SPOT SPEED STUDY ON MEDCHAL ROAD

(NH44)
UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF Dr RAM
MOHAN RAO SIR
Head of the department
Professor
TEAM MEMBERS:
K.Shravya
K.Ramakrishna Reddy
 ABSTRACT

Roads are an important mode of transport in India. Design in and

construction of road involves estimation of traffic volume and
setting up ideal speed for vehicles totravel in a comfortable way.
As each vehicle has its own speed and characteristics they are
divided into PCU(Passenger Car Units). These surveys can be done
manually or automatically, we will be conducting manually (stop
watch method).

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 INTROCUCTION
Spot speed study is the data
collectionof speed of vehicle
passing through that particular
location
Speed by definition is the
distance travelled in unit time
The typical unit of speed is
kilometer per hour (kmph) or
miles per hour (mph)
Speed plays a vital role in
evaluating the safety of road
network.

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 OBJECTIVES
Planning traffic control and regulations
Geometric designs
Accidental studies
Traffic capacity
Speed trends
Safety measures
Also help to determine weather the roadway is in need of
new enforcement, realignment or reconstruction

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 LITERATURE REVIEWS

1.CURRIN :
He conducted on major highways in makurdi town
The field work exercised between 8A.M to 5P.M. daily
Study sites are located at midblock of the highway, other
obstacles to free flow of vehicular traffic
Spot speeds were measured for vehicles travelling in both
the directions
Measurement technique : Manual Measurement
techniqueTraffic count method
2.Dr. Y P JHOSI:

He conducted on Hoshangabadroad, Near Barkatullah

University, Bhopal (M.P.), National Highway - 12
Measurement Technique : Manually techniqueTraffic
count
method
Base length : 50-100m
He collected data manually during non-peak hours with
short interval of 15minutes
He conducted for all types of vehicles
3.MAHMOOD MAHMOODI NESHELI :

He conducted on malaysia road

He conducted in peak Hours
traffic counts during a monday morning or a friday peak
period may show expectionally high volumes and are not
normally used in the analysis; therefore, counts are
usually conducted on tuesday , wednesday , and thursday
He conducted for all types of vehicles
4.BHARGAV NAIDU.M :

He conducted on jalandhar - ludhiana road, National

Highway - 1, Road
Measurement technique : Manually techniqueTraffic
count method
Base length : 50m
Vehicle : Buses(50)
Time : 10 A.M to 2 P.M

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 PROBLEM DEFINATION

In present scenario due to heavy traffic volume, the existing

roads are insufficient to maintain the design speed. with the
help of spot speed studies we can manage the traffic volume by
diversion or by designing signal cycle time

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 AREA OF STUDY

Our study area was the medchal highway NH44

We feel this road was best suited to conduct our analysis
This road has quite a number of small shops on one side and
located close to medchal court

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MAP DETAILS

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 METHODOLOGY

The methods used for the conducting spot speed studies can
generally
be divided into two main categories
→ Manual - (Stop watch method)
→ Automatic
Stop watch method:
Stop watch method is defined as manually measuring the
time it takes a vehicle to travel between two defined
points on the roadway a known distance
Distance between two points is generally depending upon
the average speed of traffic stream
 REQUIREMENTS

Measuring tape Stop watch

 PROCEDURE
▪ Initially measure the distance of 150m with help of measuring tape
mark the starting and ending point. name them as A and B
▪ Two observers are at the starting point one holding stop watch and
other one with pen and the sheet to write down the readings 
▪ The third observer is having a flag in his hand at the end point of
the section to indicate the vehicle has crossed the section 
▪ As the vehicle enters the section the stop watch is started as soon
as the front wheels touches the reference line 
▪ The third observer standing at the end point raises the flag to
indicate the vehicle has crossed the section 
▪ As soon as the flag is raised the stop watch is stopped and the
elapsed time taken by the vehicle is noted down on the sheets 

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 Contd...

▪ This procedure is simultaneous carried out for different group

of vehicles 
▪ Sample size of usually 30( 5 trucks, 5 buses, 5 four wheelers,
5 three wheelers and 5 two wheelers ) is generally carried out
on the site to yield good results 
▪ After analyzing the time elapsed by individual vehicle the
vehicle speed is calculated for every vehicle to cross the
section 
▪ After calculating the speed, normal distribution and
cumulative frequency distribution are carried out to find out
the speed percentiles 

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 Contd...

▪ Usually (50th and 85th) percentiles are carried out to find

out the desired speed limits on particular road system 
▪ Bar charts and the graphs are made on the excel sheets to
carry out the further requirements for speed percentiles 
▪ Time mean speed and space mean speed are analyzed and
their relationship is to be analyzed for the particular road
system 

