property ptared, 'ht' \ldC'O camera will allow nara robe collected stmultaneouslv

on multiple approaches ,m.! for Ilml:iple movements on a single approach.

Data Collection
The manual

5"

o! datu collccticn i~
presented

here and assumes no

c'(ial
equipment i-, 11><'11It IS irrpon"lll 10understand tha: if sunultaneo.rs measuremenr of delays on nlllilipk "pp.oadles-{)r
for multiple moves wllhin arl

approach

method

is needed. II...n ""Jiliple ..h....rvers or a \ .deotaping device is necessary

Visit the sill.' to det eruune the best observation points

and tune for observations.
As in all darn-gathering
cfrc'l1<. Ih ... observer should ascertain the bes. urnof day 10 collect Ih., ,1.11.1 U,uall}; a delay SHldy is associ.uvd wllh Ill,' peak
hour fOT the intersection. fOl ,i particular a:lproaeh 10 <In tnrersecuon, or for
a nearby major tralfk generaror ;\ turning-movement count. or snmla: Ir~f-

fie volume infouuation.

2.

liMy

be needed prior

to

executing the delav 'Iudy.

Collect and record the data.

Before collecting the dora, the ,!naIY'1 must decide which Idne~ 01 Idll ....
groups should be measured, Tho! IIC:"" rN'ollni.ll" lane groups as Ole group
of lam,', on an approach lrom which driven can complete Ih~ , arue move
during the ~~JUC ~i)(11ill phase. f'01 example, a IW(I-Iane approarl, ro all
lruerserrtrm Ihal IM\ .1 ,!t'ctiC.ll."d left-rum lane and a combined through
and right-turn lone would IMY'; the delay eerenntned scpHraldy for each
lime. However, il two lane approa(h composed (If n cornhined I('frrlll" .ind
rhrou~
lane and d combmcd right-turn and through lane-s-all corurolled
by a single phJsl~l\
eonstdered IU be a lane' g101l1).. ud would warrant "
single d('lay dercrminauon
fur lh .. enrt-c lane group once rhc .lII.,IY'I has
idcntifled all of the lane jlmlll" for all of the approaches,delay lntormauon
em be rollectctl for each
As an (,XdlllPIc, IWO lanes will be studied: J) a kfHum lane with a dedi
cared lett-turn phas ....urd 2) a combined lhrough and rtghHllnJ lillie. Bnrh
lanes need nOI II<"on the same approach 10 111<'intersection, although cl.llil
collection i~
easier II IhC'y .rre on the same approach.
Tht procedure lor cotlerrton of rhe: data is quill' simple. V~illf>a fifteen-sec
ond time interval, the number of vehicles stopped on rile laue group is
recorded. llMI is . llIla recording fOl this PlU"PQS(,assumes Ih~1 rarh of the
<lopped velncies has bceu stopped or delayed for fifteen seconds. Some
vehicles will be coumed more than once if they are stO;.>vcd fur more Ihan
one interval, nIb b dll.t.'plalJle.

24

veh iclc Delay Study

strnulraneouslv

using a one-minute

recording interval,

the

l11J111be-)"
of

vehicles using the lane group on rhe approach=-and whether they l)1US:
Stup or uot-h also recorded. Assumiug that all vehicles whic.'1IJ111~tstop is
approximately fiftv percent. the procedure should continue unri. a mini
mum of 350 vehicles are observed eurenng the iniersccrion via this lane
group. The Iorm on page 27, or one n:' similar design, may hI' used 10 record
the findings. Also, it !Day be helpful to have two observers per lane or lane
group, with nile cnllening the delay tnformarion ~11i1 0.1]1' collccung ihc volume tnformation.

J.

Check the data before leaving the field.

The columns should be quickly sununed and the average dda)' computed
before leaving the field. 'rnese computations ,\~11be checked later during
the analysis phase but are computed here in order to check rhar the collected data is reasonable.

Data Analysis
L

Summarize

field data.

1'0 summarize the data, add each of r1,,' rotumns as

W~~don ..

on rhe example data collection fonn. This should be done as a preliminary in the field, if
possible. so that any anomalies can be revealed. Be aware th~1 the surumatlon of vehicle delays and the toral volume may not coincide, since uiev are
two entirely different data items. The delay data may reflect vehicles ~ha~

were delayed more than one Interval. thus counted more 1J1an once,
whereas the volume numbers rencet each vcbicle counted once and only
once.

2.

Calculate

total and average control delay.

Several catculauons are needed.Pust, the total dday observed is l...k.ulaterl.

