AIM-To determine the spot speed of a section under mixed traffic conditions

APPARATUS-Measuring tape, Stopwatch, Radar speedometer, Pen and Notebook

THEORY
Speed defines the distance travelled by user in a given time, and this is a vibrant in every traffic
movement. The actual speed of traffic flow over a given route may fluctuated widely, as because
at each time the volume of traffic varies. A typical unit of speed is kilometers per hour (Kmph).
Speed is considered as a quality measurement of travel as the drivers and passengers will be
concerned more about the speed of the journey than the design aspects of the traffic. . It is
defined as the rate of motion in distance per unit of time. Mathematically speed or velocity v is
given by, v = d/t where, v is the speed of the vehicle in m/s, d is distance traveled in m in time t
seconds. Speed of different vehicles will vary with respect to time and space. Spot speed is the
instantaneous speed of a vehicle at a specified location. Spot speed can be used to design the
geometry of road like horizontal and vertical curves, super elevation etc. Location and size of
signs, design of signals, safe speed, and speed zone determination, require the spot speed data.
Accident analysis, road maintenance, and congestion are the modern fields of traffic engineer,
which uses spot speed data as the basic input. Spot speed can be measured using an endoscope,
pressure contact tubes or direct timing procedure or radar speedometer or by time‐lapse
photographic methods.

The data gathered in spot speed studies are used to determine vehicle speed percentiles, which
are useful in making many speed‐related decisions. Spot speed data have a number of
applications which are as:  

i. Determining existing traffic operations and evaluation of traffic control devices  

a) Evaluating and determining proper speed limits  
b) Determining the 50th and 85th speed percentiles  
c) Evaluating and determining proper advisory speeds  
d) Establishing the limits of no‐passing zones  
e) Determining the proper placements of traffic control signs and markings  
f) Setting appropriate traffic signal timing  
ii. Establishing roadway design elements  
a) Evaluating and determining proper intersection sight distance  
b) Evaluating and determining proper passing sight distance  
c) Evaluating and determining proper stopping sight distance  
iii. Assessing roadway safety questions  
a) Evaluating and verifying speeding problems  
b) Assessing speed as a contributor to vehicle crashes 
  c) Investigating input from the public or other officials  
iv. Monitoring traffic speed trends by systematic ongoing speed studies  

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v. Measuring effectiveness of traffic control devices or traffic programs, including signs and
vi. Markings, traffic operational changes, and speed enforcement programs
The different types of speed considered are:
1. Spot Speed
2. Running Speed
3. Operating Speed
4. Overall Speed or Journey Speed
Average Speed:
There are two different types of average speed obtained from spot speeds of vehicles- Time-
mean speed and space-mean speed.
Time-mean speed is defined as the average of the speed measurements at one point in space of
all the vehicles passing over a period of time.
This is given by-

Space-mean speed is defined as the average of speed measurements at a particular instant of

time of all vehicles over a particular stretch of the highway.
This is given by-

Methods of Measuring Spot Speeds:

The methods available for spot speed measurement may be classified as:
1. Direct observation of the time taken by a vehicle to cover a known distance.

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2. Radar speedometer method.
3. Electronic meter method
4. Photographic methods.
The direct observation method can be further classified to long-base method and short-base
method.
The long-base method is sub-divided to:
(i) Direct measurement of time
(ii) Enoscope
(iii) Pressure contact tubes.

METHODS ADOPTED
1. Space mean speed by Direct timing procedure
2. Time mean speed by Radar speedometer

Stop Watch Method

In this method, markings of pavement are placed across the road at each end of trap. Observer
start and stops the watch as vehicle passes lines. 19 In this method, minimum two observers
required to collect the data, of which one is standing at the starting point to start and stop the stop
watch and other one is standing at end point to give indication to stop the watch when vehicle
passes the end line.

Advantage of this method is that after the initial installation no set-up time is required, markings
are easily renewed.

Disadvantages of this method are that substantial error can be introduced, and magnitude of
error may change for substitute studies. This method is only applicable for low traffic conditions.

