Sub-problem 1a: Traffic Flow Patterns

Step 1. Setup

It is important to carefully determine what volume, peak hour factor, and speed values should be used in a basic freeway analysis. Ideally, a combination of values that “typify” the conditions that exist during the peak hour would be used. However, it’s often hard to determine what data represent “typical” conditions. Often, not enough data is available to determine what a typical condition is. That’s not a problem here because plenty of information is available. In Sub-problem 1a we will look at the traffic data that was collected over a year-long period.

Discussion:
The data collection in this case study represents atypical conditions, where traffic data along the study roadway has been monitored for years. If this were not the case, how many volume studies would need to be completed to ensure typical roadway conditions were sampled with some degree of confidence? What other ways might be available to account for the variability between data samples and typical roadway conditions? Also, observe the variation in recorded traffic volumes during similar time periods and consider the impact of this variation on roadway performance.