Getting Started

Tools
Most of the computations that we conduct in this case study will be with the Highway Capacity Manual, particularly those chapters that deal with intersection and arterial operations. This includes Chapter 15 (Urban Streets), Chapter 16 (Signalized Intersections), and Chapter 17 (Unsignalized Intersections).

For some parts of the analyses, however, and for certain traffic conditions, we will consider the use of other tools. There are a variety of software tools available that we could use, and for illustrative purposes we will demonstrate the use of only two, TRANSYT 7F and CORSIM. TRANSYT 7F is a macroscopic flow model that consider the progression of traffic platoons from one intersection to the next. CORSIM is a microscopic traffic model that considers the movement of individual vehicles along an arterial and the details of actuated traffic controller operations. Other software packages could also be applied with equal effectiveness.

Data
Three kinds of data are generally needed for traffic analysis. Demand or volume information specifies the turning movement flows (usually in vehicles per hour) at each intersection approach. Intersection geometry includes the number and configuration of lanes at an intersection and along an arterial. Control conditions include information about the traffic signal system, including signal timing and phasing data.

The data for each problem can be found at the links provided below. These links are also provided in each of the problems, as you need to access them.

U.S. 95/Styner Avenue/Lauder Avenue
U.S. 95/Styner Avenue/Lauder Avenue, during special university events
U.S. 95/Styner Avenue/Lauder Avenue, during summer periods
U.S. 95/Sweet Avenue
U.S. 95/Palouse River Drive
U.S. 95/State Highway 8

U.S. 95 arterial data