FIGURE 1: DIRECT TIMING METHOD

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Radar speedometer

This radar meters are frequently used for measurement of spot speed. It measures speed directly
by measuring the difference in the frequency between the emitted and reflected radar wave
emitted on an oncoming vehicle. It is radar meter which is targeted to a vehicle, so the wave, the
frequency between the emitted and reflected wave that the difference is used to calculate the
speed. This is normally referred as Doppler Effect. Dynamometer actually works based on the
principle of Doppler Effect, which justifies the difference in frequency is proportional to the
speed of oncoming vehicle. Using this principle the instrument is programmed to calculate the
speed of the vehicle.

Though these meters are widely used by engineers, traffic polices and others these have certain
practical limitations. They are

1. In some situations there is a possibility of recording wrong input like when a test sample
is obstructed by other vehicles, the triggered radar beam bounds back by hitting the
obstacle but not the test sample.
2. Accurate measurements from radar meter are obtained only when the radar wave is
reflected directly along the axis of the movement. But in some cases it is practically
difficult.

FIGURE 2: RADAR SPEEDOMETER

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PROCEDURE
DIRECT TIMING METHOD

1. We conducted the spot speed survey at a mid block section of vidya path from gate 1 to
gate 2 of PEC (South to North)
2. The traffic was divided into different categories as shown in the observation table 1
3. Two observers were stationed at a convenient distance (50 m) such that they can see each
other.
4. The first one started a stop-watch as a vehicle crosses the first reference point and stops it
on a signal from his counterpart the moment the vehicle touches the other end of the
section.
5. We recorded the data with help of measuring tape stopwatch and noted the speed and
time in the notebook
6. From the known distance and the measured time intervals, speeds were calculated.
7. After getting the speed we calculated frequency, percentage of frequency and cumulative
frequency of data as shown in the table 2
8. In the last we drew two different graphs between speed vs percentage frequency and
cumulative frequency vs speed as shown in the graph 1 and 2 respectively
9. From the graph 2 we calculated the 15th percentile,85TH percentile and 98TH percentile
speed

RADAR SPEEDOMETER
The radar speedometer works on the principle of Doppler Effect. Microwaves of radio frequency
are transmitted to a moving vehicle.

1. We conducted the spot speed survey at a mid block section of vidya path from gate 1 to
gate 2 of PEC(South to North)
2. The traffic was divided into different categories as shown in the observation table 1
3. The speedometer is calibrated to read the speed directly in km/h, after the potential
difference is amplified to enhance the accuracy of measurement to ± 3 km/h.
4. The instrument is portable and battery-operated; it was set up near the edge of the road at
about 1 m height above the road surface.
5. The operation zone was around 50 m, and speeds were measured for vehicles moving
from South to North
6. We recorded the data and noted the speed with radar speedometer in the notebook as
shown in table3
7. After getting the speed we calculated frequency, percentage of frequency and cumulative
frequency of data as shown in the table 4
8. In the last we drew two different graphs between speed vs percentage frequency and
cumulative frequency vs speed as shown in the graph 3 and 4 respectively
9. From the graph 4 we calculated the 15th percentile,85th percentile and 98th percentile

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OBSERVATION TABLE
STOP WATCH METHOD

Location: Mid block between PEC gate1 and gate 2

Date:09/8/2019
Length: 50 m
Weather: Sunny
Duration: 1 Hour

TABLE 1: NUMBERS OF VEHICLES

Speed
Limit 2W 4W 4W(Bus,
(kmph) Time(sec) (Motorbike) 3W (Car,Jeep,Van) Truck)
20-25 9-7.2 0 3 0 0
25-30 7.2-5.99 1 2 0 0
30-35 5.99-5.14 1 3 0 2
35-40 5.14-4.5 7 4 3 2
40-45 4.5-3.99 5 3 6 1
45-50 3.99-3.6 3 3 6 0
50-55 3.6-3.27 2 2 1 2
55-60 3.27-2.99 1 0 1 0
60-65 2.99-2.76 0 0 2 0
65-70 2.76-2.57 0 0 0 0
70-75 2.57-2.39 0 0 1 0

