Traffic volume

The traffic volume (also traffic volume ) is a parameter in traffic planning and reflects the vehicle throughput per unit of time. It is used to assess the quality, performance and safety of a traffic flow and provides the basis for traffic-related dimensioning in road design. Together with other parameters such as traffic density or speed, a fundamental diagram of the traffic flow can be created.

definition

The number of traffic elements in a traffic flow per unit of time on a cross-section (local observation) is called traffic volume . In this case one speaks of the strength of a traffic flow.

${\displaystyle q={\frac {M}{\Delta t}}}$

${\displaystyle q\quad }$	Traffic volume (e.g. vehicles per hour, also called vehicle throughput)
${\displaystyle M\quad }$	Number of traffic elements (e.g. vehicles)
${\displaystyle \Delta t\quad }$	Time unit (e.g. hours)

Rated traffic volume

In the above definition, the time unit can in principle be chosen as desired. The shorter the period considered, the more susceptible it is to fluctuations and peak values ​​and the less representative it is. Measured traffic volumes are determined either via an automatic survey ( permanent counting stations with annual evaluation) or with the help of short-term counts. In the case of short-term counts, a count from 15 to 19 is carried out on a few working days that are as representative as possible (e.g. at least 5 days away from vacations and public holidays). With known factors from statistical surveys of the permanent counting stations, this value is then extrapolated to indicate the following rated traffic volumes:

A time unit of one hour ( decisive hourly traffic volume , MSV for short), one day ( average daily traffic volume , DTV for short) or on weekdays (Mon-Fri, average daily traffic on working days , DTVw for short) is allocated for the traffic-related dimensioning (e.g. a road cross-section ) use. This

With a short-term count of four hours from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., around a third of the average daily traffic volume (DTV in vehicles / 24h) and three times the amount of MSV (vehicle / peak hour) are determined. So DTV is about 10 times the size of MSV.

Examples

The Interstate 405 in the US state of California is the busiest street in the United States with about 390,000 Cars / 24h.

The TF-1, from San Miguel to Los Cristianos, is one of the streets with the highest traffic density in Spain with 87,000 vehicles per day.

Germany

Every five years, the Federal Highway Research Institute counts the traffic density of all German sections of the motorways and federal highways. The results for the freeways from 2015 range from 2,000 vehicles / day on the BAB 281 between Bremen-Seehausen and Bremen-Strom to 171,000 vehicles / day on the Kölner Ring, BAB 3 between Cologne-East and the Cologne-Heumar triangle.

The Federal Highway Research Institute operates around 1,750 permanent counting stations on trunk roads in Germany . Their data can be accessed online. The highest traffic volume in Germany was determined with an average of 157,472 vehicles / 24h (on a total of 8 lanes, 4 in each direction) on the BAB 5 at the counting point 6923 between the motorway junctions 21 Frankfurt am Main-Niederrad and 22 Frankfurt am Main airport -Nord ( B43 ) in 2017.

On the BAB 1 east and west of the Hamburg-Südost autobahn triangle, a DTVw of 104,000 and 118,000 vehicles / 24h, respectively, with hourly values ​​of less than 9,000 vehicles / h between 7 and 9 a.m., between midnight and 4 o'clock about 1000 vehicles / h.

At the end of the federal motorway BAB 215 between Kiel-Mitte and Kiel-Westring, the average daily traffic volume is 65,000 vehicles / 24h DTVw (both directions together). This was about 12% above the average traffic volume during the holiday season (DTVu). The two days with the least traffic were by far New Year's Day with only 20,000 vehicles per 24 hours and New Year's Eve with only 30,000 vehicles per 24 hours. Only on Sundays and public holidays in December / January / February there were fewer than 40,000 vehicles per 24 hours and only during the Kiel Week more than 80,000 vehicles per 24 hours. On all days not explicitly mentioned, the traffic was 40,000 to 80,000 vehicles / 24h.

On the federal highway 76 in Kiel between Winterbeker Weg, southeast of the BAB 215 , and Hamburger Chaussee, west of the federal highway 404, 50,000 vehicles drive on a working day on average in 24 hours in each direction, that is a DTVw 100,000 vehicles / 24h. (Stand 2013)

In the center of Kiel on the south side of the parade ground west of Ziegelteich, a DTV of 20,000 vehicles / 24h was determined in 2011, broken down into daytime traffic (6 am-10pm) of 19,000 vehicles / 4pm and night traffic (10pm-6pm) of 1,000 vehicles / 8h. Furthermore, the daily heavy traffic with a gross vehicle weight> 2.8 t (trucks, lorries, trucks / articulated vehicles, buses) of 1,300 vehicles / 24h. The hourly values ​​were from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. between 1600 and 2200 vehicles per hour.

Rail transport

With around 2050 trains a day, the railway line between Zurich and Altstetten is the busiest in the world.

See also

• Traffic density
• Time gap

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Frank Höfler: Verkehrwesen-Praxis, Volume 2: Verkehrstechnik . Bauwerk Verlag, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-934369-53-7 , p. 47 .
2. ^ Research Society for Roads and Transport: Definitions, Part: Transport Planning, Road Design and Road Operation . FGSV Verlag, Cologne 2000, p. 37 .
3. ↑ The Federal Minister of Transport: Guidelines for noise protection on roads (RLS-90) .
4. ↑ Frank Höfler: Verkehrwesen-Praxis, Volume 2: Verkehrstechnik . Bauwerk Verlag, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-934369-53-7 , p. 94 .
5. ↑ As of 2003, on some sections of US Highways With The Most Traffic ( Memento from July 24, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
6. ↑ canaryo.net
7. ↑ bast.de 2015 Autobahn traffic data
8. ↑ bast.de
9. ↑ bast.de counting point 6923
10. ↑ Counting points 1204 and 1208, as of 2014, ask-den-Staat
11. ↑ Counting point 1626/0919, status 2011 City of Kiel Traffic planning for the new Möbrl Kraft building and discount
12. ↑ City of Kiel model calculations for the A21
13. ↑ Traffic volume map Schleswig-Holstein 2015 , counting points on most of the classified roads (A, B, L, K)
14. ↑ City of Kiel model calculations for the new hotel building on the parade ground in 2019
15. ↑ eda.admin.ch

Web links

Wiktionary: traffic volume  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations