Introduction to Transport Planning

1
Chapter 1 Introduction to Transport Planning
1.1 Background 1.1.1 Roads and Civilization
1.1 Background 1.1.1 Roads and Civilization

• The wheel was invented in 5000 BC years.
• This made necessary the construction of special
  hard surfaces of roads.
• Ancient roads were built to suit the old mode of
  transportation (horses, donkeys and carts). Motor
  vehicles used these roads and in many cases they
  were not very suitable.
• Roads improve communication and hence
  civilisation.
• The prosperity of a nation is bound up with the
  state of its roads.

2
1.1 Background

• Paving material

1. Granite paving stones ... not comfortable and
very noisy
The first road was built before 4000 BC

• From Stone

• In Iraq

2. Wood paving ... not very successful

• After stone roads

• In England

3. Gravel (3 layers)
Fine Gravel and Sand

• In England

Excavation Stones

• 1800s

Large Stones
3. Bituminous surfacing ... solved the problem

• The first one was in Paris in 1824

• Then after that the new asphalt type in New York
  in 1872

• However, solving the problem increased the number
  of motor vehicles and hence increased the effect
  on noise, pollution, visual intrusion and
  community severance.

3
1.1 Background

• History of Car

• In 1769, the very first self-propelled road
  vehicle was a military tractor invented by French
  engineer and mechanic, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot.

• Cugnot used a steam engine to power his vehicle,

• Speed (2.5 mile/h about 4 Km/h)

• The vehicle had to stop every ten to fifteen
  minutes to build up steam power.

4
1.1 Background

• History of Car (continued)

• In 1771, Cugnot drove one of his road vehicles
  into a stone wall, making Cugnot the first person
  to get into a motor vehicle accident.

• This was the beginning of bad luck for the
  inventor.

• After one of Cugnot's patrons died and the other
  was injured, the money for Cugnot's road vehicle
  experiments ended.

• Between 1832 and 1839 Robert Anderson of Scotland
  invented the first electric car. Electric cars
  used rechargeable batteries that powered a small
  electric motor.

• The vehicles were heavy, slow, expensive, and
  needed to stop for recharging

5
1.1 Background

• History of Car (continued)

• Around 1885s, the Early Gasoline-Powered Cars was
  invented which was better than the electric and
  steam engine cars

6
1.1 Background

• Main modes of transportation systems

1. Motor vehicles 2. Rail roads 3. Air
transport 4. Water transport 5. Pipelines (oil
gas)
Each student is asked to prepare a short
presentation on a selected topic such as

• 1. The History of railroads and trains
• The History of air Transport (Planes)
• The History of water Transport
• Effect of motor vehicle on trip patterns
• Traffic Noise
• Any other related topic

7
1.1 Background
1.1.2 Definition of Traffic Engineering
It is that part of engineering which deals with
traffic planning and design of roads, of frontage
development and of parking facilities and with
the control of traffic to provide safe,
convenient and economic movement of vehicles and
pedestrians.

• 1.1.3 History of Car
• In Britain, the speed limit before 1896 was 4mph
  (6.5 Km/h) in open country and 2mph (3.2 Km/h) in
  a populous area.
• Each vehicle had to be preceded by a man
  carrying a red flag.
• In 1896 a new law allowed vehicles to travel up
  to 14mph (22.5 km/h).
• Motor vehicles had little effect upon mass
  movement or town development for some time.
• -Motor vehicles were mostly enjoyed by the
  wealthy.

8
1.1 Background
1.1.4 Growth of the number of motor vehicles
In Britain
9
1.1 Background
1.1.4 Growth of the number of motor vehicles
In Palestine
In 1997 there was 1 car for every 21 people in
Gaza Strip. Based on a population of 963,026.
In 2004 there was 1 car for every 25 people in
Gaza Strip. Based on a population of 1337236.
10
1.1 Background
1.1.4 Growth of the number of motor vehicles
In Palestine
11
1.2 Highway and Traffic Planning
Transport in general and particularly highway
transport plays an essential role in the life of
any community today. Good highway transport
facilities are the result of sound
planning. Transport planning and land use
planning must not be isolated, they affect each
other.
Journey Types

• The journey-to-work trip

It is of critical interest to the highway planner
and designer because it creates peak period
travel demands

• Non-journey-to-work trips

Such as social visits, holidays, recreational. It
is done mostly by car
12
1.2 Highway and Traffic Planning
General Modes of Highway Transportation

• private car
• bus
• bicycle
• motor cycle
• walking

Car Walking Bus used mostly for very local
journeys for those without a car
Public Transport
Buses, trains and taxis
13
1.2 Highway and Traffic Planning
Why do people prefer not to use public
transportation?

