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144 Part 2 Traffic Operations

4.4.4 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 rel-
evant 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 analysis required to obtain information on the first two items is straightforward;
it usually involves simple arithmetical and statistical calculations. Data obtained from
these items are then used to determine parking space-hours.
The space-hours of demand for parking are obtained from the expression
N
D  a 1niti 2 (4.12)
i1

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 class
ni  number of vehicles parked for the ith duration range

The space-hours of supply are obtained from the expression

N
S  f a 1ti 2 (4.13)
i1

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

The efficiency factor f is used to correct for time lost in each turnover. It is deter-
mined on the basis of the best performance a parking facility is expected to produce.
Efficiency factors therefore should be determined for different types of parking
facilities—for example, surface lots, curb parking, and garages. Efficiency factors for
curb parking, during highest demand, vary from 78 percent to 96 percent; for surface
lots and garages, from 75 percent to 92 percent. Average values of f are 90 percent for
curb parking, 80 percent for garages, and 85 percent for surface lots.
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Chapter 4 Traffic Engineering Studies 145

Example 4.7 Space Requirements for a Parking Garage

The owner of a parking garage located in a CBD has observed that 20% of those
wishing to park are turned back every day during the open hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
because of lack of parking spaces. An analysis of data collected at the garage indi-
cates that 60% of those who park are commuters, with an average parking duration
of 9 hr, and the remaining are shoppers, whose average parking duration is 2 hr.
If 20% of those who cannot park are commuters and the rest are shoppers, and a
total of 200 vehicles currently park daily in the garage, determine the number of
additional spaces required to meet the excess demand. Assume parking efficiency
is 0.90.

Solution:
• Calculate the space-hours of demand using Eq. 4.12.

N
D  a 1niti 2
i1

Commuters now being served  0.6  200  9  1080 space-hr

Shoppers now being served  0.4  200  2  160 space-hr
200
Total number of vehicles turned away   200  50
0.8
Commuters not being served  0.2  50  9  90 space-hr
Shoppers not being served  0.8  50  2  80 space-hr
Total space-hours of demand  (1080  160  90  80)  1410
Total space-hours served  1080  160  1240
Number of space-hours required  1410  1240  170
• Determine the number of parking spaces required from Eq. 4.13.

N
S  f a ti  170 space-hr
i1

• Use the length of time each space can be legally parked on (8 a.m. through
6 p.m.  10 hr) to determine the number of additional spaces.

0.9  10  N  170
N  18.89

At least 19 additional spaces will be required, since a fraction of a space cannot

be used.
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146 Part 2 Traffic Operations

4.5 SUMMARY
Highway transportation has provided considerable opportunities for people, particu-
larly the freedom to move from place to place at one’s will and convenience. The pos-
itive aspects of the highway mode, however, go hand in hand with numerous negative
aspects, which include traffic congestion, crashes, pollution, and parking difficulties.
Traffic and transportation engineers are continually involved in determining ways to
reduce these negative effects. The effective reduction of the negative impact of the
highway mode of transportation at any location can be achieved only after adequate
information is obtained to define the problem and the extent to which the problem
has a negative impact on the highway system. This information is obtained by con-
ducting studies to collect and analyze the relevant data. These are generally referred
to as traffic engineering studies.
This chapter has presented the basic concepts of different traffic engineering
studies: speed studies, volume studies, travel time and delay studies, and parking
studies. Spot speed studies are conducted to estimate the distribution of speeds of
vehicles in a traffic stream at a particular location on a highway. This is done by
recording the speeds of a sample of vehicles at the specified location. Speeds of vehi-
cles along sections of highways also can be collected using advanced technologies like
the probing of cell phones. These data are used to obtain speed characteristics. These
characteristics are the average speed, the median speed, the modal speed, the 85th-
percentile speed, the pace, and the standard deviation of the speed. Important factors
that should be considered in planning a speed study include the location for the study,
time of day, duration of the study, and the minimum sample size necessary for the limit
of acceptable error. Traffic volume studies entail the collection of data on the number
of vehicles and/or pedestrians that pass a point on a highway during a specified
time period. The data on vehicular volume can be used to determine the average daily
traffic, average peak-hour volume, vehicle classification, and vehicle-miles of travel.
Volume data are usually collected manually or by using electronic or mechanical
counters; video imaging also can be used. It should be noted, however, that traffic
volume varies from hour to hour and from day to day. It is therefore necessary to
use expansion factors to adjust periodic counts to obtain representative 24-hour,
weekly, monthly, and annual volumes. A travel time study determines the amount of
time required to travel from one point to another on a given route. This information
is used to determine the delay, which gives a good indication of the level of service on
the study section. The methods used to conduct travel time and delay data can be
grouped into two general categories: (1) those that require a test vehicle and (2) those
that do not. Parking studies are used to determine the demand for and supply of
parking facilities in an area. A comprehensive parking study usually involves
(1) inventory of existing parking facilities, (2) collection of data on parking accumu-
lation, parking turnover and parking duration, (3) identification of parking genera-
tors, and (4) collection of information on parking demand.
It should be emphasized here that no attempt has been made to present an in-depth
discussion of any of these studies, as such a discussion is beyond the scope of this book.
However, enough material has been provided to introduce the reader to the subject so
that he or she will be able to understand the more advanced literature on the subject.
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Chapter 4 Traffic Engineering Studies 147

PROBLEMS
4-1 What are the advantages and disadvantages of machine vision (video image
detection) when compared with other forms of detection?
4-2 Select and describe the method and equipment you will recommend for traffic
volume counts for each of the road sections given below. Give reasons for your
recommendations.

