Improving the Running Times in Highway Capacity Manual Table 11-4; Related Observations on Average Travel Speed

Author(s):  
Elena Shenk Prassas
2002 ◽  
Vol 1802 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Tapio Luttinen

The Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) 2000 provides methods to estimate performance measures and the level of service for different types of traffic facilities. Because neither the input data nor the model parameters are totally accurate, there is an element of uncertainty in the results. An analytical method was used to estimate the uncertainty in the service measures of two-lane highways. The input data and the model parameters were considered as random variables. The propagation of error through the arithmetic operations in the HCM 2000 methodology was estimated. Finally, the uncertainty in the average travel speed and percent time spent following was analyzed, and four approaches were considered to deal with uncertainty in the level of service.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Kajalić ◽  
Nikola Čelar ◽  
Stamenka Stanković

Level of service (LOS) is used as the main indicator of transport quality on urban roads and it is estimated based on the travel speed. The main objective of this study is to determine which of the existing models for travel speed calculation is most suitable for local conditions. The study uses actual data gathered in travel time survey on urban streets, recorded by applying second by second GPS data. The survey is limited to traffic flow in saturated conditions. The RMSE method (Root Mean Square Error) is used for research results comparison with relevant models: Akcelik, HCM (Highway Capacity Manual), Singapore model and modified BPR (the Bureau of Public Roads) function (Dowling - Skabardonis). The lowest deviation in local conditions for urban streets with standardized intersection distance (400-500 m) is demonstrated by Akcelik model. However, for streets with lower signal density (<1 signal/km) the correlation between speed and degree of saturation is best presented by HCM and Singapore model. According to test results, Akcelik model was adopted for travel speed estimation which can be the basis for determining the level of service in urban streets with standardized intersection distance and coordinated signal timing under local conditions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 309-317
Author(s):  
Amit Kumar Das ◽  
Prasanta Kumar Bhuyan

This study is intended to define the Free Flow Speed (FFS) ranges of urban street classes and speed ranges of Level of Service (LOS) categories. In order to accomplish the study FFS data and average travel speed data were collected on five urban road corridors in the city of Mumbai, India. Mid-sized vehicle (car) mounted with Global Positioning System (GPS) device was used for the collection of large number of speed data. Self-Organizing Tree Algorithm (SOTA) clustering method and five cluster validation measures were used to classify the urban streets and LOS categories. The above study divulges that the speed ranges for different LOS categories are lower than that suggested by Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) 2000. Also it has been observed that average travel speed of LOS categories expressed in percentage of free flow speeds closely resembles the percentages mentioned in HCM 2010.


Author(s):  
Elena Shenk Prassas ◽  
Douglas McLeod ◽  
Gina Bonyani

A major new chapter of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) 2000 is on freeway facilities. It is a detailed operational methodology that combines analyses of basic freeway segments, weaving areas, off-ramp areas, and on-ramp areas. However, the new chapter does not contain guidance or examples for planning or preliminary engineering applications. To meet its numerous needs, Florida Department of Transportation engineers wanted to develop a freeway facility application that extends the HCM for generalized planning and preliminary engineering purposes but is not inconsistent with HCM 2000. Such a methodology was developed, documented, made into an executable software program called FREEPLAN, and is now being implemented throughout the state. The methodology is firmly based on HCM detailed analysis procedures but has assumptions and defaults that allow planners and engineers to use it effectively. At a generalized planning level, the basic construct was to provide tables of design volumes, v, and annual average daily traffic that could be achieved for various levels of service and freeway configurations for the default parameter values. At a preliminary engineering level, specific freeway facility inputs are used to determine v/c ratio, average travel speed, average density, and level-of-service grades. The initial results of applying the Florida freeway planning methodology to actual Florida data were outstanding in both urbanized and rural areas.


