Civil Engineering Department

Lecture No. 4

TRAFFIC STUDIES - SPEED, VOLUME & PARKING

CENG 361: TRAFFIC ENGINEERING

INSTRUCTOR: Victor Owusu, PhD, P.E., MGhIE

 Outline of Presentation
 Introduction
 Speed Studies
 Method of Measuring Speed
 Analysis & Presentation of Speed Studies
 Volume Counts Units
 Methods of Conducting Volume Counts
 Types of Volume Counts
 Presentation of Volume Counts
 Parking Facilities & Terms
 Method of Parking Studies
 Analysis of Parking data
 Parking Types & Dimension 2
 Introduction
Traffic Studies is important to:

a. Managing the physical system

b. Investigating trends over time

c. Understanding the needs & choices of the public and industry

d. Calibrating basic relationships or parameters

e. Assessing the effectiveness of improvements

f. Assessing potential impacts

g. Evaluating facility or system performance.

3
 Introduction (Cont’d)
Traffic Studies can be categorized under:
Inventories: Providing a list or graphical display of existing information, such
as street widths, parking spaces, transit routes, traffic regulation etc.
Dynamic Studies: Involve the collection of data under operational
conditions and include studies of speed, traffic volume, travel time and
delay, parking and crashes.
Administrative Studies; Involve studies using existing engineering records,
available in government agencies and departments.

Examples of Traffic Studies:

Volume studies, Speed studies, Travel – Time studies, Delay studies, Density
Studies, Accident Studies, Parking Studies, Goods Movement and Transit
Studies, Pedestrian Studies etc.
4
 Speed Studies
Speed:
Speed is the rate of movement of traffic or specified components of traffic and is
often expressed in km/h.
Spot Speed: It is the instantaneous speed of a vehicle at a specified location.
Running Speed: It is the average speed maintained by a vehicle over a given course
while the vehicle is in motion.
Running speed = Length of course = Length of course
Running time Journey time minus delay
Journey Speed ; It is the effective speed of a vehicle between two points, and is the
distance between two points divided by the total time taken by the vehicle to
complete the journey, including all delays incurred en – route.
Journey Speed = Distance_____________
Total journey time (including delays)
Time - mean Speed: It is the average of the speed measurements at one point in
space over a period of the time. It is average of a number of spot speed
measurements. 5
 Speed Studies (Cont’d)
Purpose of Speed Studies:
a. Establish parameters for traffic operation and control, such as speed
zones, speed limits and passing restrictions.
b. Evaluate the effectiveness of traffic control devices, such as a variable
message signs at work zones.
c. Monitor the effect of speed enforcement programmes such as the use
of radar guns.
d. Evaluate and determine the adequacy of highway geometric
characteristics such as radii of horizontal curves and lengths of vertical
curves.
e. Evaluate the effect of speed on highway safety through the analysis of
crash data for different speed characteristics.
f. Determine speed trends
g. Determine whether complaints about speeding are valid
6
 Manual Method of Measuring Spot Speed
The main manual method used is the Direct timing procedure .

Direct Timing Procedure

Two reference points are marked on the pavement at a suitable distance

apart and an observer starts and stops an accurate stop watch as a vehicle
crosses these two marks. From the known distance and the measured time
intervals speeds are calculated.

Skilled observers can read a stop – watch to an accuracy of 0.2sec. If the

observer stations himself inconspicuously, the speed readings are not
influenced by driver reaction.

The disadvantage of this method is errors due to the parallax effect.

Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object
viewed along two different lines of sight.
7
Manual Method of Measuring Spot Speed (Cont’d)
A simple device called Enoscope eliminates the parallax effect that
creeps in when the direct readings are taken by one observer.
The instrument bends the line of sight of the observer so that it is
perpendicular to the path of the vehicle.

