INTRODUCTION TO TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING

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INTRODUCTION TOTRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING
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Typical Work Environment
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Typical Work Environment
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Whats Transportation Engineering?
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Transportation Planning

• Identify System Needs
• How many cars will be on the road?
• Do people need to ride their bike? Take the bus?
• Are there safety problems?

Source Our Highways, FHWA 2005
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Traffic Engineering

• Identify Infrastructure Needs
• How big does the roadway need to be?
• How many buses do I need?
• Whats the safest way to sign this intersection?

Source Our Highways, FHWA 2005
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Roadway Design

• Place the plan into the environment
• Where does the road go?
• What size curve should I use?
• Is this road safe?

Source Our Highways, FHWA 2005
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Trade-Offs

• Travel Demand
• Capacity
• Safety

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Travel Indicators (1978-2004)
Source National Transportation Statistics
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Travel Trends
Urban
Rural
Source FHWA Highway Statistics
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Some Statistics (2004)
Source FHWA Highway Statistics
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Fatality Trends
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Issues Challenges

• Congestion
• Safety
• Equity of access
• Environmental impacts
• New technologies

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What to do?

• Infrastructure
• Design
• Management
• Impact study
• Transportation planning

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Course Content

• Geometric design
• Operational analysis
• Intersections
• Transportation planning

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Next Class

• Read Chapter 6
• Transportation Planning
• Gravity Model