Traffic Operations at Intersections: Learning and Applying the Models and Methods of the Highway Capacity Manual Using Simplified Scenarios and Computational Engines

Traffic Operations at Intersections: Learning and Applying the Models and Methods of the Highway Capacity Manual

• Chapters on all-way stop-controlled intersections, two-way stop-controlled intersections, and signalized intersections
• Designed for practicing transportation engineers and university seniors and graduate students
• 11 simplified scenarios to open-up your understanding of the HCM
• 43 example calculations that are fully worked out and explained in detail
• 7 computational engines that allow you to see inside and then apply the models
• 138 figures to clearly illustrate concepts
• Additional problems online

The models of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) are often the engineer’s choice to analyze intersection performance. These models are complex, and nearly all transportation engineers use software implementations of these models to conduct their analyses. Software applications are powerful tools that help engineers solve problems. But these applications also serve as barriers to the understanding of the complex models embedded in the software.

Our major objective in writing this book is to transform the “black box” of the HCM intersection models, and their software implementations, into a “clear box” that allows the engineer to better understand how these models work. We do this through the idea of the “simplified scenario.” The eleven scenarios that we present are based on conditions greatly simplified from what you would normally see in the field. By focusing on one concept at a time, in the context of these simplified conditions, you will better understand the fundamentals of the HCM intersection models. You will then be able to apply these models to more complex intersections with skill, confidence, and insight.