The stop watch is started as soon as the vehicle passes the first reference
point and is stopped as soon as it passes the observer.
8
Automatic Method of Measuring Spot Speed (cont’d)

Automatic methods:
These can be categorized under;
1. Road detectors
2. Radar guns
3. Photographic and video camera

Road Detectors
They can be categorized into pneumatic road tubes and inductive loops.
They can also be used to collect volume data apart from speeds. The
advantage of the detector meters is that human errors are considerably
reduced. The following disadvantages are associated with them;
1. The devices are expensive
2. Where pneumatic tubes are used, they are rather conspicuous and
may, therefore affect driver behaviour, resulting in a distortion of the
speed distribution. 9
Automatic Method of Measuring Spot Speed (Cont’d)
Radar Guns
They work on the principle that when a signal is transmitted onto a moving vehicle,
the change in frequency between the transmitted signal and the reflected signal is
proportional to the speed of the moving vehicle.

The advantage of this method is that it can be located at an inconspicuous position

where the influence on driver behaviour is considerably reduced.

Photographic and video camera

Time – lapse camera photography has been used successfully to determine the
speeds of vehicles accurately. By this method photographs are taken at fixed
intervals of time (say one second per frame) on a special camera. By projecting the
film on a screen, the passage of any vehicle can be traced with reference to time.
Images by video cameras can also be used.
The major advantage is that one needs not to physically install a device like
pneumatic tube or loop on the road. 10
 Analysis and Presentation of Spot Speed

Average Speed: This is the arithmetic mean of all observed vehicle

speeds which is the sum of all spot speeds divided by the number of
recorded speeds. It is given by ;

Where ῡ = arithmetic mean

fi = number of observations in each speed group
ui= mid value for the ith speed group

Median: This is the speed at the middle value in a series of spot

speeds that are arranged in ascending order. 50% of the speed values
will be greater than the median; 50% will be lesser than the median

Modal Speed: This is the speed value that occurs most frequently in a
sample of spot speeds. 11
Analysis and Presentation of Spot Speed (Cont’d)

The ith – percentile spot speed: This is the spot speed value below which i
percent of the vehicles travel; for example, 85th percentile spot speed is the
speed below which 85 percent of the vehicles travel and above which 15
percent of the vehicles travel.

Standard Deviation: It is a measure of the spread of the individual speeds.

S = standard deviation
ῡ = arithmetic mean
Ui = mid value of speed class i
fi = frequency of speed class i
N = Number of observations

12
Example Spot Speed

13
Example Spot Speed (Cont’d)

14
 Volume Count Units I
The common types of counts include;

Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT)

It is the average of 24 hour counts collected everyday in the year. It represents
1/365 of the total annual flow. It is often used for estimating the total travel on a
road system and for determining the gross annual revenues from road users. It
is also used as standard for pavement design and maintenance.

Average Daily Traffic (ADT)

It is the average of 24 hour counts collected over a number of days greater than
1 but less than a year. They are often needed for measurement of current
demand and evaluation of existing traffic flow.

Peak Hour Volume (PHV)

It is the maximum number of vehicles that pass a point on a highway during a
period of 60 consecutive minutes. PHVs are often used for ;
•Functional classification of highways
•Capacity analysis (lane number, signal time, channelization)
•Development of parking regulations 15
 Volume Count (Cont’d) Units I
II Classification (VC)/ Classified Counts
Vehicle
Volumes are recorded with respect to the type of vehicles e.g. Passenger cars, two-
axle trucks, or three-axle trucks. Volume counts are important for geometric design
characteristics e.g. Turning radii, maximum grades, lane widths etc. Also for structural
design of pavements.

Passenger Car Units (PCU)/ Passenger Car Equivalence (PCE)

It converts the volume into equivalent passenger car units where traffic is composed
of a number of type of vehicles by using equivalency factors. It shows the impact that
a mode of transport has on traffic variables (such as headway, speed, density)
compared to a single car. They are often used in the determination of highway
capacity.
American Unite Kingdom
private car (including taxis or Motorbike 0.4
pick-up) 1 Car 1.0
motorcycle 0.5 LGV 1.0
bicycle 0.2 RGV 1.9
horse drawn vehicle 4 Articulated goods vehicle 2.9
bus, tractor, truck 3.5 PSV (bus) 2.5
16
 Methods of Conducting Volume Counts I
There are two main methods of conducting volume counts which are namely;
Manual Counts and Automatic Counts. Benefits of each include;

Manual Counts
•Details such as vehicle classification and number of occupants can be easily
obtained. Unusual conditions obtained during time of count can be recorded.
•In developing countries where automatic devices are hard to come by this
method is comparatively cheap.
•They easily compliment and can serve as a check on the accuracy of data
collected by automatic means.