Author(s):  
Víctor Gabriel Valencia Alaix ◽  
Alfredo García García

La operación vehicular en una carretera convencional depende de la atención adecuada de los adelantamientos de los vehículos lentos por parte de los más rápidos; una alternativa es mediante la provisión de carriles auxiliares a lo largo de la vía antes de pasar a una carretera multicarril.El objetivo es calibrar el modelo de simulación TWOPAS y aplicarlo en una carretera convencional española para estimar y comparar el nivel de servicio estimado en ella y en un carril lento con el resultado del procedimiento del Highway Capacity Manual - HCM.Se observó la operación vehicular en una carretera convencional de España mediante el registro a través de cámaras de control dispuestas a lo largo de la carretera, y en el carril lento, de manera que sirvió para calibrar el modelo de microsimulación TWOPAS considerando parámetros operacionales del parque automotor y aplicándolo para estimar el nivel de servicio.Se aplicó el procedimiento del HCM para estimar el nivel de servicio en segmentos de carretera con carril lento para comparar sus resultados con los obtenidos en la simulación.El modelo de simulación usado fue el TWOPAS, inserto en el Traffic Analisys Module (TAM) del Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM), cuyos resultados en términos de Percent Time Spent Following (PTSF), Average Travel Speed (ATS) y otros permite la evaluación operacional.Los resultados y conclusiones permiten valorar la utilidad del modelo, la correspondencia de la realidad operacional en carretera y la norma española y la conveniencia operacional del carril lento estudiado.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2016.4220


2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Othman Che Puan ◽  
Nur Syahriza Muhamad Nor ◽  
Zamri Bujang

The current Malaysian practice in road capacity analysis, Malaysian Highway Capacity Manual 2011 (MHCM) is based on a method adopted from the Highway Capacity Manual(HCM) of the United States. All the analysis elements appear to be taken directly from the manual. The rationale for using such a method for Malaysian conditions is not well defined. This paper deliberates the background of the methodology used in the development of speed, flow and geometry relationships and the capacity for single carriageway roads. A microscopic traffic simulation model which is capable of simulating traffic operations on single carriageway roads for a range of road geometry configurations and traffic flow conditions was developed and used to evaluate the potential capacity of a single carriageway road. The results of the analysis indicate that a two-lane single carriageway road is capable of accommodating traffic flow higher than the values derived from the previous HCM. The current version of the HCM also appears to underestimate the vehicles’ travel speed for a range of traffic flows when compared with the results of the simulation model. The MHCM 2011, on the other hand, estimated travel speeds higher than the travels speeds predicted by both the HCM 2010 and simulation model. It shows that there is a different interpretation of LOS F in term of speed between HCM 2010 and MHCM 2011.


2000 ◽  
Vol 1710 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-238
Author(s):  
Andrzej P. Tarko

Filtering and metering of traffic at highway bottlenecks influence delay and travel speeds along congested arterial streets. The current Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) method of analyzing urban arterial streets uses the filtering and metering adjustment factor I but does not give recommendations on how to adjust traffic volumes. An improved method of analyzing signalized arterial streets affected by bottlenecks is proposed. A set of equations has been derived to calculate the coefficient I and to adjust the traffic volumes. Conditions in which measured or predicted volumes should be adjusted and conditions in which they do not have to be adjusted are specified. The proposed method incorporates the effect of turning volumes, a feature not present in the current HCM method. A sensitivity analysis of travel speeds along an example signalized arterial street illustrates the filtering and metering effects and compares the results produced by the existing and proposed methods. The differences in the results are considerable. In addition, the significant effect of turning volumes has been confirmed. The proposed method tends to produce travel speeds higher than the values obtained with the current method, which concurs with comments from the users of the HCM that the current method underestimates travel speeds. The filtering equation has been derived with the assumptions of fixed capacity and no vehicle dispersion. Under the conditions violating these assumptions, the filtering equation may underestimate I. Further, the proposed method does not incorporate the effect of long queues blocking upstream lane groups. The negative effect on travel speed estimates along the entire arterial should be limited or negligible.