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 DATA COLLECTION
Vehicle type SpeedIn Vehicle type SpeedIn Vehicle type SpeedIn Vehicle type SpeedIn Vehicle type SpeedIn
(km/hr) (km/hr) (km/hr) (km/hr) (km/hr)
Car 92 Auto 46 Bus 58 Car 84 Car 67
bus 81 Truck 72 Bike 78 Car 88 Bike 72
Bike 62 Bus 67 Car 96 Bike 72 Bus 55
Car 85 Car 82 Truck 62 Truck 42 Bike 64
Car 65 Truck 48 Truck 71 Bus 48 Truck 43
Bike 54 Bike 76 Truck 52 Car 82 Bike 64
Truck 43 Car 82 Bus 72 Bike 77 Auto 48
Car 86 Car 64 Bike 97 Bike 82 Car 81
bike 89 bike 72 truck 62 Car 102 bus 62
Auto 55 Car 61 Bus 69 Bike 82 Auto 41
Car 71 Car 78 Auto 62 Car 96 Auto 63
Auto 61 Auto 48 Bus 48 Bus 55 Bus 82
Bike 82 Truck 71 Bike 68 Car 86 Car 71
Car 60 Truck 58 Car 72 Car 91 Bike 66
Bike 59 car 63 truck 35 bike 62 car 71
car 86 Car 54 car 82 Bus 67 Bus 69
Car 76 Bike 48 Car 39 Car 91 Truck 88
Bus 78 Car 39 Bike 51 Bike 82 Auto 56
Bike 95 Bus 61 Truck 60 Bike 67 Car 86
Car 98 Bike 59 Truck 81 Car 80 Bus 72
Auto 61 Truck 48 Truck 67 Bike 81 Auto 66
Bike 67 Bus 64 Bike 81 Car 62 Car 81
Bus 81 Car 69 Car 62 Bus 38 Bike 79
Car 95 Bike 52 Car 71 Bike 64 Car 96
Truck 85 Car 64 Bike 77 Car 70
Truck 81 Car 64 Bus 69 Car 51
Car 78 Bike 91 Car 71 Bike 48
Truck 81 Truck 66 Truck 64 Bike 64
Bike 92 Bus 54 Truck 66 Bus 71
Bus 61 Bike 59 Bike 87 Car 91
 SPEED DISTRIBUTION TABLE
Class Percentage of Cumulative
frequency observation in percentage of all
Speed class(km/hr) Class mid (number of Fi * vi class observation
value vi observations
in class) Fi

31-35 33 1 33 0.69 0.69

36-40 38 3 114 2.08 2.77

41-45 43 4 172 2.77 5.54

46-50 48 9 432 6.25 11.79

51-55 53 10 530 6.94 18.73

56-60 58 7 406 4.91 23.64

61-65 63 25 1575 17.36 41

66-70 68 16 1088 11.11 52.11

71-75 73 18 1314 12.5 64.61

76-80 78 8 624 5.55 70.16

81-85 83 21 1743 14.58 84.74 85th

86-90 88 8 704 5.55 90.29

91-95 93 8 744 5.55 95.84

96-100 98 5 490 3.47 99.31

101-105 103 1 103 0.69 100

 GRAPH ANALYSIS

FREUENCY DISTRIBUTION DIAGRAM

30

25

20
frequency

15

10

0
31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51-55 56-60 61-65 66-70 71-75 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 96- 101-
100 105
vehicle seeds

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CUMULATIVE SPEED DISTRIBUTION DIAGRAM:

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 EXPECTED OUTCOMES
→Determining existing traffic operations and evaluation of
traffic
control devices

a. Evaluating and determining proper speed limits

b. Determining the 15th speed percentiles
c. Determining the 50th speed percentiles
d. Determining the 85th speed percentiles
e. Establishing the limits of no-passing zones
f. Determining the proper placements of traffic control
signs and
markings
g. Setting appropriate traffic signal timing
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 DEFINATIONS
1.Mean Speed: The average speed; calculated as the
sum of all speeds divided by the number of speed observations

2.15th Percentile Speed: The speed at or below which 15

percent of a sample of free flowing vehicles is traveling (based
on a spot speed study).

3.Median (50th Percentile Speed): The speed that equally

divides the distribution of spot speeds; 50 percent of observed
speeds are higher than the median; 50 percent of observed
speeds are lower than the median.

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 contd..

4. 85th Percentile Speed: The speed at or below which 85

percent of a sample of free flowing Vehicles is traveling; this
is typically used as a base line for establishing the speed
based on a spot speed study.

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 LIMITATIONS

Affected by physical features of roads like pavement width, curve

sight distance, gradient, pavement unevenness, intersections and
road side developments.
Environmental conditions, enforcement, traffic conditions,
vehicle, driver and motive of travel
Difficult to spot typical vehicles and so number of observations
will be less
Human error

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 REFERENCES
1.Khanna, S.K., And Justo, C.E.G., (1993), “Highway
Engineering”, New Chand And Bros, 7th Edition, New Delhi.
2.nicholas J. Garber, Lester A. Hoel ,(2009) , “Traffic and
Highway engineering” , 5th edition , U.S.A.
3.ITE, Brian Wolshon, Anurag Pande (2016) , “ Traffic
engineering” , 7th edition , New Jersey.
4.Thomas R. Currin (2012) , “ Introduction to traffic
engineering’’, 2nd edition . U.S.A
5.Dr. L.R. Kadiyali , “ Traffic Engineering and transport
planning ” , 9th edition , New delhi.
6.F D Hobbs. ,(1979), ‘’ Traffic planning and engineering ”,
2nd edition. Theodore M Matson , Wilbure S smith , fedric
W Hurd , (1955)

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