Automatic Counts
•Where continuous and regular record of traffic flow is needed, the only
alternative is to use automatic counts
•If counts of remote areas are needed, automatic devices are useful
•They yield data which is amenable to easy analysis by computers.

What are the disadvantages of both methods? 17

 Manual Counts I
Involves one or more persons recording observed vehicles using a counter.

Considerations

Link counts should be located on straight sections of road for good visibility.
Duration can be from a few minutes to several days, depending on purpose.
Most counts are carried out for one day, starting before the morning peak hour,
and extending for 12, 14 or 16 hours. Count periods are usually 15 minutes, with
results summarised hourly.

In Turning movement counts the vehicle classification system is simplified (to

compensate for the extra demands on Surveyors). These surveys are primarily
concerned with the performance of the junction during peak periods. Count
periods are usually 15 minutes. However, at signalised junctions short-term
volumes are determined by signal operations, and cycle times in excess of 2
minutes, or count periods less than 15minutes, may cause apparent fluctuations
in flow. In such cases it is best to record flow for each cycle, using the cycle time
as the counting period.
18
 Manual Counts (Cont’d)
II
Survey Forms
Pencil and Paper method: The 'five-bar gate' method is the most versatile and is
applicable to both link and turning counts. It records data quickly(without the need for
extreme neatness), is the most economical in use of space on the survey form and
can be summarised quickly.

Hand tallies Method: This can be used to record specific vehicle classes. They are
faster and more accurate than pencil and paper methods, because only the total is
recorded, at the end of each count period, and the surveyor is looking at the traffic
flow almost continuously. However, vehicles can be missed while recording the
cumulative total at the end of each count period.

Equipment Needed
1. A watch 2. Pencils, eraser and pencil sharpener 3. Supply of blank field data
sheets 4. Clipboards

Errors in Manual Counts

1. Failure to define vehicle classification unambiguously
2. Failure to observe time periods accurately
3. Surveyors having to count vehicles at a faster rate. 19
 Manual Counts (Cont’d)
III

20
 Automatic Counts I
Automatic traffic counter equipment consists of a detector, to detect the
vehicle, and a counter to record the information. The most common
types of detector used in traffic counting are a hollow rubber pneumatic
tube, held to the road surface by special clips, or an inductance loop
(several turns of wire laid on or in the road surface in a rectangular or
diamond shape).

Pneumatic Tubes
Pneumatic tubes detect the movement of a vehicle as the tube is
depressed by a tyre; this creates a pulse of air which closes a diaphragm
in the recorder. The count site must not be located where braking or
acceleration occurs, or where overtaking is common, such as near
junctions, bus stops, or other parking locations.

Why should pneumatic tubes not be located where braking or

acceleration occurs or where overtaking is common?
21
 Automatic Counts (Cont’d) I
Pneumatic Tube

22
 Automatic Counts (Cont’d) I
Inductive Loops

A loop detector detects the presence, rather than the movement of

a vehicle.

The counter passes an alternating electric current through the loop,

creating a magnetic field above the loop. The presence of a metal
vehicle in the magnetic field causes a change in the electrical
inductance, which is recorded by a sensor in the counter.

Non-metallic vehicles cannot be detected and pedal cycles are

very difficult to detect because of their shape. Loops are usually
permanent installations, laid in a shallow slot cut into the road
surface, and sealed in by epoxy resin and bitumen. However,
temporary loops can be fixed with sticky tape to the road surface.
23
 Automatic Counts (Cont’d) I
Inductive Loops

24
 Types of Volume Counts
Cordon Counts
A cordon is an imaginary boundary around a study area. It is generally
established to define a CBD or other major activity centre where the
accumulation of vehicles within the area is of great importance in traffic planning.
The intersection of each street crossing the cordon line is taken as a count
station; volume counts of vehicles or persons entering and leaving the cordon
area are counted.

