Course Syllabus

Technological University of the Philippines

Ayala Blvd., Ermita, Manila 1000

CE 415: Transportation Engineering

First Semester, 2019-2020
Instructor Information
Instructor Email Office Location & Hours
Engr. John Lemar M. Tirao [email protected] TBA (By appointment)
General Information
Description
This course gives emphasis on urban transportation planning, design, and operation using statistical and modeling
techniques and computer methods. It also covers capacity and level of service of air, rail and highway. It also
includes safety, environmental impacts and mitigation, transportation policy fundamentals and case studies.
Course Materials
Required Materials
Any environmental engineering books can be used for this class; therefore, students are not required to purchase
books. However, it is expected that students have already read relevant sections in the prescribed set of books
prior to coming to class.
• “Traffic and Highway Engineering” by Nicolas J. Garber and Lester A. Hoel
• “Principles of Highway Engineering and Traffic Analysis” by F.L. Mannering and S.S. Washburn
• “Fundamentals of Traffic Engineering” by Ricardo Sigua
• “Transportation Planning Handbook” of the Institute of Transportation Engineers
Course Schedule
Course schedule CE 415 Transportation Engineering is shown below. If the proposed schedule was not followed
due to certain reasons (i.e. cancellation of classes, holidays, discussion not finished due to time constraints)
arrangement of topics will still be pushed through as stated.
Week Topic Sub-topics
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4 Aug. 31 Introduction to transportation Definition of transportation engineering, overview of
engineering transportation engineering, transportation in the
Philippines
Week 5 Sep. 7 Traffic engineering studies Spot speed studies, volume studies, driver
characteristics, pedestrian characteristics, bicyclists’
characteristics, vehicle characteristics
Week 6 Sep. 14 Traffic flow fundamentals Traffic density and speed, flow-density relationships,
time-space diagrams, Greenshields’ model of traffic,
Greenberg’s model of traffic
Week 7 Sep. 21 Shock waves Shock waves, traffic bottleneck conditions, types and
velocity calculations of shock waves
Page 1
Week Topic Sub-topics
Week 8 Sep. 28 Queuing theory Gap acceptance, queue length characterizations, D/D/1
queues, M/D/1 queues, M/M/1 queues, M/M/N queues
Week 9 Oct. 5 Intersection control and analysis Types of intersection control, channelization, signal
timing for different color indications
Week 10 Oct. 12 MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Week 11 Oct. 19 Travel time, delay and parking Travel time and delay studies, methods of conducting
studies travel time and delay studies, parking facilities,
methodology of parking studies
Week 12 Oct. 26 Intersection control and analysis Types of intersection control, channelization, signal
timing for different color indications
Week 13 Nov. 2 All Soul’s Day (National Holiday)
Week 14 Nov. 9 Travel demand forecasting 1 Factors influencing travel demand, trip generation, trip
distribution
Week 15 Nov. 16 Travel demand forecasting 2 Modal split, traffic assignment
Week 16 Nov. 23 Highway safety Issues in transport safety, computational procedures for
highway safety evaluation, crash patterns, road safety
audit, conflict analysis, collision analysis
Week 17 Nov. 27 Traffic management and Traffic management procedures, driver information
accident prevention systems, road accident statistics in the Philippines
Week 18 Dec. 4 FINAL EXAMINATION
Exam Schedule
Date Topics covered
October 5 Case Study 1
October 12 MIDTERM EXAMINATION
November 9 Case Study 2
December 4 Case Study 3
December 4 FINAL EXAMINATION
Additional Information and Resources

Course Requirements
Class standing……………………………………………. 60%
Attendance……………………………10%
Problem sets…………………………20%
Case Studies………………………….30%
Examinations……………………………………………… 40%
Midterm exam……………15%
Final exam…………………25%
Total 100%
Grading System
Grading system for this course follows the grading system of the University. Passing rate is 75%. No rounding-off
of decimals.
Case Studies
In Case Studies, where students will be given relevant case study questions to think scientifically for solutions.
Answers to each case study should be supported and properly sourced. If you copy and paste anything from the
internet and/or someone else’s work is plagiarism. Plagiarism will be given 0% for the respective case study
where it was committed.
Case studies should be in letter-sized paper format and must bear student’s name and student number. You may
add photos, graphs, maps, and charts (must be sourced) to support your answer/argument.
Page 2
Topics for each Case Study are as follows:
Case Study 1: (due October 5, hard copy)
Question 1:
Starting August 26, keep a tabulation of all trips and every trip you make up to September 30, using the format
below. Perform any statistical computations to draw conclusions from the data you presented.
Mode/s of Approximate Total

Purpose of Start End
Date Time Origin Destination transportation distance/s travel
the trip time time
used traveled time
(You may add additional rows for multiple travels within a single day.)
Question 2:
Describe the transportation system in your local city/municipality, their ways of traffic management, planning
and enforcement, implementation of traffic policies, comprehensive land use plan for transportation and other
future expansions, and anything that relates or might produce traffic. How can you relate these policies to the
existing traffic conditions in your local city/municipality? As a future civil engineer, what measures can you
propose to improve traffic in heavily-congested areas?
Case Study 2: (due November 9, hard copy)

This is an activity that needs to be done in group (around 8-9 members).
Select an intersection around the city of Manila and conduct traffic surveys under a reasonable amount of time.
Using assumed values of driver perception-reaction time and yellow signals (3 secs), design an appropriate traffic
signaling scheme for your chosen intersection. Also, propose a specific process of channelization to prioritize
specific traffic streams and to elevate existing highway LOS.
Case Study 2: (due December 27, hard copy)

The Plan Movilidad de Urbana (Urban Mobility Plan, or PMU) of the city of Barcelona 2013-18, was an ambitious
plan of the local government of Barcelona in Spain, to alleviate heavy pollution in the city by transforming its
city blocks to superilles or superblocks. Superblocks allow the city officials to “take back” streets from car users
to pedestrians, in turn, identify no-car zones in the city and then re-mapping the whole area by placing
restrictions when and how vehicles move around it. You can read more about PMU here.
Recent studies about the PMU, such as this infographic video made by Vox, proved that superblocks were quite
effective for some cities, like Barcelona itself. For Case Study 2, study the procedures of implementation of the
PMU and explore if these strategies can be applied to your home city/municipality. Provide pictures, maps, or
land use plans to further support/disown your claim. You may also use our previously discussed topics in this
case study.
Page 3

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Technological University of the Philippines

Ayala Blvd., Ermita, Manila 1000

CE 415: Transportation Engineering

Additional Information and Resources

Mode/s of Approximate Total

Case Study 2: (due November 9, hard copy)

Case Study 2: (due December 27, hard copy)

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