4. Factors affecting transportation
The chapter discusses the various factors affecting transportation engineering, focusing on the coordination of vehicles, roadways, and road users. It elaborates on human factors such as variability in reactions and visual acuity, vehicle factors including design and braking performance, and road factors like surface quality and geometric aspects. Understanding these elements is crucial for the effective design and operation of transportation systems.
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4.2Human Factors Affecting Transportation
What we have learnt
- Transportation systems depend on the coordination between vehicles, roadways, and road users.
- Human factors, including variability and reaction times, significantly impact transportation safety and efficiency.
- Vehicle dimensions and performance characteristics are critical in the design of traffic facilities.
Key Concepts
- -- Perceptionreaction time (PIEV time)
- The time it takes for a driver to perceive a stimulus, process it, decide on an action, and execute that action.
- -- 85th percentile value
- A statistical measure used in transportation engineering that represents the value below which 85% of the population falls, used for designing safety standards.
- -- Braking distance
- The distance a vehicle travels from the moment the brakes are applied until it comes to a complete stop.
- -- Visibility requirements
- Considerations related to the driver’s ability to see the road and obstacles clearly, affected by vehicle dimensions and environmental factors.
- -- Road surface characteristics
- Attributes of the roadway that influence vehicle performance and driver safety, including texture, color, and weather resistance.
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