1. Lec 1: Introduction to Traffic Eng. and Its Scope
Business and introduction
Course objectives, outline, assignment, etc.
Required text, optional text, references
Introduction to traffic engineering (Ch. 1)
Standard references for the traffic engineer
Basic knowledge about the transportation system
Ethical aspects
Responsibility and liability in traffic engineering
Highway legislation and history in the US (1.3 – reading assignment)

2. Business and Introduction
Instructor’s background
Students’ introduction
CE562 Learning Suite website
Printing in Room 234CB – You must have a signature account
Rules for using reference materials (please check the Text page of the website for the location where they are available and check out duration)
No surfing the web or do something else with the computers during lectures – keyboard noise is distractive to other students.
TA , TA hours, and TA room

3. The Structure of the Textbook
Introduction (Ch 1)
Introduction
Traffic Components and Characteristics (Ch 2-6)
The Intersection (Ch 18-30)
Traffic Studies and Programs (Ch 7-12)
Freeways and Rural Highways (Ch 13-17)

4. Term paper and term project:
Course schedule & midterm dates: Visit CE En 562 Learning Suite website.
Term paper and term project:
Found in the Content section of the course website.

5. 1.1 Transportation Engineering (ITE)
“ Transportation Engineering is the application of technology and scientific principles to the planning, functional design, operation, and management of facilities for any mode of transportation in order to provide for the safe, rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical, and environmentally compatible movement of people and goods” (p.1)

6. Traffic Engineering (ITE)
“The phase of transportation engineering that deals with the planning, geometric design and traffic operations of roads, streets and highways, their networks, terminals, abutting lands, and relationships with other modes of transportation.” (P.1)

7. Objectives of traffic engineering
Safety is the primary objective – More than 40,000 people die each year in traffic accidents (33,561 in year 2012)
Speed (Higher speed means shorter travel time. Interstate highways encourage long distance trips.)
Comfort – Involves the physical characteristics of vehicles and roadways
Convenience – The ease of making trips and the ability of transport systems to accommodate all travel needs
Economy – Try to provide the best possible systems for the money
Environmental compatibility – Provide sustainable transport systems

8. Ethical Aspects – traffic engineers deal with the public as well as engineering topics
Be honest
Avoid “cutting corners”
Avoid tailoring the results to please the client
Avoid manipulating data
Know what’s in the analysis models and software
Engineers Code of Ethics (example)

9. Responsibility & Liability
We deal with people and goods.
Safety is the utmost importance in this profession.
Tort liability – Public agencies may be sued for negligence
Provide for the public safety through positive programs, good practice, knowledge, and proper procedure.
Avoid liability problems
[Read the right column, page 2]

10. 1.4 Elements of traffic engineering
Traffic studies and characteristics
Performance evaluation
Facility design
Traffic control
Traffic operations
Transportation systems management
Integration of ITS technologies

11. 1.2 Transportation Systems and their Function
“Transportation systems are a major component of the U.S. economy and have an enormous impact on the shape of the society and the efficiency of the economy in general.”
(For year 2009 stats click the link.)

13. Figure Public Highway Mileage and Annual Vehicle-Miles Traveled in the United States, 1920–2007 (Source: Highway Statistics 2007, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington DC, 2008, Table VMT 421.)

14. 1.2.1 The Nature of Transportation Demand
“This circular, self-reinforcing characteristics of traffic demand creates a central dilemma: building additional transportation capacity invariably leads to incrementally increased travel demands. (p.5, 1st paragraph)”
Intelligent transportation systems & Intermodal systems

15. 1.2.2 Concept of Mobility and Accessibility
Principal arterials
Mobility
Minor arterials
Major collectors
Minor collectors
Access
Local roads and streets
Mobility = the ability to travel to many different destinations
Accessibility = the ability to gain entry to a particular site or area

16. 1.2.4 Transportation Modes

17. Intermodal system for freight (North Salt Lake UP Transfer Yard)

18. Attention to intermodalism
Unimodal
Bimodal
Multimodal
Intermodal
Front of DB Station, Ulm, Germany
Tram-bus transfer, Cologne, Germany

19. Intermodal transportation system in our area (SLC Intermodal Hub)

20. Amenities of the Frontrunner

21. 1.3 Highway Legislation & History
Read the textbook section 1.3 and become acquainted with key legislative milestones in the US.
The National Highway System:
See ISTEA and TEA-21 in page 11. Then, SAFETEA-LU. And now MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century).

22. The Interstate System
42,500 miles

23. NHS
160,000 miles

25. 1.5 Modern Problems for the TE
Urban congestion
Growth management
Reconstruction of existing highway facilities  maintenance of traffic is a major issue
Security of transportation facilities since 9/11.

26. 1.6 Standard References for the Traffic Engineer
Uniform Vehicle Code (UVC) and Model Traffic Ordinance
Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD 2003, 2009) (on-line)
Highway Capacity Manual (HCM)
AASHTO’s Green Book – A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets
Traffic Engineering Handbook
Manual of Traffic Engineering Studies (on-line)
Trip Generation by ITE