When most people talk about rush hour traffic, they’re thinking about the frustrating congestion on roads during the morning and evening commute. Transportation engineers use a more technical term for the same idea: peak hour traffic. Understanding how traffic builds up during these busy times is crucial for designing roads, planning intersections, and evaluating new […]
Traffic Impact Assessments (TIAs) are critical tools that help municipalities understand how new developments will affect local transportation networks. These TIA guidelines provide a practical framework for preparing and reviewing TIAs in municipalities that do not yet have their own standards. The intent is to balance technical credibility with simplicity, ensuring municipalities can review studies
Estimating ridership is the single most important early exercise in mass transit planning. A realistic ridership estimate tells you whether a scheme is worth designing, what level of service you should provide, and whether further investment in full demand modelling is warranted. This guide explains how to estimate ridership using both simple, defensible methods and
Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) is one of the most fundamental measures in traffic engineering and transportation planning. It represents the average number of vehicles that travel on a roadway segment each day over the course of an entire year. Put simply, it is a way to smooth out traffic variations across weekdays, weekends, and
In traffic engineering, the K-factor is a critical parameter used in roadway design and traffic analysis. It represents the proportion of Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) that occurs during the design hour, and it allows engineers to size and evaluate roadways for their most critical operating conditions. Trying to calculate a traffic signal warrant? Try
Traffic signals are at the heart of modern intersections. Their timing not only dictates how efficiently traffic flows but also affects safety, pedestrian accessibility, and overall network performance. To design or evaluate a signal plan, engineers rely on a set of technical terms that describe how green, yellow, and red indications are distributed across phases
A transportation (travel demand) model is a quantitative framework that forecasts how people and goods move through a region under different land-use and network scenarios. Done well, a model becomes a decision engine: it helps test road and transit projects, pricing policies, and growth plans before spending real money. This guide covers when you actually
Sight distance is one of the most important considerations in road design. It represents the length of roadway visible to a driver, ensuring there is enough distance to perceive, react, and stop safely when encountering obstacles or conflicts. Inadequate sight distance can lead to unsafe conditions, higher crash risks, and poor traffic flow. This reference
If you already work with trip generation, you know the headline challenge in many Traffic Impact Studies (TIS/TIA): not all site trips are “new” to the network. Some are simply siphoned from vehicles already passing by. Getting this right can change turn lane warrants, signal timing, and mitigation costs. This guide is a practitioner’s deep-dive
A Transportation Master Plan (TMP) is a comprehensive, long-term strategic document that guides the development, management, and investment in a community’s transportation system. It ensures that transportation networks, roads, public transit, walking, cycling, and freight are planned in a coordinated way to meet current needs while accommodating future growth. TMPs are typically prepared for cities,
