URBAN TRANSPORTATION

PLANNING CONCEPTS

Reporters:
Grajo, Gibb
Prietos, Zharryna Mae
Silva, Mary June
Villanueva, John Ronald
Villanueva, Michelle
BSCE 4-B
 TABLE OF
CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION

6 ROAD TRAFFIC DATA DEFINITIONS

2 TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROCESS

7 TRAFFIC COUNT TECHNIQUES

3 MAJOR STEPS IN TRANSPORT PLANNING

THE CHANGING ENVIRONMENT FOR URBAN

8 HIGHWAY-RELATED STRATEGIES
4
TRANSPORT PLANNING
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS IN
9
5 TRAVEL CHARACTERISTICS AND DATA TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND DECISION
MAKING
 Introduction to Transportation Planning

The economic health and quality of life of a nation’s

communities depend on a well functioning and safe
transportation system.

When one considers the value of time it takes to travel from

one location to another, often in congested conditions, this
cost increases significantly.
 Introduction to Transportation Planning
The cost of freight and goods movement is also an
economic cost passed on to consumers that will vary
depending on the price of transportation.

The accessibility and mobility provided by transportation

systems can influence land use patterns and, thus, over
time affect how we live.
 TRANSPORTATION
PLANNING PROCESS

Transportation planning is often portrayed as an

orderly and rational process of steps that logically
follow one another.
 MAJOR STEPS IN
TRANSPORT PLANNING
The planning process begins with an understanding of the socio-
demographic, land-use, and economic context within which a
transportation system operates. This is followed by becoming aware of
the problems, challenges, opportunities, and deficiencies of
transportation system performance within this context, be it a state,
province, region, or community.
 The next step is developing a community or study area
vision.
The three factors - economic prosperity, environmental quality,
and social equity/ community quality of life, have been chosen
purposely as defining a vision because they are often considered
to be the three major elements of sustainable development.
 the next step is to acquire more specific information about
what the vision means.
This more specific definition of a community’s future is usually
accomplished by defining goals and objectives that provide
overall direction to the planning process.
 Goals and objectives can also lead to the identification of system
performance measures. The primary purpose of collecting data on
key system performance characteristics is to provide information to
decision makers on the aspects of performance that are most
important to them.

Performance measures can be used to monitor whether congestion,

average speeds, system reliability, and mobility options have changed over
time.
Collecting and analyzing data, the next step of the planning
process, is key to understanding the problems and potential
challenges facing the transportation system and the surrounding
community.

Evaluation is the process of synthesizing the information produced

during the analysis step so that judgments can be made concerning
the relative merits of different actions.
 THE CHANGING
ENVIRONMENT FOR URBAN
TRANSPORT PLANNING
 Changes in the focus and substance of urban transport planning
can be explained by examining three important factors:

1 2 3

Changes in the Evolution in The rapid change in the

underlying planning policy technology of planning
demographic, market mandates that that allow planners to
and technology require or otherwise better understand and
characteristics of motivate planners communicate complex
society that influence to undertake urban phenomena that
travel behavior. planning in a affect transport behavior.
different way.
Demographic, market and technological forces
outside the control of political authority can
strongly influence the substance and form of
urban transport planning.
Demographic changes -
The population density of the
Philippines is high, but the distribution
of the population is uneven. Parts of
Metro Manila have a population density
that is more than 100 times that of
some outlying areas such as the
mountainous area of northern Luzon.
Market Changes - Future economic success will be
tied closely to the ability of the nation’s economic
centers or megaregions to connect to the global
economy.
Technological Changes - Modern
society is largely defined by the
technologies used to support
individuals’ everyday activities and the
foundational technologies that keep
communities functioning, such as
water, transportation, waste removal,
and power technologies.
The purpose of urban transport planning is
to provide the information necessary and
needed by those responsible for making
investment decisions thus allowing such
decisions to occur with the greatest
knowledge of likely consequences.
 The Two major advancements in the technology of analysis over the past five years
portends momentous changes in the way transport planning will likely occur in the
future.