25
 Types of Volume Counts (Cont’d)
Cordon counts are useful for:
• Planning parking facilities
• Updating and evaluating traffic operational techniques
• Making long range plans for freeway and arterial facilities

Screen Line Counts

In screen line counts the study area is divided into large sections by running
imaginary lines, known as screen lines, across it.

Natural and man-made barriers such as rivers or railway tracks are often
used.

Traffic counts are taken at each point where a road crosses the screen line. It
is important for the screen line not to be traversed by the same road several
times.

Often these counts are done to determine the variations in the traffic volume
and traffic flow direction due to change in land use pattern of the area. 26
 Types of Volume Counts (Cont’d)
Intersection Counts
They are taken to determine vehicle classification through movements and turning
movements at intersections. The data obtained from this count is useful for ;
•Determining phase lengths and cycle time for signalised intersections.
•Design of channelisation at intersections
•Design improvements of intersections

Pedestrian Volume Counts

Volume counts of pedestrians are made at locations such as intersections, along
sidewalks and midblock crossings, overpasses, underpasses etc.
Data from this count could be used for crash analysis , capacity analysis, and
determining minimum signal timings at signalised intersections.

Periodic Volume Counts

To make reasonable estimates of annual traffic volume characteristics on an area
wide basis, different types of periodic counts, with count durations ranging from 15
minutes to 60 continuous ,are conducted. The various periodic counts conducted
include continuous, control and coverage counts. 27
 Periodic Counts
Continuous Counts: These counts are taken continuously using mechanical or
electronic counters. In selecting stations where continuous counts are done
(permanent count stations) the highways within the study area must first be properly
classified. Thus links should be categorized according to similar traffic characteristics
such as AADT and daily, weekly and seasonal variations in traffic volumes.

Control Counts: These counts are taken at stations known as control count stations
which are strategically located so that representative samples of traffic volume can be
taken on each type of highway or street in an area wide traffic counting program. The
data obtained from control counts are used to determine seasonal and monthly
variations of traffic characteristics so that expansion factors can be determined.
Control counts can be divided into major and minor control counts. Major control
counts are taken monthly, with 24-hr directional counts taken on at least three days
during the week ( Tues, Wed, Thurs) and also on Saturday and Sunday to represent
the weekend.

Coverage Counts: These counts are used to estimate ADT, using expansion factors
developed from control counts. The study area is usually divided into zones that have
similar traffic characteristics. At least one coverage count station is located in each
zone. A 24-hr non directional weekday count is taken at least once every 4 years at
each coverage station. It tells changes in area wide traffic characteristics. 28
 Adjustment of Periodic Counts
Expansion factors, used to adjust period counts, are determined either from
continuous count stations or from control count stations. Hourly, daily, and
monthly expansion factors can be determined using data obtained at continuous
count stations.

Hourly Expansion Factors (HEF)

These factors are used to expand counts of duration shorter than 24-hr to 24-hr
volumes by multiplying the hourly volumes for each hour during the count period
by the HEF for that hour and finding the mean of these products.

HEF = total volume for 24-hr period

volume for particular period

Daily Expansion Factors (DEF)

These factors are used to determine weekly volumes from counts of 24-hr
duration by multiplying the 24-hr volumes by the DEF

DEF = average total volume for the week

average volume for particular day 29
Adjustment of Periodic Counts (Cont’d)

Monthly Expansion Factors(HEF)

The AADT for a given year may be obtained from the

ADT for a given month by multiplying this volume by
the MEF

MEF= ________AADT____________
ADT for particular month

30
Adjustment of Periodic Counts (Cont’d)

Hourly Expansion Factors (HEF) for a rural primary road

31
Adjustment of Periodic Counts (Cont’d)

Daily Expansion Factors(DEF) for a rural primary road

32
Adjustment of Periodic Counts (Cont’d)

Monthly Expansion Factors(DEF) for a rural primary road

33
Adjustment of Periodic Counts (Cont’d)

Example on expansion factors:

Question
A traffic engineer urgently needs to determine the AADT on a rural
primary road that has the volume distribution characteristics shown in
the previous tables. She collected the data shown below on a
Tuesday during the month of May. Determine the AADT of the road.
7:00 –8:00 a.m. = 400
8:00 –9:00 a.m. = 535
9:00 –10:00 a.m. = 650
10:00 –11:00 a.m.=710
11:00 –12 noon = 650

34
 Adjustment of Periodic Counts (Cont’d)

Solution

24-hr volume for Tuesday = ( 400x29)+(535x22.05)+(650x18.80)+(710x17.10)+(650x18.52)

5
= 11,959

Average 24-hr ( By weekly adjustment using Tuesday) = 11,959x7.727 = 13,201

7

AADT (using data collected in May) = 13,201x1.394 = 18,402.

