Transportation Engineering PDF

TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING HIGHWAY AND RAILROAD ENGINEERING Prepared by: Engr. Joshua Ferdinand B. Villafuerte Civil/Transport Planner Why study Transportation Engineering? To provide general information about the practice of transportation engineering for...

TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING HIGHWAY AND RAILROAD ENGINEERING Prepared by: Engr. Joshua Ferdinand B. Villafuerte Civil/Transport Planner Why study Transportation Engineering? To provide general information about the practice of transportation engineering for students who will practice other civil engineering specialties To prepare students who will practice in transportation-related jobs immediately upon graduation To provide the necessary background for students who wish to pursue graduate studies in transportation engineering Transportation Engineering Transportation engineering is the application of scientific principles to the planning, design, operation and management of transportation system. The Transportation System A system is something that may be thought of as a whole consisting of parts or components. The transportation system is a functional system that provides a service (the movement of goods and people from place to place. Transportation is one of the major functional systems of modern society. As a major functional system: It is an essential feature in the economy and the personal lives of people everywhere, most especially in the developed nations. A highly developed transportation system makes possible the abundance and variety of goods and the high levels of personal mobility that are the hallmarks of a wealthy society. At the same time, the transportation system is a major source of resource consumption and environmental impact. How does it look like in other countries.. How does it look like in other countries.. How does it look like in other countries.. How does it look like in the Philippines.. Components of Transportation System Physical Facilities | including streets, roads, and highways, railroads, airports, sea and river ports, pipelines and canals. Fleets | of vehicles, vessels, and aircraft. Operating bases and facilities | including vehicle maintenance facilities and office space. Organizations | (Facility-oriented organizations or Operating organizations) Operating Strategies | including vehicle routing, scheduling, and traffic control. Effectiveness of Transportation System Effectiveness is described in terms of the accessibility of the mode, the level of mobility it provides, and its productivity. Accessibility refers to the cost of getting to and from a place to another and depends primarily on geographical extensiveness. Mobility is described in terms of speed or travel time. Productivity refers to some measure of the total amount of transportation provided per unit time. The amount of transportation is usually thought of as the product of the volume of goods or passengers carried and distance. Modes of Transportation The modes are distinguished in terms of their physical characteristics, for instance, as highway, rail, air, and water transportation. Highways The highway system is the most dominant transportation mode. Very high accessibility to almost all potential destinations; direct service with very low door-to-door travel time; moderate line-haul speeds and; moderate capacities. Environmental impacts of the system are high, particularly in the case of air pollution. Urban Transit It includes traditional mass transit modes such as buses, streetcars, and light rail and rail rapid transit, as well as paratransit modes such as jitneys and dial-a-ride services. Commuters | making work trips into dense central business districts. Captive riders | those without access to automobiles. Line-haul speeds and door-to-door travel time vary. Environmental impacts are less than those of private automobiles. Air The air transportation system includes commercial airlines, airfreight carriers, and general aviation (private aircraft). High line-haul speed; accessibility is limited; capacities of individual aircraft are moderate; capital and operating costs are both high but high productivity results in moderate costs per passenger carried. Environmental impacts are significant, especially the noise impacts of commercial aviation. Rail The rail system provides moderate speeds and levels of accessibility, but traditional operating practices, which involve relatively short hauls between rail yards, where trains are broken up and reassembled, lead to high and unreliable door-to-door travel time. Capital costs of locomotives and railcars, and maintenance costs for track are also relatively high. Environmental impacts are comparatively low. Water The domestic water transportation system consists of coastwise ocean shipping and barge lines operating on inland waterways. Provides low speed and relatively low accessibility, but extremely high capacities. Capital cost of vessels is high. Environmental impacts are relatively low but water pollution from routine discharges of oil and other pollutants, as well as from major oil spills involving tankers, is a significant problem. Scope of Highway Engineering Development, planning, and location Highway design, geometric, and structure Traffic performance and its control Materials, construction, and maintenance Economic, finance, and administration Civil Engineering Involvement in Transportation Characteristics of Road Transport Roads are used by various types of road vehicles, like passenger cars, buses, trucks, pedal cycle, and animal drawn vehicle. It requires a relatively small investment for the government. It offers a complete freedom to road users to transfer the vehicle from one lane to another and from one road to another according to need and convenience. Speed and movement is directly related with the severity of accident. Road transport is the only means of transport that offers itself to the whole community alike. TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ISSUES AND CHALLENGES HIGHWAY AND RAILROAD ENGINEERING Prepared by: Engr. Joshua Ferdinand B. Villafuerte Civil/Transport Planner Transportation System Issues and Challenges Traffic congestion exists wherever demand exceeds the capacity of the transportation system. Traffic congestion is a condition on transport networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queuing. Challenges Performance of the transportation system Managing congestion Improving safety Providing equal access Protecting the environment Performance of the transportation engineering