CHAPTER 2: FUNDAMENTALS OF TRAFFIC

1. Traffic flow (the number of vehicles (n) passing some

designated roadway point in a given time interval
= traffic flow in vehicle per unit time
= number of vehicles passing some designated roadway
point during time
= duration of time interval
Units: Vehicles/hour, Vehicle/day, Vehicle/year
2. Typical PCU values for roadways

3. Vehicle classification
Class
Vehicle type
Motor cars, taxi
1
Small van, utilities (light 2 axles)
2
Lorries, large vans (heavy 2 axles)
3
Lorries with 3 axles (heavy 3 axles and
4
above)
Buses
5
Motorcycles, scooters
6
4. Journey speed =

5. Running speed =
6. Time mean speed = mean of all instantaneous vehicles
speeds at a given point.
7. Space mean speed = mean travel speed of a known distance.
8. Density =
Unit: Vehicle/km
9. Spacing or space headway = distance between front bumper
to front bumper.
10. Headway = the time (s) as the front bumper pass a given
point.
11. The time headway:

12.
13.

14.

Equation 3
Equation 4

Equation 5

24. Speed density model

15.

Equation 6

16.

Equation 7

17.

Equation 8

18.

Equation 9

19.

Equation 10

20.

Equation 11

21.

Equation 12

22.

Equation 13

25. Flow density model

23.

Equation 14

26. Speed flow model

27. Flow-density, Speed-density, and Speed flow relationships

(Assuming a linear speed-density model)