The first is geographic information

systems (GIS). Such systems allow
the user to connect different data
layers in a database to answer spatial
inquiries about different elements of
transport system behavior.
The second advancement in planning
technology relates to the significant
capabilities of today’s computers to
analyze large amounts of data at very
minute scales of analysis.
 TRAVEL
CHARACTERISTICS
AND DATA
Understanding how and why travel occurs is one of the
most important tasks of transportation planning. Every
planning study begins with a review of the data available on
the use and performance of the current transportation
system.
Performance and condition characteristics of an urban
area’s transportation system also serve as criteria for
evaluating the relative effectiveness of investment options.
 TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS

Several characteristics of the transportation system are measured

and used in almost every transportation planning process.
This section discusses five of these characteristics: functional
classification, system extent, system usage, system
performance/capacity, and system condition.
FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION
Transportation system data are categorized in a variety of ways to
allow transportation professionals to understand the performance of
different components of the system for which they are responsible.

SYSTEM EXTENT
The extent of a transportation system relates to the size or
number of assets that compose that system.
SYSTEM USE
An important indicator of the value of a transportation system is how
much it is used. Existing usage is also the baseline for predicting future
system use.

SYSTEM CONDITION
The condition or state of the transportation system. In which the condition
affects its performance.

SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
Is one of the most visible and important transportation system characteristics
to local decision makers and the general public. Traffic congestion and traffic
delays have engaged transportation planners and engineers in discussions and
debates about how transportation problems can be solved.
 URBAN TRAVEL
CHARACTERISTICS

Urban travel and trip patterns are influenced

by numerous factors. The most important
patterns relate to the availability and costs of
different modes of transportation.
Population Characteristics
Urban travel is heavily influenced by the demographic characteristics of
the traveling population. Thus, not surprisingly, transportation planning
relies heavily on credible population and employment forecasts.
The census is an important source of demographic and household data.
Population Growth
Household Characteristics and Vehicle Availability
Spatial Distribution of Growth
 Travel Characteristics
This section discusses the trip characteristics that are most
important to the transportation planning process.

Trip purpose
Travel patterns
Temporal Distribution
Mode Usage
ROAD TRAFFIC DATA
DEFINITIONS
 Road Traffic Data Definitions

1) Annual traffic— the estimated or actual volume at a specific location for

an entire year. Annual traffic estimates are used to determine the traffic
demand in a given geographic area, establish trends that can be related to
future traffic growth, and estimate highway user revenue, especially for toll
roads, bridges, and tunnels.

2) Average daily traffic (ADT)—average 24-hour traffic volume at a given

location for some period of time. An ADT estimate is valid only for the period
for which it was measured. These estimates are used to measure the existing
vehicular use of the streets and highways in a study area.
 Road Traffic Data Definitions

3) Average annual daily traffic (AADT)—the average 24-hour traffic volume

at a given location throughout a full 365-day year. This is calculated by
dividing the total number of vehicles passing a site in a year by 365 days.
As noted above, AADT can be estimated based on historical adjustment
factors that relate ADT to AADT (ADT × adjustment factor = AADT).

4) Average weekday traffic (AWT)—the average 24-hour traffic volume

occurring on weekdays for some period of time less than one year. This
measure does not include weekends.
 Road Traffic Data Definitions
5) Average annual weekday traffic (AAWT)—the average 24-hour traffic volume
occurring on weekdays throughout a full year. This volume is of considerable
interest when weekend traffic is light, so that averaging weekday volumes over 365
days would mask the impact of weekday traffic. AAWT is computed by dividing the
total weekday traffic for the year by 260.

6) Average vehicle occupancy—average number of persons per vehicle. Vehicle

occupancies are obtained by observers recording the number of occupants in each
vehicle passing a given point. Transit vehicle occupancy is obtained based on ride
counts from in-vehicle counters or estimated from visual inspection as a transit
vehicle passes a given point. The results are expressed in terms of persons per hour
or average number of persons per vehicle.
 Road Traffic Data Definitions