35
 Presentation of Volume Data
Traffic Flow Maps
These maps show traffic volumes on individual routes. The volume of traffic on
each route is represented by the width of a band, which is drawn in proportion to
the traffic volume it represents, providing a graphic representation of the
different volumes that facilitates easy visualisation of the relative volumes of
traffic on the different routes.

36
 Presentation of Volume Data (Cont’d)
Intersection Summary Sheet
These sheets are graphic representations of the volume and directions of all
traffic movements through the intersection

37
 Presentation of Volume Data (Cont’d)
Time Base Distribution Charts
These charts show the hourly, daily, monthly or annual variations in traffic
volume in an area or on a particular highway.

38
 Parking
It is roughly estimated that out of 8,760 hours in a year, the car runs on an
average for 400 hours, leaving 8,360 hours when it is parked. Every car owner
would wish to park the car as closely as possible to his destination so as to
minimise walking. This results in a great demand for parking space in the CBD
and other areas where activities are concentrated. Parking has in effect led to;

Congestion: One of the serious ill-effects of parking is the loss of street space
and the attendant traffic congestion. The capacity of the street is reduced, the
journey speed drops down and the journey time and delay increase.

Accidents: The manoeuvres associated with parking and unparking are known
to cause road accidents. Careless opening of the doors of parked vehicles,
moving out of a parked position and bringing a car to the parking location from
the main stream of traffic are some of the common causes of parking accidents.

Obstruction to fire-fighting operations: Parked cars obstruct the movement of

fire-fighting vehicles and greatly impede their operations. They block access to
fire hydrants and access to buildings.

Environment: Stopping and starting of vehicles result in noise and fumes. Cars
parked into every little available space debase the visual aesthetics. 39
 Parking Facilities and Terms
Parking facilities: There are two main groups - on street and off-street facilities.
On-Street Parking Facilities: These are also known as kerb facilities. Parking
bays are provided alongside the kerb on one or both sides of the street. These
bays can be categorised into either restricted or unrestricted parking. Where it is
unrestricted the duration of parking is unlimited and parking is free. And where it is
restricted parking is limited to specific times of the day for a maximum duration.
Parking at restricted facilities may or may not be free.
Off-Street Parking Facilities: These facilities may be privately or publicly owned.
They include surface lots and garages. Self- parking garages require that drivers
park their own cars; attendant-parking garages maintain personnel to park the
vehicles.
Parking Terms
Space – hour: is a unit of parking that defines the use of a single parking space for
a period of 1hr.
Parking Volume is the number of vehicles that park in a study area during a
specific length of time, usually a day.
Parking duration is the length of time a vehicle is parked at a parking bay. 40
 Parking Terms (Cont’d)
Parking accumulation is the number of
parked vehicles in a study area at any
specified time

The parking load is the area under the

accumulation curve between two specific
times. It is usually given as the number
Of space-hours used during the specified
Time period.

Parking Index is also called occupancy or efficiency. It is the ratio of number of

parking space occupied in a time duration to the total space available. It gives an
aggregate measure of how
effectively the parking space is utilized. Parking Index = Parking load X 100
Parking Capacity
Parking turnover is the rate of use of a parking space. It is obtained by dividing the
parking volume for a specified period by the number of parking spaces.
T = number of different vehicles parked
41
number of parking spaces
 Methodology of Parking Study
The main steps are as follows:
(1) inventory of existing parking facilities
(2) collection of data on parking accumulation, parking turnover and parking
duration,
(3) identification of parking generators, and
(4) collection of information on parking demand.

