Fundamentals

of Traffic Flow
Prepared by:
Engr. Harold Loyd M. Ilustrisimo
Instructor I
TE 403 – Principles of Traffic Engineering
OUTLINE OF LECTURE
• Traffic Flow Elements

• Flow-density Relationship

• Shock Waves in Traffic Stream

• Gap and Gap Acceptance

• Queuing Theory

• Numerical Problems
Importance of Traffic
Flow Theory
• Traffic flow theory involves the development of mathematical relationships among
the primary elements of a traffic stream: flow, density, and speed.

• These relationships help the traffic engineer in planning, designing, and evaluating
the effectiveness of implementing traffic engineering measures on a highway
system.

• It will introduce those aspects of traffic flow theory that can be used in the planning,
design, and operation of highway systems.
TRAFFIC FLOW ELEMENTS
TIME – SPACE DIAGRAM
The time space diagram is a
graph that describes the
relationship between the
location of vehicles in a traffic
stream and the time as the
vehicles progress along the
highway.

Figure 1 Time – Space Diagram

TRAFFIC FLOW ELEMENTS
PRIMARY ELEMENTS OF TRAFFIC FLOW

The primary elements of traffic flow are flow, density, and speed.
Another elements, associated with density, is the gap or headway between two
vehicles in a traffic stream.

FLOW (q)
It is the equivalent hourly rate at which vehicles pass a point on a highway
during a time period less than 1 hour. It can be determined by:

where
n = the number of vehicles passing a point in the roadway in T sec
q = the equivalent hourly flow
PRIMARY ELEMENTS OF TRAFFIC FLOW
Density (k)
The number of vehicles (n) occupying a given length (l) of a
lane or roadway at a particular instant.
PRIMARY ELEMENTS OF TRAFFIC FLOW
Speed (u)
It is the distance traveled by a vehicle
during a unit time. It can be expressed in
miles per hour (mi/h), kilometer per hour
(kph), or feet per second (ft/sec.)
There are two types of mean speeds:
1. Time mean speed
2. Space mean speed
TIME MEAN SPEED (SPOT SPEED)
It is the arithmetic mean of the speeds of
vehicles passing a point n a highway during an
interval of time. The time mean speed is found by
SPACE MEAN SPEED (HARMONIC SPEED)
It is the speeds of vehicles passing a point on a highway
during an interval of time. It is obtained by dividing the total
distance traveled by two or more vehicles on a section of
highway by the total time required by these vehicles to travel
that distance. This is the speed that is involved in flow-density
relationships. The space mean speed is found by
PRIMARY ELEMENTS OF TRAFFIC
FLOW

Relationship between time mean speed and space

mean speed

Direct relationship developed by Garber and Sankar

using data collected at several sites on freeways
PRIMARY ELEMENTS OF TRAFFIC
FLOW
HEADWAY
It is the separation between a given point on adjacent vehicle i.e.,
from front bumper to front bumper. It can be measured in distance or
time. There are two types of headway i.e. time headway (h) and Space
headway (d).
PRIMARY ELEMENTS OF TRAFFIC
FLOW
Time Headway (h)
Time headway (h) is the difference between the time the front of a
vehicle arrives at a point on the highway and the time the front of the next
vehicle arrives at that same point. Time headway is usually expressed in
seconds. For example, in the time space diagram, the time headway
between vehicles 3 and 4 at d1 is h3–4.

Space Headway (d)

Space headway (d) is the distance between the front of a vehicle and
the front of the following vehicle and is usually expressed in feet. The
space headway between vehicles 3 and 4 at time t5 is d3–4
PRIMARY ELEMENTS OF TRAFFIC
FLOW
EXAMPLE: Figure shows vehicles traveling at constant speeds on a
two-lane highway between sections X and Y with their positions and
speeds obtained at an instant of time by photography. An observer located
at point X observes the four vehicles passing point X during a period of T
sec. The velocities of the vehicles are measured as 45, 45, 40, and 30
mi/h, respectively. Calculate the flow, density, time mean speed, and space
mean speed.

Figure 2:
Locations
and Speeds
of Four
Vehicles on
a Two-Lane
Highway at
an Instant of
Time
FLOW – DENSITY RELATIONSHIP
The general equation relating flow, density, and space
mean speed is given as

Each of the variables also depends on several other factors

including the characteristics of the roadway, characteristics of
the vehicle, characteristics of the driver, and environmental
factors such as the weather.
FLOW-DENSITY RELATIONSHIPS
Other relationships that exist among the traffic flow variables are given here.
Fundamental Diagram of Traffic Flow
The relationship between the density (veh/mi) and the corresponding flow
of traffic on a highway is generally referred to as the fundamental diagram
of traffic flow. The following theory has been postulated with respect to
the shape of the curve depicting this relationship:
1. When the density on the highway is 0, the flow is also 0 because there
are no vehicles on the highway.
2. As the density increases, the flow also increases.
3. However, when the density reaches its maximum, generally referred to
as the jam density (kj ), the flow must be 0 because vehicles will tend
to line up end to end.
4. It follows that as density increases from 0, the flow will also initially
increase from 0 to a maximum value. Further continuous increase in
density will then result in continuous reduction of the flow, which will
eventually be 0 when the density is equal to the jam density.
Figure 4
Fundamental
Diagrams of
Traffic Flow
Mathematical Relationships
Describing Traffic Flow
Mathematical relationships describing traffic
flow can be classified into two general
categories—macroscopic and
microscopic—depending on the approach used in
the development of these relationships. The
macroscopic approach considers flow density
relationships whereas the microscopic approach
considers spacings between vehicles and speeds
of individual vehicles.