• distance from bus stops
• long waits at bus stops
• changing buses
• long journey time
• inconvenience on bus

Cycling as a transport mode

• In recent years, there has been considerable
  renewed interest in cycling as a transport mode.
  This is possibly related to
• environmental
• health
• and recreational desires
• It may also be related to the higher cost of
  petrol.

The highway and traffic engineer is now expected
to take cycling into account in decisions related
to the planning, design and management of many
transport facilities.
14
1.2 Highway and Traffic Planning
Special needs of elderly and disabled people
The special needs of the handicapped are not
always taken into account by transport planners.
1. Ramps about 5 and lt8 and no longer than 10m
(like the one lies in front of administrative
building)
2. Steps (with the associated handrail, which
should be provided with both sides)
15
1.2 Highway and Traffic Planning
Special needs of elderly and disabled people
(continue)
3.Street furniture ( like seats should not
opposing the pedestrian movement along
footways its colour should contrast with
surrounding objects)
16
1.2 Highway and Traffic Planning
Special needs of elderly and disabled people
(continue)
4.Information needs (like directional information
to reach destination)
5.Walking surface quality ( footways and
pedestrian areas)
17
1.3 Environmental Assessments
Concern has been expressed at various times in
history at the detrimental environmental impacts
associated with the development of highways.
Effects of transport on the environment

• Air quality (CO, NO2, HC, Pb, SPM...)
• Traffic noise and vibration
• Cultural heritage ?????? ??????? ??? ???????
  ???????
• Disruption due to construction ????? ????? ?????
  ????? ???????

• Ecology( ?????? ) and nature conservation
  (Wildlife)

• Landscape effects ??????? ????
• Community effects
• Vehicle travelers (View from driver speed,
  layout, geometry
• Water quality and drainage
• Geology and soil considerations (???? ?????? ?
  ???????? )

18
1.4 Urban Road Systems
There are 3 principal types of road pattern in
urban areas.
19
1.4 Urban Road Systems
Advantages 1. Easier for surveyors to set out,
using straight lines and rectangular
co-ordinates. 2. It encourages an equal spread of
traffic over the grid, therefore, the impact
at particular location is reduced. 3. It
facilitates the implementation of one-way street
systems. 4. If there is a central business
area in the middle of the grid, it is easy
for through traffic to bypass it.
Disadvantages 1. Extra distances must be
travelled when going in a diagonal
direction. 2. Providing a diagonal route has an
unfortunate effect on the buildings
producing acute angles.
Adopted extensively in the USA
20
1.4 Urban Road Systems
It is also used in Gaza
Part Of Gaza
21
1.4 Urban Road Systems
This type of urban road pattern developed as a
result of local topographic difficulties.
(Alongside a valley)
Advantages Main traffic flow is canalised into
one major roadway.
Disadvantages The major roadway serves as a
route both to the completely internal traffic and
for the internal-external traffic as well as for
external-internal and through traffic... This
leads to congestion and the major roadway becomes
overloaded.
Linear
22
1.4 Urban Road Systems
Part Of Nabuls
23
1.4 Urban Road Systems

• Mainly in old cities.
• A network of roads connecting town centre to
  town centre. Thus any given town had several
  roads radiating from its centre to other towns
  and villages around it.

Advantages Providing a direct access to the town
centre.
Disadvantages 1. Concentration of traffic
generators within the central area 2. Radial
roads converging on the main sources of
attraction 3. Lack of suitable bypass routes for
through traffic.
Radial
In order to minimise these disadvantages, ring
roads are used. The ring road is a highway that
is roughly circular about the centre of an urban
area, and which permits traffic to avoid the
centre of this area.
In practice, there are 3 forms of ring roads 1.
an inner ring road 2. an outer ring road 3.
intermediate ring roads
24
1.4 Urban Road Systems
Part Of London
25
1.5 Highway system classification
Roads are classified by function, rural and urban
are slightly different
In the USA Rural roads are classified as
follows Arterial roads Principal -
interstate, Minor Collectors Major Mino
r Local roads

• Since the cities and larger towns generate and
  attract a large proportion of the relatively
  longer trips, the arterial highways generally
  provide direct service for such travel.
• The intermediate functional category, the
  collectors, serves small towns directly, connects
  them to the arterial network, and collects
  traffic from the bottom-level system of local
  roads, which serves individual farms and other
  rural land uses.