7) Hourly traffic—hourly traffic flows in vehicles per hour. These estimates are
commonly used in traffic engineering studies, but are also used in planning studies
to validate travel forecasting models.
8) Short-term counts—short-term counts covering 5, 6, 10, 12, or 15-minute
intervals. These counts are useful in determining peak flow rates, establishing flow
variations within the peak hour, and identifying capacity limitations.
9) Space mean speed—average speed of all vehicles occupying a given section of
a highway over some specified time period. The equation for space mean speed is:
 Road Traffic Data Definitions
10) Time mean speed—average speed of all vehicles passing a point on a road
over some specified period of time.
The equation for time mean speed is:

Where:
d = distance traversed (feet, mile, kilometer)
n = number of travel times observed
ti= travel time of the i^th vehicle (seconds or hours)
 Road Traffic Data Definitions
11) Traffic density—vehicles per lane per mile, obtained by dividing the hourly
lane volume by the average speed. Density continues to increase as congestion
increases, while flow rate reaches a maximum value under moderate congestion
and then decreases as congestion increases. Should a full stoppage occur,
density is at its maximum when the flow rate is zero.

12) Vehicle classification—classifying a traffic flow by the types of vehicles found

in that flow. For freight planning, vehicle classification data are the basis for
estimating annual travel by each type of truck, ton-miles of cargo hauled on
highways, and changes in axle and gross weight frequencies on the highways.
 Road Traffic Data Definitions

13) Vehicle miles traveled (VMT)—the amount of travel on a road system estimated
by multiplying the daily(or annual) traffic volume on each section or link by its
length. Where peak-hour traffic counts (or flow maps) are available, peak-hour
VMT can be estimated. In urban areas, sampling procedures can be used to
estimate daily VMT. The road system should, at a minimum, be classified as
freeways, arterial streets, and local streets. Where possible, freeways should be
further stratified by lanes or ADTs and arterials should be grouped by lanes,
geographic area, or other features.
TRAFFIC COUNT
TECHNIQUES
 TRAFFIC COUNT TECHNIQUES
Traffic volume estimates are obtained through a variety of traffic counting
techniques. Agencies such as state departments of transportation have a systematic
and periodic traffic counting program.

Many states and cities have established generalized monthly and daily factors for
various types of roads to adjust 24-hour counts for a given day to AADT. Two types
of data collection are used to define these adjustment factors. Continuous traffic
monitoring data collection programs are used to collect traffic counts every day of
the year.
The types of instruments used for such data collection include:

Automatic traffic recorders (ATRs).

Automatic, continuous vehicle classifiers used to supplement the ATR
program.
Continuously operating weigh-in-motion (WIM) scales placed to monitor
statewide trends in vehicle weights.
Continuously operating WIM scales used to identify trucks that need to
be weighed statically at an enforcement scale.
Volume and speed monitoring stations that provide facility performance
data to centralized traffic management systems.
Control Station Counts, it is desirable to have at least one control
station located on each freeway and major street. The minimum
recommended duration and frequency of counting is a 24-hour
directional machine count every second year.
Selected control stations—called key count stations—are used to obtain
daily and seasonal variations in traffic volumes.
Key count stations are counted for one continuous week each year and
for one 24-hour weekday each month.
Coverage counts are used to estimate
ADTs at many different locations
throughout the street network. Major
streets are divided into segments with
uniform traffic conditions, and a 24-hour,
nondirectional count is made in each
segment.
The count is adjusted using the factors
developed from the appropriate key count
station to obtain the estimated ADT.
Hourly traffic counts by direction of travel can be made for 12, 18, or 24-
hour time periods by recording counters. Volumes are recorded in either
15-minute or hourly intervals by printing on paper tape, punching or
encoding on machine-readable tape, recording electronically for
subsequent insertion in a personal computer, or being digitally transmitted
to a central computer.
Manual traffic counts are widely used to
obtain hour-by-hour variations in traffic
flows, traffic composition, turning
movements, and pedestrians.
This information is used to define the
duration and intensity of peak periods,
evaluate street capacity deficiencies,
assess the need for various traffic
controls, develop street designs, and
determine the effects of new
developments on changed land uses.
Turning movement counts are often collected at intersections for a
variety of analyses, including signal timing, capacity, impact of
physical changes to the intersection, or nearby land uses.
Vehicle occupancy counts are usually estimated through sampling procedures.
The number of separate counting efforts needed for a given time period can be
obtained by the following equation:

where:
E = Allowable error or tolerance (as a decimal, 5 percent is denoted 0.05)
S1 = Standard deviation of average occupancy across days in a single season
S2 = Standard deviation of average occupancy among seasons
S3 = Standard deviation of average occupancy across time periods during a day
(time period of concern) at a location
n = Number of counts at a location
Z = Standard normal variate
Screenline counts are taken at imaginary lines
that bisect a study area or a major facility. The
screenline is usually drawn along natural
boundaries, such as rivers, escarpments, or
railroad rights of way, to minimize the number of
vehicular crossings and, therefore, the number
of counting stations needed.

Cordon counts are imaginary lines where the trips crossing the lines are counted by
direction of travel. The study area may be an entire urbanized area, a transportation
study area, a city, a central business district (CBD), a neighborhood, an industrial
area, or any other definable planning area. The counts determine the number of
vehicles and people entering, leaving, and accumulated within the cordon area by
mode of travel and time of day.
Travel Time and Delay Studies

Travel time and delay studies are among the most basic and important of
transportation analyses. They provide measures of a facility’s or system’s
operational performance. They help assess the adequacy of existing and proposed
facilities, feed into decisions relating to traffic control and infrastructure changes,
serve as an important measure of the value of time delay, and provide inputs into
travel demand models. They also help define markets for businesses and, when
conducted on a periodic basis, quantify changes in mobility and congestion.
Travel time-related concepts include the following:

• Portal-to-portal travel time is the total time traveling from one location to
another.
• Vehicle travel time is the time taken by a vehicle to traverse a given network
segment
• Congestion is travel time or delay in excess of that normally incurred under light
to free-flow travel conditions
• Mobility is the ability of people and goods to move quickly, easily, and cheaply to
their destination, and thus travel time is often a component of system performance
measures that relate to mobility
• Accessibility is the achievement of travel objectives within time limits
regarded as acceptable.
Some typical means of conveying travel time and delay information include:

1) Travel Time Contours:

Travel time contour or isochronal
maps show the distance that can be
reached from a common origin in a
given time period. They can
compare peak and off-peak hours,
thereby indicating the amount of
congestion in each corridor.
Some typical means of conveying travel time and delay information include:

2) Areas or Corridors: Travel speeds along sections

of roadways in a corridor or area can be presented
as speed flow maps or delineated by legend.

3) Routes: Travel times and delays along a route

can be depicted by profiles of speeds and delays
along a route by graphic comparisons of peak and
off-peak travel times or by time-space trajectories.
Travel time and delay information can be
summarized by component , data can also be
aggregated by route.
Parking Needs Studies
The objective of most parking studies is to establish existing and future parking needs
by comparing parking supply and demand. The studies obtain information on
(1) parking supply characteristics, such as the number, location, and cost of spaces, or
who provides the spaces
(2) occupancy turnover and use of spaces
(3) parker characteristics, including when, where, why, and how long people park and
where they are going
(4) parking space demands and needs for existing or new developments. Parking
studies often result in recommended facility locations, conceptual designs, costs and
revenues, and financing plans.
Modal Studies
Transportation planning often focuses on specific modal issues, such as
transit service planning, parking studies, pedestrian and bicycle
analyses, and freight movement.

Transit studies usually focus on the quality of existing services and help
establish the need for service improvements.

Pedestrian studies are used for a variety of purposes in transportation

planning.

Goods movement involves the collection and distribution of raw

materials and finished products.
Land Use and Urban Design

One of the major reasons often stated for investing

in the transportation system is to promote economic
development. The link between economic
development and transportation is founded on the
accessibility provided by transportation to the daily
social and economic activities in a community.

