TRAFFIC VOLUME ANALYSIS USING SPOT SPEED METHOD

OBJECTIVES:
1. To determine spot speed at the section of Road.
2. To determine average speed of different categories of vehicles.
3. To determine percentile speeds for different categories of vehicles.
4. To determine modal speed and pace for different categories of vehicles.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED:
1. Measuring Tape: Measuring tape of at least 50m length to mark initial and final position for
spot speed measurement
2. Stopwatch: Stopwatch or mobile is used to measure time

THEORY:
Speed is one of the most important traffic characteristics and its measurement is a frequent
necessity in traffic engineering studies. Speed is the rate of movement of traffic. Actual speed of
the vehicle may vary widely depending upon various factors such as geometric features, traffic
conditions, place, time, environment, condition of driver etc. over a particular stretch of road. Spot
speed is the instantaneous speed of a vehicle at a specified section or location. The data generated
in spot speed studies are used to determine vehicle speed percentile, which are useful in making
many speed related decisions. Spot speed data have a number of safety applications. It determines
existing roadway speeds. It measures effectiveness of speed enforcement program and identify the
speed impact of roadway geometry and roadway features. It determines impact on speed of traffic
control devices. Also, speed observation helps determine whether the roadway is in need of new
law enforcement, realignment, or reconstruction.

Spot speed data have a number of safety applications, including the following.
1. Determine existing traffic operation and evaluation of traffic control devices:
a) Evaluating and determining proper speed limit.
b) Determining the 50thand 80thspeed percentile.
c) Establishing and determining proper advisory speeds.
d) Establishing the limits of no-passing zones.
e) Determining the proper placement of traffic control signs and markings.
f) Setting appropriate traffic signal timing.
2. Establishing roadway design elements:
a) Evaluating and determining the proper intersection sight distance.
b) Evaluating and determining proper passing sight distance
c) Evaluating and determining proper stopping sight distance.
3. Assessing roadway safety questions:
a. Evaluating and verifying speeding problems.
b. Assessing speed as a contributor to vehicle crashes
c. Investing input from the public or other officials.
4. Monitoring traffic speed trends by systematic ongoing speed studies.
Measuring effectiveness of traffic control devices on traffic programs, including signs and
markings, traffic operational changes, and speed enforcement programs.
Mean Speed:
The average speed; calculated as the sum of all speeds divided by the number of speed
observations. It is affected by physical conditions of road like pavement width, curve, sight
distance and grade. There are two types of average speed.
 Space mean speed
 Time mean speed
Space mean speed is the average speed of vehicle in a certain road length at any time. Thus it is
obtained from the observed travel time of the vehicle over a relatively long strength of road. It is
calculated as
3.6×𝑑×𝑛
VS= ∑𝑛
where Vs= Space mean speed, kmph
𝑖=1 𝑡𝑖
d = length of the road, m
n = no. of vehicle observed
t = time travel in second
Time mean speed is the average of instantaneous speed of observed vehicle at the spot. It is
calculated by:
∑𝑛
𝑖=1 𝑉𝑖
Vt= where, Vt = time mean speed kmph
𝑛
Vi = Instantaneous speed kmph
n = no of vehicle observed
85th percentile speed:
The speed at or below which 85% of a sample of free flowing vehicles is travelling is termed as
85th percentile speed. This is typically used as a baseline for establishing the speed. This percentile
is used in evaluating/recommending posted speed limits based on the assumptions that 85% of the
drivers are travelling at the speed that they perceive to be safe.
98th percentile speed:
The speed at or below which 98% of a sample of free flowing vehicles is travelling is 98th percentile
speed. This speed is generally used as design speed in geometric design.
Median (50th percentile speed):
The speed that equally divides the distribution of spot speeds; 50 percent of observed speed are
higher than the median; 50 percent of observed speed are lower than the median. The 50th
percentile of the speed represents the average speed of the traffic streams.
15thpercentile speed:
The 15th percentile speed is considered to be the speed value which should be utilized as minimum
speed limits on highways. Vehicles travelling below this value on high speed roads are potential
accident hazards because of their obstructive influence upon the traffic flow.
Mode speed: The speed that occurs most frequent in the observation.
Speed Variance: The difference in travel speed for vehicle on the road. Mathematically variance
is the average of the squares of the difference to the mean for each observed speed.
Spot Speed data are gathered using one of these methods:
 Stopwatch method
 Radar meter method
 Pneumatic road tube method

Stopwatch Method
It is the least expensive and least accurate of the above methods. In this method, two reference
points are marked on the pavement at the suitable distance apart. The person with stop watch starts
on the end point while the person at the beginning mark has indicator. As the first person at
beginning indicates the vehicle crossing the sections the 2nd person at the ends starts stop watch
and stop the time as the particular observed vehicle pass the section. The known distance and
measured time interval give spot speed. Parallax effects may be seen in observation.
𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ
Velocity= 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒

PROCEDURE:
1. Straight section of road was chosen in the road of chyamasingh for traffic coming from
chyamasingh to jagati.
2. The distance of 54m was marked and two observer at starting and two at end portion were
positioned.
3. Observer at starting point indicates the vehicles crossing the point and starts the stopwatch and
observer at end point indicates the crossing of vehicles, and observer at the starting end records
time.
4. Similar process was repeated for 4 categories with 30 vehicles each.

RESULTS
Therefore, the following results were obtained:
Median speed Modal speed Modal speed Modal pace
SN (km/hr) from graph from statistics of 10 km/hr
(km/hr) (km/hr)
PCU 0.5 26 27 27.3 23.1 to 33.1
PCU 1 27 30 30 25 to 35
PCU 1.5 23 25 25.1 20 to 30
PCU 3 21 22 22.7 18 to 28
Mixed 24 26 26.1 21 to 31
traffic

DISCUSSION:
For geometric design of roads, it is necessary to have a realistic estimate of the speeds at which
vehicles travel. Based on the speed studies, the design speed can be selected and other geometric
elements of design such as horizontal curvature, vertical profile, sight distance and super elevation
can be determined. For regulation and control of traffic operations, spot speed studies are needed.
They enable the safe speed limits to be established and speed zoning to be determined. Furthermore
for analysis of causes of accident and identifying any relations between speed and accident, spot
speed data are required. Also for determining the problem of congestion on roads and relating
capacity with speed, accurate speed data are required.

CONCLUSION:
Hence the spot speed test of particular section of road during the morning peak hour was performed
and the data obtained was further used to determine desired parameters.

PRECAUTION:
i. As the site has mixed traffic condition, the vehicles can overtake at any time and from
anywhere, which should be properly watched.
ii. Number of vehicles should be properly counted or tally properly.
iii. While counting, observer should be at such a point that observer can properly distinguish
vehicles and record data.
iv. Personnel safety should be kept in mind.