The Effect of Land Use Characteristics and Road Capacity on the Dakahlia Road Network Links Traffic Volumes

Abstract

It is important to realize that the primary function of a highway is to provide a transportation service. In an engineering context this service is measured in terms of the highway ability to accommodate vehicle traffic safety and with some acceptable level of performance (i.e. providing acceptable vehicle speed). In light of this, it is important for the analysis of traffic to begin with consistent techniques that can be used to classifY the highways functionally.

Many methods are utilized in the study and analysis of capacity and levels of service. Such methods are already established for most of developed countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan long time ago. There is a strong need for check studies of highway capacity in the developing countries for both divided and undivided regional highways. This research devoted to estimate practical capacity and levels of service for regional highways on Dakahlia governorate.

The highway capacity manual method have been used for practical capacity estimation on divided and undivided highways. Where links operate under free flow condition. The method is used with some additions to be convenient with this search conditions. The following factors are considered in practical capacity estimation :

1-Roadway characteristics 2-Traffic characteristics 3-Environmental characteristics

Roadway characteristics include the physical features incorporated in the design such as: lane width, shoulder width, lateral clearance, radius of horizontal curve and pavement condition

Traffic characteristics are influenced by the composition, the habits and desires of the traffic which uses a specified highway. Traffic characteristics considered in this research include: traffic volume, traffic speed, peak hour factor, traffic composition and directional distribution.

Land use surrounding the divided regional highways affect on practical capacity such as waterway, agricultural area, adjacent villages or cities are important factors affect on practical capacity in this research.