Author(s):  
Aimee Flannery ◽  
Kathryn Wochinger ◽  
Angela Martin

This paper presents the results of a study that compared drivers’ assessments of the performance of urban streets with objective measures of performance, including level of service (LOS). The purpose of the study was to test the ability of LOS to predict drivers’ perceptions of service quality. Seventy-seven automobile drivers rated the service quality of half-mile segments of urban streets as depicted on videotaped scenes from the driver's perspective. Drivers rated 12 to 15 video segments on a six-point scale from very satisfactory to very unsatisfactory. After rating all segments, the drivers selected and ranked from a list of 36 factors the three factors that they considered the most important to quality. The results show that the mean driver rating had statistically significant correlations with operational and design characteristics and aesthetics, including the following variables: travel time, average travel speed, number of stops, delay, number of signals, lane width, the presence of trees, and the quality of the landscaping. LOS, calculated by the Highway Capacity Manual methodology, predicted 35% of the variance in mean driver rating. This finding suggests that LOS does not completely represent drivers’ assessments of performance because drivers perceive the quality of urban street segments in several dimensions, including travel efficiency, sense of safety, and aesthetics.


Author(s):  
Zihang Wei ◽  
Yunlong Zhang ◽  
Xiaoyu Guo ◽  
Xin Zhang

Through movement capacity is an essential factor used to reflect intersection performance, especially for signalized intersections, where a large proportion of vehicle demand is making through movements. Generally, left-turn spillback is considered a key contributor to affect through movement capacity, and blockage to the left-turn bay is known to decrease left-turn capacity. Previous studies have focused primarily on estimating the through movement capacity under a lagging protected only left-turn (lagging POLT) signal setting, as a left-turn spillback is more likely to happen under such a condition. However, previous studies contained assumptions (e.g., omit spillback), or were dedicated to one specific signal setting. Therefore, in this study, through movement capacity models based on probabilistic modeling of spillback and blockage scenarios are established under four different signal settings (i.e., leading protected only left-turn [leading POLT], lagging left-turn, protected plus permitted left-turn, and permitted plus protected left-turn). Through microscopic simulations, the proposed models are validated, and compared with existing capacity models and the one in the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM). The results of the comparisons demonstrate that the proposed models achieved significant advantages over all the other models and obtained high accuracies in all signal settings. Each proposed model for a given signal setting maintains consistent accuracy across various left-turn bay lengths. The proposed models of this study have the potential to serve as useful tools, for practicing transportation engineers, when determining the appropriate length of a left-turn bay with the consideration of spillback and blockage, and the adequate cycle length with a given bay length.


Author(s):  
Suhaib Al Shayeb ◽  
Nemanja Dobrota ◽  
Aleksandar Stevanovic ◽  
Nikola Mitrovic

Traffic simulation and optimization tools are classified, according to their practical applicability, into two main categories: theoretical and practical. The performance of the optimized signal timing derived by any tool is influenced by how calculations are executed in the particular tool. Highway Capacity Software (HCS) and Vistro implement the procedures defined in the Highway Capacity Manual, thus they are essentially utilized by traffic operations and design engineers. Considering its capability of timing diagram drafting and travel time collection studies, Tru-Traffic is more commonly used by practitioners. All these programs have different built-in objective function(s) to develop optimized signal plans for intersections. In this study, the performance of the optimal signal timing plans developed by HCS, Tru-Traffic, and Vistro are evaluated and compared by using the microsimulation software Vissim. A real-world urban arterial with 20 intersections and heavy traffic in Fort Lauderdale, Florida served as the testbed. To eliminate any bias in the comparisons, all experiments were performed under identical geometric and traffic conditions, coded in each tool. The evaluation of the optimized plans was conducted based on average delay, number of stops, performance index, travel time, and percentage of arrivals on green. Results indicated that although timings developed in HCS reduced delay, they drastically increased number of stops. Tru-Traffic signal timings, when only offsets are optimized, performed better than timings developed by all of the other tools. Finally, Vistro increased arrivals on green, but it also increased delay. Optimized signal plans were transferred manually from optimization tools to Vissim. Therefore, future research should find methods for automatically transferring optimized plans to Vissim.


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