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The Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) and Its Methods

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An Introduction to Traffic Flow Theory

Part of the book series: Springer Optimization and Its Applications ((SOIA,volume 84))

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Abstract

The Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) is a major reference document used in traffic analysis throughout the United States and worldwide. The HCM has been providing techniques for estimating capacity and assessing the traffic operational quality of transportation facilities for over 70 years. It is published by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and provides analytical tools for evaluating various types of transportation facilities such as freeways, arterials, and intersections. Since its first publication in 1950, it assists transportation professionals with traffic engineering decisions, highway design considerations, and transportation planning estimates. Through all its editions, the role of the HCM has been to provide uniform standards related to:

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References

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_Capacity_Manual Accessed May 9, 2022.

  2. Highway Capacity Manual: Practical Applications of Research; Committee on Highway Capacity, Department of Traffic and Operations, Highway Research Board, US Department of Commerce, Bureau of Public Roads, Washington, 1950

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  3. Highway Capacity Manual 1965; Highway Research Board, Special Report 87; National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, Publication 1328, Washington D.C., 1965

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  7. Highway Capacity Manual 2000, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, DC.

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  10. https://mctrans.ce.ufl.edu/ (Accessed September 6, 2022)

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Problems

Problems

  1. 1.

    Conduct a review of the literature and document the evolution of the PCE concept starting from the HCM 1965. How do the PCE values of 1965 compare to those of 2022?

  2. 2.

    Conduct a literature review to document how the HCM handled transit analysis until the publication of the Transit Capacity Manual.

  3. 3.

    Create a table documenting the consideration of the pedestrian traffic in the HCM7. Provide the types of analysis included in each of its chapters and indicate when each of these analysis tools should be used.

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Elefteriadou, L. (2024). The Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) and Its Methods. In: An Introduction to Traffic Flow Theory. Springer Optimization and Its Applications, vol 84. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54030-1_6

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