Accessibility affects where industries and services

locate, where people live, and how easy it is to
access all of the supporting activities associated with
a modern community. In other words, a
transportation system influences land use.
Urban Design is “concerned with the physical characteristics of the city and the
implications of design and planning decisions for the public realm of the city. The
urban design strategy must serve as an integrating tool, one that coordinates how
various public and private development proposals, including transportation and
public infrastructure, will affect the city physically.” [City of Pittsburgh, 1998]
 DEPARTMENT OF CITY DEVELOPMENT HAS ADOPTED THE
FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES FOR URBAN DESIGN WITHIN THE CITY.
[CITY OF MILWAUKEE, UNDATED]

Principle #1: Neighborhood Compatibility

New development should be compatible with
the pattern of its surrounding context.
Development that adheres to this principle will:
• Relate to the physical character and scale of
the neighborhood.
• Enhance linkages to surrounding uses,
especially public services and amenities
Principle #2: Pedestrian Friendly Design
New development should be designed to create
attractive, comfortable, and safe walking
environments.
Development that adheres to this principle will:
• Locate buildings to define street edges and
corners.
• Enliven street frontages to enhance the
pedestrian experience.
• Create memorable places for people.
Principle #3: Land-use Diversity
Diversity uses land efficiently, provides for neighborhood convenience, and
contributes to unique urban experiences. Development that adheres to this principle
will:
• Encourage a compatible mix of uses at the neighborhood scale.
• Identify opportunities for shared uses.
Principle #4: Transportation Diversity
The transportation system should be maintained and improved in ways that
accommodate various modes of transportation balanced with needs for pedestrians.
Development that adheres to this principle will:
• Create a balanced circulation system that accommodates mobility choice
• Enhance public transportation by making it more comfortable and convenient to use.
HIGHWAY FACILITY-RELATED
STRATEGIES
 HIGHWAY FACILITY-RELATED STRATEGIES

At a regional or community scale, land-use strategies can influence the amount

of travel occurring in a transportation system and the flows occurring on the
network. At the individual facility level, land-use considerations can also have an
effect on road performance and safety.
Two strategies, in particular, have been used by transportation planners and
engineers to improve facility operations and design characteristics: access
management and context sensitive solutions (CSS).
 HIGHWAY FACILITY-RELATED STRATEGIES

A.) Access Management

A basic tenet of transportation engineering that site access should maintain the
operational integrity of the surrounding road system. This can be best achieved by
applying access management principles and designs.
It provides access to land development while simultaneously preserving the
flow of traffic on the surrounding road system.
It consists of the systematic control of the location, spacing, design, and
operation of driveways; median openings; interchanges; and street connections
to a roadway.
It also includes applications such as median treatments, auxiliary lanes, and the
appropriate spacing of traffic signals.
 HIGHWAY FACILITY-RELATED STRATEGIES

B.) Context-Sensitive Solutions (CSS)

It is a theoretical and practical approach to transportation decision-making and
design that takes into consideration the communities and lands through which
streets, roads, and highways pass.

CSS seeks to balance the need to move vehicles efficiently and safely with other
desirable outcomes, including historic preservation, environmental sustainability,
and the creation of vital public spaces. In transit projects, CSS generally refers to
context sensitive planning, design, and development around transit stations
 HIGHWAY FACILITY-RELATED STRATEGIES

B.)
 ENVIRONMENTAL
CONSIDERATIONS IN
TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND
DECISION MAKING
A.) Sustainability

United Nations commission defined sustainable development as “meeting the

needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs.”
The definition was further refined to include the Triple Bottom Line of economic
development, social equity, and environmental quality, defined by the American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
Economy—Support economic vitality while
developing infrastructure in a cost-efficient
manner.
Social—Meet social needs by making
transportation accessible, safe, and secure;
include provision of mobility choices for all
people and develop infrastructure that is an
asset to communities.
Environment—Create solutions that are
compatible with—and that can be an
enhancement to—the natural environment,
reduce emissions and pollution from the
transportation system, and reduce the material
resources required to support transportation.
B.) Environmental Considerations at the Systems Level

Various types and levels of transportation planning support the development of a

state’s or region’s transportation policy and plans. Transportation planning studies
help decision makers select the most effective solution to an identified problem in
the context of agreed-upon goals and objectives.
The planning process should begin by identifying potentially contentious issues and
resolving these issues prior to the more detailed project development/preliminary
engineering and final design stages, where a major flaw could set back a project
several years.
C.) Environmental Impacts in Project Development