1. Inventory
Type and number of parking spaces at each parking facility
Times of operation and limit on duration of parking, if any
Type of ownership (private or public)
Parking fees, if any, and method of collection
Restriction on use (open or closed to the public)
Other restrictions, if any (such as loading and unloading zones, bus stops, or taxi
ranks
Probable degree of permanency (can the facility be regarded as permanent or is
it just temporary facility?) 42
 Methodology of Parking Study (Cont’d)
2. Collection of Parking Data
Accumulation. Accumulation data are obtained by checking the amount of parking
during regular intervals on different days of the week. The checks are usually carried
out on an hourly or 2-hour basis between 6:00am and midnight. The information
obtained is used to determine hourly variations of parking and peak periods of
parking demand.
Turnover and Duration. Information on turnover and duration is usually obtained by
collecting data on a sample of parking spaces in a given block. This is done by
recording the license plate of the vehicle parked on each parking space in the sample
at the ends of fixed intervals during the study period. The length of the fixed intervals
depends on the maximum permissible duration.
3. Identification of Parking Generators
The phase involves identifying parking generators (for example, shopping centers or
transit terminals) and locating these on a map of the study area.
4. Parking Demand
Information on parking demand is obtained by interviewing drivers at the various
parking facilities listed during the inventory. Information sought should include (1) trip
origin, (2) purpose of trip, and (3) driver’s destination after parking. 43
 Analysis of Parking Data
Analysis of parking data includes summarizing, coding and interpreting the
data so that the relevant information required for decision making can be
obtained. The relevant information includes the following:
• Number and duration for vehicles legally parked
• Number and duration for vehicles illegally parked
• Space-hours of demand for parking
• Supply of parking facilities

The space-hours of demand for parking are obtained from the expression

where
D = space vehicle-hours demand for a specific period of time
N = number of classes of parking duration ranges
ti = midparking duration of the ith vehicle
ni = number of vehicles parked for the ith duration range 44
 Analysis of Parking Data (Cont’d)

The space-hours of supply are obtained from the expression

Where

S = practical number of space-hours of supply for a specific period of time

N = number of parking spaces available
ti = total length of time in hours when the ith space can be legally parked on
during the specific period
f = efficiency factor
45
 Analysis of Parking Data (Cont’d)

Question 1a. The demand for those being served include;

Commuters = 0.6x 200x9 = 1080 space-hr
The owners of Rawlings Park, Accra have observed Shoppers = 0.4x200x2 = 160 space-hr
that 20% of those wishing to park are turned back
every day during the open hours of 8 am to 6pm If those unserved parking are 20%, then those
because of lack of parking spaces. An analysis of served are 80%. And if 80% represent 200 vehicles
data collected at the garage indicates that 60% of parking then 20% will represent;
those who park are commuters, with an average = 20x200 = 50 vehicles turned back.
parking duration of 9hrs and the remaining are 80
shoppers, whose average parking duration is 2hrs. The demand of the 50 vehicles turned back;
If 20% of those who cannot park are commuters Commuters = 0.2x50x9 = 90 space-hr
and the rest are shoppers, and a total of 200 Shoppers = 0.8x50x2 = 80 space-hr
vehicles currently park daily in the garage,
determine the number of additional spaces required Total Demand (Served and Unserved)
to meet the excess demand. Assume parking = 1080+160+90+80 = 1410 space-hrs
efficiency is 0.90.
Total Served = 1080+160= 1240 space–hrs
Solution Number of space hours required
= Served–Unserved=1410 – 1240 = 170 space-hrs
Calculate the space-hours of demand using

46
 Analysis of Parking Data (Cont’d)

Question 1b. Assignment.

From the previous question, the owners of
Number of parking spaces required for the Rawlings Park decided to introduce the
a parking demand of 170 space-hrs; 19 additional spaces which now allows the
unserved vehicles now to be served.
Solution Determine;
i. The parking turnover.
ii. The parking index.

Where f = 0.9 and ti = 10 hours

since vehicles are going to be parked

from 8am to 6pm, available space will
be;
0.9x10xN=170
N = 18.89
This can be rounded as 19 additional
spaces will be required. 47
 Parking Dimensions
Usually a standard dimensions of a car is taken as 5 x 2.5 and that for a
truck is 3.75 x 7.5 for parking.