TABLE 2: FREQUENCY TABLE OF DATA

Speed Mean Frequency Cumulative Cumulative % % of

Limit(kmph Speed(kmph Frequenc
) ) y
20-25 22.5 3 3 4.47 4.47
25-30 27.5 3 6 8.95 4.48
30-35 32.5 6 12 17.91 8.96
35-40 37.5 16 28 41.79 23.88
40-45 42.5 15 43 64.17 22.38
45-50 47.5 12 55 82.08 17.91
50-55 52.5 7 62 92.53 10.45
55-60 57.5 2 64 95.52 2.99
60-65 62.5 2 66 98.5 2.98
65-70 67.5 0 66 98.8 0.3
70-75 72.5 1 67 100 1.2
RADAR SPEEDOMETER

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Location: Mid block between PEC gate1 and gate 2
Date:30/8/2019
Duration:30 Minutes
Weather: Sunny

TABLE 3: NUMBERS OF VEHICLES

Speed 2W(Motorbike 4W(Car,Jeep,Van 4W(Bus,

Limit (kmph) ) 3W ) Truck)
28-30 0 2 0 0

30-32 1 1 1 0
32-34 2 2 0 1
34-36 6 3 3 1
36-38 3 2 4 2
38-40 2 1 3 1
40-42 1 1 1 0
42-44 1 0 1 0

TABLE 4: FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF DATA

Mean
Speed Speed(kmph Frequenc Cumulativ Cumulativ % of
Limit(kmph) ) y e e% Frequency
28-30 29 2 3 6.52 6.52
30-32 31 3 5 10.86 4.34
32-34 33 5 10 21.73 10.87
34-36 35 13 23 50.00 28.27
36-38 37 11 34 73.19 23.19
38-40 39 7 41 89.13 15.94
40-42 41 3 44 95.65 6.52
42-44 43 2 46 100 4.35

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GRAPHS
STOP WATCH METHOD

%FREQUENCY VS SPEED
25

20
% FREUENCY

15

10

1.2
0
20 30 40 50 60 70 80

GRAPH 1

CUMULATIVE FREQUENCY CURVE

100
CUMULATIVE % OF SPEED LESS THAN V

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
20 30 40 50 60 70
SPEED IN KMPH

GRAPH 2

RADAR SPEEDOMETER
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 %FREQUENCY VS SPEED
30

25

20
% FREQUENCY

15

10

0
28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44
SPEED IN KMPH

GRAPH 3

CUMULATIVE FREQUENCY CURVE

CUMULATIVE % OF SPEED LESS THAN V

100
90
80
70
60
50 Y-Values
40
30
20
10
0
28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44
SPEED IN KMPH

GRAPH 4

RESULTS:

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The 85th percentile speed of vehicle at section of between gate 1 and and gate 2 of PEC was
found to be 48.89 km/hr.This means that, 85 % of vehicles were moving within speed of 48.89
km/hr and remaining 15 % of vehicles exceeded 48.89 km/hr. The 15th percentile speed of the
vehicle is 30.7 kmph and 98th percentile speed is 61.66kmph.

DISCUSSION:
In Vidya Path (V3) Road speed limit for two-wheeler, three weeler and four-wheeler is 45 kmph
and 50 kmph and according to our observation and calculation we have concluded that the speed
is between the limits so the it is safe.

PRECAUTION
1. The stop watch reading should be accurate.
2. The observer while filling the data into data sheet should be careful.'
3. The synchronization amongst the team members should be there.
4. Straight, level & open sections of highways should be selected.

REFERENCES
1. Kadiyali, L.R.,. Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning,. Khanna Publishers
2. Khanna.S.K.,, Justo C.E.G., and Veeraragavan. A., ‘’Highway Engineering’’, 10 th
Edition, Nem Chand and Bros. Roorkee
3. Chakroborty Partha and Animesh Das, Principles of Transportation Engineering, Prentice
hall
4. Roess, R.P., Prassas, E.S., and McShane, W.R., Traffic Engineering, 4th Edition, Prentice
hall.

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