Bachelor's of Traffic and Transportation Engineering

TRAFFIC FLOWS THEORY

General Data

Code: 58U347
Type of credits: ECTS
Number of credits: 5.00
Engagement hours: 150.00
ISCED-F: Transport services
Status: Mandatory
Academic Year: 2º
Term: 1º
Modality: Presential
Languages: English
Available for Mobility Students: Yes
Restricted to alliance: No

Coordination

Description

The general aim of the subject is to inform students with fundamentals of traffic flow theory and with basic methods for dimensioning roads outside urban areas and un-signalized intersections. Students will know how to describe basic parameters of traffic flow, their characteristics and related consequences, and will understand how to use different methods of traffic dimensioning.

Subject area

Traffic Engineering – Traffic Flow Theory, Road Capacity, Intersection Dimensioning, Traffic Modelling

Requirements

Recommended knowledge from the field of mathematics, physics (kinematics, dynamics) and transportation infrastructure.

Instructors

red. prof. dr. DRAGO SEVER

Contents

Traffic Flow Theory:

  • Conception and tasks of traffic technique
  • Vehicle movement as movement of mass point in space
  • Definition of traffic flow and basis parameters
  • Basic characteristics of traffic flow
  • Fundamental diagram (models speed–flow, speed–density, flow–density)
  • Basis of traffic flow modelling – deterministic and stochastic models

Traffic Dimensioning:

  • Conception of capacity of traffic areas
  • Dimensioning of basic roadway segments (two-lane roads based on HCM and HBS)
  • Dimensioning of un-signalized intersections: method of critical gaps, TWSC intersections, roundabouts, AWSC intersections (HCM2010, HBS)
  • Usage of computer tools SIDRA INTERSECTION and HCS

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and understanding:

After completing the subject, the student will be able to:

  • Describe basic parameters of traffic flow and methods to measure them
  • Explain basic relationships between parameters of traffic flow
  • List models used for traffic modelling and explain the fundamental diagram
  • Select relevant method of traffic dimensioning for un-signalized intersections
  • Assess traffic demands and the impact of selected parameters on dimensioning results

Transferable/key skills:

Communication skills: written expression by written exam and verbal expression by oral exam.

Recommended Readings and Tools

Readings:

  • D. Sever: Dinamika prometnih tokov (online lectures)
  • I. Dadić, G. Kos: Teorija i organizacija prometnih tokova. Sveučilište u Zagrebu, 2007.
  • Transport Research Board: Highway Capacity Manual 2025. Washington DC, 2025.
  • Forschungsgesellschaft für Straßen und Verkehrswesen: HBS – Handbuch für die Bemessung von Strassenverkehrsanlagen. Köln, 2015.

Planned Activities

Lectures using MS PowerPoint presentations and exercises where theoretical knowledge is applied to concrete instances. Students complete a report/seminar paper comprising fieldwork and analysis of a concrete realistic example.

Course structure:

  • Lectures: 30 hours
  • Tutorial: 30 hours
  • Individual work: 90 hours
  • Total: 150 hours

Assessment Methods and Criteria

Assessment weights:

  • Written examination: 40%
  • Oral examination: 40%
  • Report: 20%

Additional information:

The report is a condition for taking the exam. 2 positive evaluated tests can replace the written exam.