Module 1 TRANSPO LECTURE INTRODUCTION PDF

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 disc...

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 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.  Transportation Objectives - 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 -  Transportation Objectives 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?  Transportation Objectives - 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. Transportation Objectives  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.  History of Transportation - 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: History of Transportation  History of Transportation - 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.  History of Transportation 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.  History of Transportation 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.