TRANSPORTATION AS SYSTEM The Field of Transportation Engineering
Transportation Organization The Institute of Transportation Engineers (1987) defines
transportation engineering as “the application of
The operation of the vast network of transportation services technological and scientific principles to the planning,
in the United States is carried out by a variety of functional design, operation, and management of facilities or
organizations. Each has a special function to perform and any mode of transportation in order to provide for the safe,
serves to create a network of individuals who, working rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical, and
together, furnish the transportation systems and services environmentally compatible movement of people and
that presently exist. The following sections will describe some goods.”
of the organizations and associations involved in
transportation. The list is illustrative only and is intended to The Nature of Transportation Engineering
show the wide range of organizations active in the
transportation field. Transportation engineering is a multidisciplinary area of
study and a comparatively new profession that has acquired
The following seven categories, described briefly in the theoretical underpinnings, methodological tools, and a vast
sections that follow, outline the basic purposes and functions area of public and private involvement. The profession
that these organizations serve: carries a distinct societal responsibility. A wide
comprehensive training in transportation is therefore the
Private companies that are available for hire to desirable goal of all transportation education.
transport people and goods.
Figure below illustrates, in a general way, the
Regulatory agencies that monitor the behavior of interdisciplinary breadth and the depth of involvement of
transportation companies in areas such as pricing of transportation engineering. Most specialization in
services and safety. transportation engineering occurs at the graduate level;
undergraduates received an overall general view of the
Federal agencies such as the Department of elements of transportation engineering.
Transportation and the Department of Commerce,
which, as part of the executive branch, are responsible
for carrying out legislation dealing with transportation
at the national level.
State and local agencies and authorities responsible for
the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of
transportation facilities such as roads and airports.
Trade associations, each of which represents the
interests of a particular transportation activity, such as
railroads or intercity buses, and which serve these
groups by furnishing data and information, by
representing them at congressional hearings, and by
furnishing a means for discussing mutual concerns. The Systems Approach
Professional societies composed of individuals who may The systems approach represents a broad-based and
be employed by any of the transportation organizations systemic approach to problem solving that involves a system.
but who have a common professional bond and benefit It is a problem-solving philosophy used particularly to solve
from meeting with colleagues at national conventions or complex problems.
in specialized committees to share the results of their
work, learn about the experience of others, and Steps in System Analysis:
advance the profession through specialized committee Recognize community problems and values.
activities.
Establish goals.
Organizations of transportation users who wish to
influence the legislative process and furnish its Define objectives.
members with useful travel information.
Establish criteria.
Design alternative actions to achieve steps 2 and 3.
Evaluate the alternative actions in terms of SOCIAL INTERACTION
effectiveness and costs (privacy, territoriality, conflict, imitation)
Question the objectives and all Assumptions MOTIVATION
(positive or aversive consequences,
Examine new alternatives or modifications of step 5. potentiation)
Establish new objectives or modifications of step 3 LEARNING
(operator training, driver ducation,
Repeat the cycle until a satisfactory solution is reached, merchandising)
in keeping with criteria, standards, and values set
PERCEPTION
Overview of Transportation System Characteristics (images, mapping, sensort thresholds)
The physical plant of most transportation systems consists of
four basic elements:
Links
the roadways or tracks connecting two or more points. Pipes,
beltways, sea-lanes, and airways can also be considered as
links.
Vehicle
the means of moving people and goods from one node to
another along a link. Motorcars, buses, ships, airplanes, belts,
and cables are examples.
Transportation Sytem
Terminals
the nodes where travel and shipment begins or ends. Parking 3 BASIC ATTRIBUTES:
garages, off-street parking lots, loading docks, bus stops,
airports, and bus terminals are examples. Ubiquity
Management and Labor The amount of accessibility to the system, directness of
the people who construct, operate, manage, and maintain routing between access points, and the system's flexibility to
the links, vehicles, and terminals. handle a variety or traffic conditions. Highways are very
ubiquitous compared to railroads, the latter having limited
Overview of Transportation System Characteristics ubiquity as a result of their large investments and inflexibility.
Researchers have identified nine categories or human However, within the highway mode, freeways are far less
behaviours that are affected by transportation: ubiquitous than local roads and streets.
LOCOMOTION Mobility
(passengers, pedestrian)
The quantity of travel that can be handled. The capacity of a
ACTIVITIES system to handle traffic and speed are two variables
(vehicle control, maintenance, community connected with mobility. Here again, a freeway has high
life) mobility, whereas a local road has low mobility. Water
transport may have comparatively low speed, but the
FEELINGS capacity per vehicle is high. On the other hand, a rail system
(comfort, convenience, enjoyment, stress, could possibly have high speed and high capacity.
likes dislikes)
Efficiency
MANIPULATION
(modal choice, route selection, vehicle the relationship between the cost or transportation and the
purchase) productivity of the system. Direct costs of a system are
composed of capital and operating costs, and indirect costs
HEALTH AND SAFETY comprise adverse impacts and unquantifiable costs, such as
(accidents, disabilities, fatigue) safety
• Emergency response allows emergency vehicles to control
traffic lights at inter sections. The emergency vehicle driver
can hold the green phase until the inter section is cleared.
• Travel information systems provide traffic information to
users so that they can adjust their travel plans based on what
they learn.
• Route guidance systems are based on Global Positioning
System (Satellite) technology and assist motorists with
distance and direction information to selected destinations.
EMERGING TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGIES
A broad spectrum of advanced technology, ranging from in
vehicle components to advanced traffic management
systems, has come together and is called Intelligent
Transportation Systems (ITS).
EMERGING TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGIES
There are at least nine components of ITS; a short description
of each follows:
• Smart traffic signal control systems sense heavy traffic
flows at road intersections and adjust the timing of signals
automatically to accommodate the flows.
• Freeway management systems meter vehicles entering
freeways with signals on on-ramps. Although this technology
has been in use for a long time, the system is being refined by
linking it with other detection systems - for example, accident
surveillance systems
• Transit management systems help managers to control and
monitor the movements of transit vehicles and adjust
schedules accordingly.
• Incident management systems (IMS) detect and manage
non-recurrent traffic congestion caused by random
unpredictable incidents, such as traffic accidents, lane
blockages, and hazardous material spills resulting in major
traffic congestion for considerable time periods. IMS has
been in practice for quite some time.
• Electronic toll collection on bridges and roads has been in
operation on over a dozen sites.
• Electronic fare payment systems have also been in practice
for a long time but have to be refined further.
