SOME IMPLICATIONS OF THE NEW SPEED-VOLUME CURVES TO HIGHWAY USER COST AND SIZING OF ROADS

This paper investigates some implications of the speed-volume relationships for two-lane rural highways as proposed in the new edition of the United States highway capacity manual. The analysis carried out in this paper indicates that the new speed-volume curves, when employed with the traditional values of other variables such as vehicle running costs and value of travel time, produce cost-volume relationships that might appear unacceptable from both the highway agencies' and the road users' perspective. To overcome such a limitation it is suggested that a cost of comfort and convenience should be computed and added to the user cost. This cost includes consideration of the following: 1) the relative importance of driving comfort as perceived by road users, 2) the unsatisfied demand (overtaking demand minus actual overtaking) curve, 3) the type of road use, 4) volume-to-capacity ratio, 5) desired highway speed, and 6) vehicle classification. The paper discusses and demonstrates how this model can be calibrated and used for economic analysis for designing and upgrading of rural highways. (Author/TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03151468
• Corporate Authors:

  National Research Council of Canada

  1200 Montreal Road
  Ottawa, Ontario  Canada  K1A 0R6
• Authors:
  • Sharma, S C
  • Tayebali, A
  • Soliman, A H
• Publication Date: 1986-4

Language

• French

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 241-248
• Serial:
  • Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering
  • Volume: 13
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: National Research Council of Canada
  • ISSN: 0315-1468
  • Serial URL: http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/loi/cjce

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Classification; Comfort; Highway capacity; Highways; Manuals; Motor vehicles; Operating costs; Rural highways; Traffic speed; Traffic volume; Travel time; Two lane highways
• Uncontrolled Terms: Convenience; Highway classification; Highway user costs
• ITRD Terms: 643: Capacity (road, footway); 8513: Classification; 9138: Comfort; 224: Cost; 635: Design speed; 2755: Highway; 2885: Layout; 6473: Mathematical model; 1822: Overtaking; 1755: Road user; 328: Rural area; 671: Traffic flow; 1255: Vehicle
• Subject Areas: Highways; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00478501
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transportation Association of Canada (TAC)
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 31 1989 12:00AM