Source http//www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/fcsec2_1.
htm
26
1.5 Highway system classification
In the USA (continue)
Urban roads are classified as follows Arterials
Principal Minor Collector streets Local
streets

• the same basic concepts apply in urban areas as
  well. A similar hierarchy of systems can be
  defined
• however, because of the high intensity of land
  use and travel throughout an urban area, specific
  travel generation centers are more difficult to
  identify.
• In urban areas additional considerations, such as
  spacing, become more important in defining a
  logical and efficient network. A schematic
  illustration of a functionally classified urban
  street network is shown in Figure II-3.

Source http//www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/fcsec2_1.
htm
27
1.5 Highway system classification
In Britain
In rural areas

• Motorways

dual carriageway with 3 or more lanes in each
direction. The speed limit is 70mph (110 km/h).
They connect between major cities (Inter-city).

• A- Roads

dual or single carriageway with 2 lanes in each
direction. Speed limit is between 60 and 70 mph
(95 - 110 km/h).

• B-Roads

single carriageway with one lane in each
direction. Speed limit is between 50 and 60 mph
(80 - 95 km/h).
28
1.5 Highway system classification
In Great Britain (continue)

• In urban areas
• Primary distributors

They serve the town as a whole. They form the
primary network for the urban area as a whole,
and all longer- distance traffic movements are
canalized onto them.

• District distributors

They serve large areas within the town. They feed
traffic from the primary road network to local
areas.

• Local distributors

They go through local areas and provide the link
between district distributors and access roads.

• Access streets

They give direct access to buildings and land.
29
1.5 Highway system classification
In Gaza (Palestine) Main Road Serves
for national or inters district traffic Regional
road Branching off from, or lining, main
roads Access Road Leading from a main or
regional road to a certain point within a
locality
30
1.6 Highway Revenue (Finance)
Roads cost a lot of money to construct and
maintain. How to raise this money? Is it fair?
1. Payments by the General Public

• It is raised in the form of grants from the
  central government.
• This is used to cover the costs of highways that
  are in the national or general interest. Such as,
  rural roads (motorways) and some main urban roads
• Money would come from non-motor vehicle taxation
  sources.

31
1.6 Highway Revenue (Finance)

• 2. Payments by property owners / occupiers
• For roads that directly provide access to houses
  and land
• Roads which provide internal communication within
  the local community, e.g. the streets of a town
  or a local district.

• 3. Payments by motorists
• It is generally accepted that motorists should
  contribute in financing road building and
  maintenance.
• But how much should they pay towards the
  construction and upkeep of roads?
• And how should this money be allocated amongst
  the various users of the highways?
• - private cars buses commercial vehicles
  taxis.

32
1.6 Highway Revenue (Finance)
Concepts of highway costs allocation between
different classes of road users

• 1. Differential-cost concept
• The first costing is made assuming the users are
  only cars, then all vehicles. (all vehicles
  should pay)
• The additional costs needed to adapt the
  structural and geometrical requirements for
  heavy vehicles. (only heavy vehicles should pay)

2. Mass-distance concept Cost to be related to
the mass of vehicles, and the distance they
travel.
3. Operating-cost concept Payments are related to
the operating cost of different vehicles
4. Differential-benefits concept Payments in
direct proportion to the benefits and savings
incurred by each class of vehicles.
5. Area-occupied concept Payments on the basis of
the carriageway space occupied by the different
classes of vehicles.
33
1.6 Highway Revenue (Finance)
Income and Transport The transport planner should
make an estimate of how the likelihood of having
a car may vary with household income.
34
1.6 Highway Revenue (Finance)
People spend a lot of money on transportation
(travel) In the UK in 1983, the sum of
50,475million pounds were spent on inland
transport. 96 of which was spent on road
transport. In Gaza strip people spend no less
than 300million on transportation, in 1977.
The PCBS stated that in 2007 the Palestinian
family spent about JD 62 per month on
transportation and communication.