In systems planning, project priorities are identified in the context of state, regional,
or corridor plan goals and policies; the problems being solved; and the relative
effectiveness of alternatives or strategies to solve them.
National Environmental Policy Act or NEPA was enacted to “prevent or eliminate
damage to the environment, stimulate the health and welfare of Man, and enrich
the understanding of ecological systems and natural resources important to the
nation.” NEPA mandates that environmental factors be considered when federal
actions are involved in a project, such as providing project funding or issuing a
permit.
C.) Environmental Impacts in Project Development

Deforestation which also leads to the destruction of the natural habitats of

many animal and plant species
Noise and light pollution can also disturb local residents and wildlife.
Natural drainage systems are being disrupted.
Stream damage where the linear development crosses waterways
The possibility of soil erosion
C.) Environmental Impacts in Project Development

Common Project Developments that affect the Environment:

Dams and reservoir
Large-scale housing development
Airport
Ports
Major road network
 LAND USE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT IMPACTS

Transportation planning has for decades addressed the

interaction between transportation investments and
land use and development patterns. This interaction
involves both the effect of land use on travel patterns
and the influence of transportation investment
decisions on land use development.
 Transportation planning takes existing and projected land-use
patterns into account in almost every type of planning study.
Knowing the future distribution of population and employment is
fundamental to predicting future travel demand. At the project
level, analyzing the consequences of transportation investment on
land use has generally focused on the direct impacts of facility
construction, such as land acquisition or the creation or
elimination of a particular land-use activity.
 LAND USE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IMPACTS

A transportation improvement can also

bring about an induced change in land-
use activity or density, such as joint
development around a transit station,
that would not have occurred without
the investment. Given the strong linkage
between land use and transportation
investments, land-use implications will
likely be a critical topic in many
transportation environmental studies.
 SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY IMPACTS

Transportation systems affect the social environment of a community in

numerous ways, both during and after construction. Potential adverse social
impacts include household or business displacement and relocation, reduced
neighborhood cohesion, deterioration in the quality of neighborhoods and
lifestyles, and reduced access to vital community facilities and services. Beneficial
impacts could include improved access to employment and services, increased
economic development, and improved infrastructure.
 NATURAL RESOURCE IMPACTS

Transportation projects can have significant impacts on the natural environment,

resulting in subsequent impacts on communities and individuals.
A planning study should identify the impacts of each strategy as well as their
significance. Most planning studies, for example, will consider potential impacts
on water quality. Some will also examine impacts on wetlands, floodplains, and
aesthetics.
Occasionally, detailed studies of endangered species, coastal zones, toxic waste
disposal, ocean dumping, navigable waterways, and other factors will be
undertaken. Special rules, regulations, and permits apply to many of these impact
areas.
 CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS
Construction impacts differ from long-term
impacts in duration, type, and level of detail.
Further, the intensity of the construction
impacts may be at the other end of the
spectrum from long-term impacts.

For example, the immediate construction

impacts of a subway line are usually quite
severe, but over the long term, the system’s
operation usually has negligible adverse
impacts and many beneficial effects.
Construction impacts can be divided into direct and indirect impacts.

Direct impacts result from the construction itself and

include air and noise pollution and temporary use of land,
streets, and sidewalks.

Indirect impacts during construction usually result from

temporary land takings and include traffic congestion and
delays, impaired access to buildings and civic or recreational
spaces, and so forth.
LINK: https://youtu.be/_HnLhmXSpUs
 REFERENCES:

Meyer, M.D. and Institute of Transportation Engineers (2016). Transportation

planning handbook. Hoboken, New Jersey}: Wiley.
www.bts.gov. (n.d.). Chapter 4 Transportation System Performance | Bureau of
Transportation Statistics. [online]
Plan RVA |. 2022. What is Transportation Planning? | Plan RVA. [online]
Available at: <https://planrva.org/transportation/what-is-transportation-
planning/>
Wisconsindot.gov. n.d. Chapter 6: Transportation System Condition and
Performance. [online] Available at:
<https://wisconsindot.gov/Documents/projects/sfp/chap6.pdf>

studocu.com. 2022. Urban Transportation Planning. [online] Available at:

<https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/university-of-southeastern-
philippines/principle-of-transportation-engineering/urban-transportation-
planning/27957219>
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