
• Parked: A stationary vehicle beyond the time needed for immediate loading or unloading.
• Level-crossing: Intersection of a road and a railway or tramway track.
• Roadway: Portion of the traffic way used by motor vehicles, also known as carriageway.
• Roads are classified as:
  • National Road: Interconnecting provinces and/or cities.
  • Provincial Road: Interconnecting municipalities or cities within a province.
  • City Road: Interconnecting barangays within a city.
  • Municipal Road: Interconnecting barangays within a city.
  • Barangay Road: Located within a barangay, connecting sitios or places within it.
• Road: The entire surface of any street open to public traffic, including shoulder and sidewalk.
• Shoulder: Side border of a roadway, especially on highways.
• Road Users: Anyone using the road: drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and commuters.
• Sidewalks: Paved walkway along the side of a street or the portion of a highway with or without a shoulder between the roadway and the adjacent property line for pedestrian use.
• Traffic: Movement of people, goods, or vehicles from one place to another for travel.
• From French "Trafique" and Italian "Traffico," meaning "to carry on trade."
• Traffic way: The entire width between boundary lines open for public vehicular traffic, synonymous with public way.
• Intersection: The area within the connection of lateral curb or boundary lines of roadways where two highways meet.

Classification of Intersections According to Number of Intersecting Roads

• 3-way Intersection: Commonly a T or Y crossroad linking three roads.
• 4-way Intersection: The most common type, involving the crossing of two roadways. It can be regular (perpendicular crossing) or skewed (crossing at different angles).
• 5-way Intersection: Crossing of five roads, the least common.
• 6-way Intersection: Crossing of three streets, often two perpendicular and one diagonal, very rare.
• Staggered Intersection: Involves two successive T Crossroads.