Lec 1: Introduction to Traffic Eng. and Its
Scope
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Business and introduction
Course objectives, outline, assignment, etc.
Required text, optional text, references
Introduction to traffic engineering (Ch. 1)
Standard references for the traffic engineer
Basic knowledge about the transportation system
Ethical aspects
Responsibility and liability in traffic engineering
Highway legislation and history in the US (1.3 – reading
assignment)
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Business and Introduction
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Instructor’s background
Students’ introduction
CE562 Learning Suite website
Printing in Room 234CB – You must have a signature
account
Rules for using reference materials (please check the Text
page of the website for the location where they are
available and check out duration)
No surfing the web or do something else with the
computers during lectures – keyboard noise is distractive
to other students.
TA , TA hours, and TA room
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The Structure of the Textbook
Introduction
Introduction
(Ch 1)
Traffic Components and
Characteristics (Ch 2-6)
The Intersection
(Ch 18-30)
Freeways and Rural
Highways (Ch 13-17)
Traffic Studies
and Programs
(Ch 7-12)
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Course schedule & midterm
dates: Visit CE En 562 Learning Suite website.
Term paper and term project:
Found in the Content section of the course website.
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1.1 Transportation Engineering
(ITE)
“ Transportation Engineering is the
application of technology and scientific
principles to the planning, functional design,
operation, and management of facilities for
any mode of transportation in order to
provide for the safe, rapid, comfortable,
convenient, economical, and environmentally
compatible movement of people and goods”
(p.1)
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Traffic Engineering (ITE)
“The phase of transportation engineering
that deals with the planning, geometric
design and traffic operations of roads,
streets and highways, their networks,
terminals, abutting lands, and
relationships with other modes of
transportation.” (P.1)
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Objectives of traffic engineering
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Safety is the primary objective – More than 40,000 people
die each year in traffic accidents (33,561 in year 2012)
Speed (Higher speed means shorter travel time. Interstate
highways encourage long distance trips.)
Comfort – Involves the physical characteristics of vehicles
and roadways
Convenience – The ease of making trips and the ability of
transport systems to accommodate all travel needs
Economy – Try to provide the best possible systems for
the money
Environmental compatibility – Provide sustainable
transport systems
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Ethical Aspects – traffic engineers deal
with the public as well as engineering topics
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Be honest
Avoid “cutting corners”
Avoid tailoring the results
to please the client
Avoid manipulating data
Know what’s in the
analysis models and
software
Engineers Code of Ethics (example)
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Responsibility & Liability
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We deal with people
and goods.
Safety is the utmost
importance in this
profession.
Provide for the public
safety through positive
programs, good practice,
knowledge, and proper
procedure.
 Tort liability –
Public agencies may
be sued for
negligence
Avoid liability
problems
[Read the right column, page 2]
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1.4 Elements of traffic engineering
Traffic studies and characteristics
 Performance evaluation
 Facility design
 Traffic control
 Traffic operations
 Transportation systems management
 Integration of ITS technologies
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1.2 Transportation Systems and their
Function
“Transportation systems are a major component of the U.S.
economy and have an enormous impact on the shape of the
society and the efficiency of the economy in general.”
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(For year 2009 stats click the link.) http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population
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Figure 1.1 Public Highway Mileage and Annual Vehicle-Miles Traveled in the United States, 1920–2007 (Source: Highway
Statistics 2007, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington DC, 2008, Table VMT 421.)
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1.2.1 The Nature of Transportation Demand
“This circular, self-reinforcing characteristics of traffic demand creates a
central dilemma: building additional transportation capacity invariably
leads to incrementally increased travel demands. (p.5, 1st paragraph)”
Intelligent transportation systems & Intermodal systems
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1.2.2 Concept of Mobility and Accessibility
Principal arterials
Mobility
Minor arterials
Major collectors
Access
Minor collectors
Local roads and streets
Mobility = the ability to travel
to many different destinations
Accessibility = the ability to
gain entry to a particular site
or area
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1.2.4 Transportation Modes
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Intermodal system for freight
(North Salt Lake UP Transfer Yard)
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Attention to intermodalism
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Front of DB Station, Ulm, Germany
Tram-bus transfer, Cologne, Germany
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Unimodal
Bimodal
Multimodal
Intermodal
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Intermodal transportation system in our area
(SLC Intermodal Hub)
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Amenities of the Frontrunner
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1.3 Highway Legislation & History
Read the textbook section 1.3 and become acquainted
with key legislative milestones in the US.
The National Highway System:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/nhs/
See ISTEA and TEA-21 in page 11. Then,
SAFETEA-LU. And now MAP-21 (Moving
Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century).
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The Interstate System
42,500 miles
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NHS
160,000 miles
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1.5 Modern Problems for the TE
Urban congestion
 Growth management
 Reconstruction of existing highway
facilities  maintenance of traffic is a
major issue
 Security of transportation facilities since
9/11.
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1.6 Standard References for the
Traffic Engineer
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Uniform Vehicle Code (UVC) and Model Traffic
Ordinance
Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices
(MUTCD 2003, 2009) (on-line)
Highway Capacity Manual (HCM)
AASHTO’s Green Book – A Policy on Geometric
Design of Highways and Streets
Traffic Engineering Handbook
Manual of Traffic Engineering Studies (on-line)
Trip Generation by ITE
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