profession, economic and political system Incorporating new technology Securing financial resources Developing adequate institutional arrangements Managing Congestion The usual response to congestion was to build more capacity. This approach was always limited by the availability of funding. Political support for major expansions of the urban highway system is now lacking due to the potential environmental impacts. Managing Congestion Recently, it has been popular to seek solutions involving more sophisticated traffic control. Since 1960s, there have been repeated calls to shift from private automobiles to urban passenger transportation because of the environmental consequences and the cost of expanding the system. Managing Congestion In addition, there have been suggestions that traffic congestion can be reduced through better urban land-use planning, or through congestion pricing. Congestion pricing | is a system of surcharging users of public goods that are subject to congestion through excess demand such as higher peak charges for use of bus services, metros, railways, and road pricing to reduce traffic congestion. Traffic Safety A second major challenge is the continued improvement of traffic safety. Traffic accidents are of concern for all modes of transportation, but are perhaps most visible in highways and commercial air. Traffic safety is continuing challenge for the transportation engineering profession because of public expectations that safety will continue to improve. Traffic Safety The focus of agencies involved with transportation safety are improvement of safety of vehicles, traffic safety, safety research and development, and collection of accident data. These agencies investigates selected accidents involving all transportation modes, identifies safety problems, an serves as an advocate for transportation safety concerns. Highway Traffic Safety The Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals was created on November 8, 1968 during the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNESCO) Conference on Road Traffic at Vienna, Austria. A total of 52 contracting countries including the Philippines agreed to accept the system as described in the convention. Informative sign | is a very legibly printed and very noticeable placard that informs people of the purpose of an object, or gives them instruction on the use of something. Examples of Informative Signs Highway Traffic Safety Regulatory signs | are traffic signs intended to instruct road users on what they must or should do (or not do) under a given set of circumstances. Other types may be signs located on streets and in parking lots having to do with parking, signs in public parks and on beaches or on or in architectural facilities prohibiting specific types of activities. Examples of Regulatory Signs Highway Traffic Safety Warning sign | is a type of traffic sign that indicates a hazard ahead on the road that may not be readily apparent to a driver. In most countries, they usually take the shape of an equilateral triangle with a white background and a thick red border. Examples of Warning Signs Some Traffic Safety Ads.. Some Traffic Safety Ads.. Equality of Access Another continuing challenge has been to provide adequate access to the transportation system for all sorts of people. Three groups in particular that are seen as generally undeserved. Physically handicapped Elderly Poor Environmental Protection One of the most important challenges to the transportation system is that of dealing with its environmental impacts. These include impacts on air quality, energy consumption, and land use. Environmental Protection Site-specific impacts include those related to the: Displacement of resident and businesses Noise Impacts on wildlife Impacts on water quality Visual impacts Temporary impacts during construction (noise, dust, reduced water quality due to erosion of unprotected slopes) Impacts in environmentally sensitive areas Environmental Protection Examples of such areas are: Habitats of threatened or endangered species Flood plains Wetlands Coastal zones Prime agricultural lands Historical or archaeological sites Wild or scenic rivers Environmental Protection Air pollution is commonly perceived as being the most serious environmental problem resulting from the transportation. Most transportation-related air pollution is the result of the use of highway vehicles in densely populated metropolitan areas. New Technology The major technological development of the past 20 years has been a concerted effort to take advantage of rapid advances in electronic technology. These technologies include information processing, communications, and control systems and are collectively known as intelligent transportation system (ITS). These ITS technologies are the subject of a major technological initiative involving government, business, academic, and research organizations. New Technology The goals of the ITS program are to: Improve safety Reduce congestion Improve mobility and accessibility Reduce the environmental impact and increase energy efficiency Improve economic productivity Create a domestic ITS industry New Technology These goals are to be achieved through: Improved traffic control systems Improvements in the provision of information about the transportation system to its users Automation of administrative and regulatory functions New or improved systems for warning users of hazards New vehicle control systems And other applications of electronic technology Funding Securing adequate financial resources is another perennial challenge, both for public agencies, providing transportation facilities private-sector firms, providing transportation services. The most common forms of user charges: Fuel taxes, which have been applied as fixed charger per gallon/liter of fuel sold. Direct fares or tolls Institutional Arrangements New arrangements have come about as a response to perceived deficiencies in the existing system. Often they have been imposed by outside agencies and in many cases they have been resisted by established institutions. In the recent past, the most conspicuous and enduring areas of institutional change have been (1) adjustments to the relationship between the public and private sectors and (2) attempts to overcome modal and jurisdictional fragmentation. Bibliography Highway Safety Design Standards. (2012). Department of Public Works and Highways. Hoel, L. A., Garber, N. J., & Sadek, A. W. (2008). Transportation Infrastructure Engineering: A Multi-Modal Integration. Khanna, S. K., Justo C. E. G., & Veeraragavan A. (2014). Highway Engineering. Nem Chand & Bros.