Reference Book
Fifth Edition or Fourth Edition
Fifth Edition or
Fourth Edition
Traffic Engineering
Fifth Edition
Chapter 1
Introduction
Ali Gholami
What topics are covered by traffic
engineering?
• Refer to the table of contents of the reference book
Traffic Engineering Definition
Traffic engineering has been defined in many ways over the years. It is currently
described by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) in the following words [1]:
A branch of civil engineering, traffic engineering concerns the safe and efficient
movement of people and goods along roadways. Traffic flow, road geometry, sidewalks,
bicycle facilities, shared lane markings, traffic signs, traffic lights, and more—all of these
elements must be considered when designing public and private sector transportation
solutions.
Traffic Engineering Objectives
• Safety
• Travel time
• Comfort
• Convenience
• Economy
• Environmental compatibility
Table 1.1: Important Statistics on U.S.
Highways
Statistic 2015 Value
Miles of public roadway 4.19 million
Vehicle-miles traveled 3.11 trillion
Total population of the United States 321 million
Licensed drivers 218 million
Registered vehicles 256 million
Fatalities 35,485
Table 1.2: Revenue Sources for 2011
Highway Disbursements
Revenue
Source Percent of Total
($ billion)
41.2 State & local motor fuel taxes 26.9
28.0 Federal motor fuel & other excise 18.3
taxes
23.2 State license fees 15.2
12.7 Tolls and other local user fees 8.3
105.1 Subtotal road-user taxes 68.7
30.0 State & local general fund 19.6
allocations
18.0 Federal general fund allocations & 11.7
deficit financing
48.0 Subtotal general funds 31.3
153.1 TOTAL 100.0
Figure 1.1: Public Highway Mileage and Annual Vehicle-Miles Traveled in the
United States, 1920–2015
(Source: Highway Statistics 2015, Federal Highway Administration, U.S.
Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C., 2015, Table VMT 421C.)
Figure 1.2: The Nature of Transportation
Demand
Elements of Traffic Engineering
There are a number of key elements of traffic engineering:
1. Traffic studies and characteristics
2. Performance evaluation
3. Facility design
4. Traffic control
5. Traffic operations
6. Transportation systems management
7. Integration of intelligent transportation system technologies
Major References
• Traffic Engineering Handbook, 7th Edition [1]
• Uniform Vehicle Code and Model Traffic Ordinance [6]
• Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 2009 (as updated through May 2012) [7]
• Highway Capacity Manual, 6th Edition: A Guide for Multimodal Mobility Analysis [8]
• A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (The AASHTO Green Book),
6th Edition
• [9]
• Traffic Signal Timing Manual, 2nd Edition [10]
• Transportation Planning Handbook, 4th Edition [11]
• Trip Generation, 8th Edition [12]
• Parking Generation, 4th Edition [13]