Macroscopic Approach
The macroscopic approach considers traffic
streams and develops algorithms that relate the
flow to the density and space mean speeds. The
two most commonly used macroscopic models are
the Greenshields and Greenberg models.
GREENSHIELDS MODEL
Greenshields carried out one of the earliest recorded
works in which he studied the relationship between
speed and density. He hypothesized that a linear
GREENSHIELD MODEL
relationship existed between speed and density
which he expressed as
Eq. 6.13

Corresponding relationships for flow and density and for flow and
speed can be developed. Since , substituting for k in Eq. 6.13 gives

Eq. 6.14

Also substituting q/k for in Eq. 6.13 gives

Eq. 6.15
Eqs. 6.14 and 6.15 indicate that if a linear
relationship in the form of Eq. 6.13 is assumed for
speed and density, then parabolic relationships are
GREENSHIELD MODEL
obtained between flow and density and between flow
and speed. Also, Eqs. 6.14 and 6.15 can be used to
determine the corresponding speed and the
corresponding density for maximum flow. Consider
Eq. 6.14 . Differentiating q with respect to , we obtain
Thus, the space mean speed uo at which the volume
is maximum is equal to half the free mean speed.
Consider Eq. 6.15:
GREENSHIELD MODEL
GREENBERG MODEL
MODEL APPLICATION

• Use of these macroscopic models depends on whether they satisfy the

boundary criteria of the fundamental diagram of traffic flow at the region
that describes the traffic conditions.

• For example, the Greenshields model satisfies the boundary conditions

when the density k is approaching zero as well as when the density is
approaching the jam density kj . The Greenshields model can therefore
be used for light or dense traffic. The Greenberg model, on the other
hand, satisfies the boundary conditions when the density is approaching
the jam density but it does not satisfy the boundary conditions when k is
approaching zero. The Greenberg model is therefore useful only for
dense traffic conditions.
CALIBRATION OF MACROSCOPIC TRAFFIC FLOW MODEL
The traffic models discussed thus far can be used to determine specific
characteristics, such as the speed and density at which maximum flow
occurs, and the jam density of a facility. This usually involves collecting
appropriate data on the particular facility of interest and fitting the data
points obtained to a suitable model. The most common method of
approach is regression analysis. This is done by minimizing the squares of
the differences between the observed and expected values of a dependent
variable. When the dependent variable is linearly related to the
independent variable, the process is known as linear regression analysis.
When the relationship is with two or more independent variables, the
process is known as multiple linear regression analysis.
MICROSCOPIC
APPROACH
The microscopic approach, which is sometimes referred
to as the car-following theory or the follow-the-leader
theory, considers spacings between and speeds of
individual vehicles. Consider two consecutive vehicles, A
and B, on a single lane of a highway, as shown in Figure
6.7. If the leading vehicle is considered to be the nth
vehicle and the following vehicle is considered the (n
1)th vehicle, then the distances of these vehicles from a
fixed section at any time t can be taken as xn and xn1,
respectively.
MICROSCOPIC APPROACH
MICROSCOPIC APPROACH
SHOCKWAVES IN TRAFFIC STREAMS
TYPES OF SHOCKWAVES
• Frontal stationary
shock waves
• Backward forming
shock waves
• Backward recovery
shock waves
• Rear stationary and
forward recovery
shock waves
VELOCITY OF SHOCK WAVES
VELOCITY OF SHOCK WAVES
NUMERICAL PROBLEM
The volume at a section of a two-lane highway is 1500 veh/h in each direction
and the density is about 25 veh/mi. A large dump truck loaded with soil from an
adjacent construction site joins the traffic stream and travels at a speed of 10
mi/h for a length of 2.5 mi along the upgrade before turning off onto a dump
site. Due to the relatively high flow in the opposite direction, it is impossible for
any car to pass the truck. Vehicles just behind the truck therefore have to
travel at the speed of the truck which results in the formation of a platoon
having a density of 100 veh/mi and a flow of 1000 veh/h. Determine how many
vehicles will be in the platoon by the time the truck leaves the highway
NUMERICAL PROBLEM
SPECIAL CASES OF SHOCK WAVE PROPAGATION
SPECIAL CASES OF SHOCK WAVE PROPAGATION
SPECIAL CASES OF SHOCK WAVE PROPAGATION
SPECIAL CASES OF SHOCK WAVE PROPAGATION
SPECIAL CASES OF SHOCK WAVE PROPAGATION
PROBLEM

Studies have shown that the traffic flow on a single-lane approach to a

signalized intersection can be described by the Greenshields model. If the
jam density on the approach is 130 veh/mi, determine the velocity of the
stopping wave when the approach signal changes to red if the density on
the approach is 45 veh/mi and the space mean speed is 40 mi/h. At the
end of the red interval, what length of the approach upstream from the
stop line will vehicles be affected if the red interval is 35 sec?
PROBLEM
Thank You!