(a) A private road leading to an industrial development

(b) A residential street
(c) A rural collector road
(d) A section of an interstate highway

4-3 Speed data collected on an urban roadway yielded a standard deviation in speeds
of 4.8 mi/h.

(a) If an engineer wishes to estimate the average speed on the roadway at a 95%
confidence level so that the estimate is within 2 mi/h of the true average, how
many spot speeds should be collected?
(b) If the estimate of the average must be within 1 mi/h, what should the sample
size be?

4-4 An engineer wishing to obtain the speed characteristics on a bypass around her city at
a confidence level of 95%, and an acceptable limit of 1.0 mi/h collected a total of
130 spot speed samples and determined that the variance is 25 (mi/h)2. Has the engi-
neer met with all of the requirements of the study?
4-5 An engineer wishing to determine whether there is a statistically significant difference
between the average speed of passenger cars and that of large trucks on a section of
highway, collected the data shown below. Determine whether the engineer can con-
clude that the average speed of large trucks is the same as that for passenger cars.

Trucks Passenger Cars

Average Speed (mi/h) 62 59

Standard deviation of speed mi/h 5.5 6.3
Sample size 275 175

4-6 Assuming that the data shown in Table 4.2 were collected on a rural road in your state
and consideration is being made to set the speed limit on the road. Speed limits of 50,
55, 60, and 65 mi/h are being considered. Plot the expected non-compliance percent-
ages versus the associated speed limit on a graph and recommend the speed for the
road. Give reasons for your selection.
4-7 The accompanying data show spot speeds collected at a section of highway located in
a residential area. Using the student’s t test, determine whether there was a statisti-
cally significant difference in the average speeds at the 95% confidence level.
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148 Part 2 Traffic Operations

Before After Before After

40 23 38 25
35 33 35 21
38 25 30 35
37 36 30 30
33 37 38 33
30 34 39 21
28 23 35 28
35 28 36 23
35 24 34 24
40 31 33 27
33 24 31 20
35 20 36 20
36 21 35 30
36 28 33 32
40 35 39 33

4-8 Using the data furnished in Problem 4-7, draw the histogram frequency distribution
and cumulative percentage distribution for each set of data and determine (a) average
speed, (b) 85th-percentile speed, (c) 15th-percentile speed, (d) mode, (e) median, and
(f) pace.
4-9 Define the following terms and cite examples of how they are used.
Average annual daily traffic (AADT)
Average daily traffic (ADT)
Vehicle-miles of travel (VMT)
Peak hour volume (PHV)
4-10 Describe the different traffic-count programs carried out in your state. What data are
collected in each program?
4-11 A traffic engineer, wishing to determine a representative value of the ADT on 250
highway links having similar volume characteristics, conducted a preliminary study
from which the following estimates were made: Mean volume  45,750 veh/day, Stan-
dard deviation  3750 veh/day. Determine the minimum number of stations for which
the engineer should obtain 24-hr volume counts for a 95 –5 precision level. Use an
allowable range of error of 10%.
4-12 Describe the following types of traffic volume counts and explain when they are used:
(a) screen-line counts, (b) cordon counts, (c) intersection counts, and (d) control
counts.
4-13 How are travel time and delay studies used? Describe one method for collecting travel
time and delay data at a section of a highway. Explain how to obtain the following
information from the data collected: (a) travel time, (b) operational delay, (c) stopped
time delay, (d) fixed delay, and (e) travel time delay.
4-14 Table 4.10 shows data obtained in a travel time study on a section of highway using the
moving-vehicle technique. Estimate (a) the travel time and (b) the volume in each
direction at this section of the highway.
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Chapter 4 Traffic Engineering Studies 149

Table 4.10 Travel Time Data for Problem 4-14

No. of
No. of Vehicles No. of
Vehicles That Vehicles
Run Travel Traveling in Overtook Overtaken
Direction / Time Opposite Test by Test
Number (min) Direction Vehicle Vehicle

Northward
1 5.25 100 2 2
2 5.08 105 2 1
3 5.30 103 3 1
4 5.15 110 1 0
5 5.00 101 0 0
6 5.51 98 2 2
7 5.38 97 1 1
8 5.41 112 2 3
9 5.12 109 3 1
10 5.31 107 0 0
Southward
1 4.95 85 1 0
2 4.85 88 0 1
3 5.00 95 0 1
4 4.91 100 2 1
5 4.63 102 1 2
6 5.11 90 1 1
7 4.83 95 2 0
8 4.91 96 3 1
9 4.95 98 1 2
10 4.83 90 0 1

4-15 An engineer, wishing to determine the travel time and average speed along a section
of an urban highway as part of an annual trend analysis on traffic operations, con-
ducted a travel time study using the floating-car technique. He carried out 10 runs and
obtained a standard deviation of ±3 mi/h in the speeds obtained. If a 5% significance
level is assumed, is the number of test runs adequate?
4-16 Briefly describe the tasks you would include in a comprehensive parking study for
your college campus, indicating how you would perform each task and the way you
would present the data collected.
4-17 Select a parking lot on your campus. For several hours, conduct a study of the lot using
the methods described in this chapter. From the data collected, determine the
turnover and duration. Draw a parking accumulation curve for the lot.
4-18 Data collected at a parking lot indicate that a total of 300 cars park between 8 a.m. and
6 p.m. 10% of these cars are parked for an average of 2 hr, 30% for an average of 4 hr,
and the remaining cars are parked for an average of 10 hr. Determine the space-hours
of demand at the lot.