For residential plot area from 101 to 300 sq.m only community parking
space is required. For residential plot area from 500 to 1000 sq.m,
minimum one-fourth of the open area should be reserved for parking. For
offices, at least one space for every 70 sq.m should be kept aside for
parking facility of vehicles. One parking space is enough for 10 seats in a
restaurant where as theatres and cinema halls need keep only 1 parking
space for 20 seats. Thus the parking requirements are different for
different land use zones.

In Ghana, Town and Country Planning has planning standards for vehicle
parking which is often used. For different classes of residential facilities
there are a number of vehicle parking space required. Also for each given
land use there has been provided one parking space for a defined unit
area providing a particular service. 48
 On Street Parking

Parallel parking: The vehicles are parked along the length of the road. Here
there is no backward movement involved while unparking the vehicle. Hence
it is the most safest parking from the accident perspective. But it consumes
the maximum kerb length and therefore only a minimum number of vehicles
can be parked for a given kerb length. Since it consumes least width of the
road it produces the least obstruction to the on-going traffic on the road. The
equation for parking is given as;

N= L
5.9

Right Angle Parking: Here the vehicles are parked perpendicular to the
direction of the road. Hence it consumes maximum width. Kerb length
required is very little. Hence there are chances of severe accidents. Also it
causes obstruction to the road track. But it can accommodate maximum
number of vehicles. 49
 On Street Parking (Cont’d)
30 Degrees parking: Here more vehicles can be parked compared to parallel
parking. Also there is better maneuverability. It causes minimum delay to traffic. The
equation for available number of spaces for parking is given as;
N = L – 1.25
5

45 and 60 Degrees parking: As the angle of parking increases, more number of

vehicles can be parked. Hence compared to parallel and thirty degree parking, more
number of vehicles can be accommodated in this type of parking. The equation for
the number of spaces required along a length to park vehicles is given by;
For 45°; N = L – 1.77
3.54
For 60°; N = L – 2.16
2.89
50
 Off-Street Parking
There will be some area exclusively allotted for parking which will be at some
distance away from the main stream of traffic. Such a parking is referred to
as off-street parking. They may be operated by either public agencies or
private firms.

51
 Example on Parking
Question:
From an In-out survey conducted for a parking area consisting of 40 bays,
the initial count was found to be 25. The number of vehicles coming in and
out of the parking lot for a time interval of 5 minutes is as shown in the table.
Find the accumulation, total parking load, average occupancy and total
parking load.

52
 Example on Parking
Solution:
1. Accumulation can be found out as initial count plus number of vehicles that entered the parking lot
till that time minus the number of vehicles that just exited for that particular time interval. For the
first time interval of 5 minutes, accumulation can be found out as 25+3-2 = 26.
2. Occupancy. For the first time interval of
5 minutes, Parking index = (26/40)x100 Time In Out Accum. Occupancy Parking Load
= 65%. 1 2 3 4 5 6
The occupancy for the remaining time 5 3 2 26 65 130
slot is similarly calculated. Average 10 2 4 24 60 120
occupancy is the average of the 15 4 2 26 65 130
20 5 4 27 67.5 135
occupancy values for each time interval.
25 7 3 31 77.5 155
Thus it is the average of all values given 30 8 2 37 92.5 185
in column 5 and the value is 80.63%. 35 2 7 32 80 160
1. Parking load is obtained by multiplying 40 4 2 34 85 170
accumulation with the time interval. For the first 45 6 4 36 90 180
50 4 1 39 97.5 195
time interval, Parking load = 26x5 = 130 veh. min.
55 3 3 39 97.5 195
Total parking load is the summation of all the 60 2 5 36 90 180
values in column 5 which is equal to 1935 vehicle
minutes or 32.25 vehicle hours.
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 Assignment
From the previous question 1a, the owners of the Rawlings
Park decided to introduce the 19 additional spaces which
now allows the unserved vehicles now to be served.
Determine;

i. The parking turnover.

ii. The parking index

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