Tins value is siruply tll.: number of delay 1ntC'I""315
rnnlnplied by fifteen .. :conds. For the example. this is 154 x 15 = 2) J 0 vehtrle-seconds of dclaj,
One vl"hirlr<rcQnl1 of dl"lay is one vehicl .. delaved for nne second.
The total delav divided by the (oral number of vehicles delayed equals the
averag .. delay per stopped vehicle. Fnr the example data t:I11sis 2310/233 9.9 second, per vehicle. This value inwcu:es how JOll!.1a vehicle is delayed if
it is .required LO stop on the approarh. It is Hut used to determine the Level
of scrvtce for the approach.
Tilt ~vnag" delay IJI.'I vehicle is computed by <lividing the total delay hy the
total volume. geM procedure rnuluplies this \laJI1~h)' 0.9,0 compensate

Vehicle Delay Study

25

fur ~iillJVliut: error; A concctioa Iauor io, added TO arcoum fUI 1]1<, df<tci Dr
the average oUIII,"'r of \('''ick~ 1)(OCCsseJ per cycle, And. ,1dJU>(l1l~'rll' arc
made for accelerarlon and deceleration time The reader i, 1.. 1~1,,,1 [01111'"
HeM lor further explanauon of trns method,

A very dose ar'Hoxlllldti.1n 01 the values obtained by the HeM procedure is

calcu.ared h~ ,1;\';<I;I1!:IhC' [mal ~ro(,I)f~Jdelay by .he total volume and mullip:)'lOg the result by 1.3 Fur 'he example dara, rhl' l~ (2310;.109)(1
3) 7.3 seconds pel vehrcle. 'fhl~ is the value .,,"(.! w idenliCy I)", lnt) of

Often,

Iraffir.

hy rhe

Service enrnnnrcred

the percentage

uf total

volume

delayed

is computed

to

provide

Insight tnro what pornon of the rraffic is roreed to .HOp ar rhe tnrerserrton.
For Illt' example data. Ihl) i) 2331409 - 0.5701 57%,

3,

Compare calculated delays to Highway Capacity

Manual Level of Service limits,
11u: Level uf Sl'Jvil': i> ,kll'uuiucd by rhe average ronrrol dd.l} per vehicle,
using the Highwa) (dJ),l(irv Manual limits for each 1.4"C'lof SCT\IU' U)ing
the tollowing table, Ih(' example approach operating durlng Ih e ol)~~IVII
rton (>C'ri(l(1,11 , ,I ,l'wmh uf delay per vehicle I~ at Level-of-Service A.

-l. HeM

Levels of Service

Level uf Service

Ccutrol Delay ('cr Vehicle, sec

.;

II

0.0

10 I 1020.0

201 (0)50

); I 1055.0

H,11080.0

4,

Summarize and draw

>80.0

onclusions.

At this point, il b irllpurliUl I 10 summarize what the siully has revealed and
,,1Jo I it has not revealed. II all of the intersertion's lane grOllp~ have been
studied, then the results ~hould be presented gr<tphically 1.0 1.,cllil;lIl' <In
uuderstandlng of Ih~ir uuc raction. This rype of preseutarlou will irnrnedlately idcuLify rnose ponion ~ of rh .. intersection
that ale SlJrf~ring, and it
will allow the uaIlic engin eer 10 determine it the signal is perforrn.in!! as
intended. If desired. d \Vcla:) ned average of me average- cld.ty per vehicle ra n
be computed to ldenn!), an overall t cvel of SCIVicefor the lntersectlon. This

26

Vehicle Delay Study

Vehicle Delay
Data Collection Form
___________

Approach.

01.15"1\"1,:

________

Date:

Tillie

weather:

inn-

p", iuu;

Vehicles Delayed
I

-I)

'~olun,es

-~5

+JII

+60

No Delay

Delayed

TQI~I

,I
I

:
I

Tot.]

Vehicle DeJay Study

27

value means hu,e. however. since the panern allJ quality of I.ows are what
is of interest.
Srvernl questions should be addressed with the fi,]diJlg;. They include put
are nOl limirert ro:

How does this inrersecrlon's performance compare :0 ,'CSI of the system's performance?
(an things improve ar rhi> localion.'
Should [here be an ongoing delay study
"ptevenrivc uraintenancc" program?

1)(

this Iocation as part of a

The question or capacity of the Imersecuon is inrcnnonallv mnlttcd I'ro111

the previous lisr I}r questions. Capacity (all be determined by measuring
>~llJldliOIl Dow rates, as exp'alned elsewhere in [his manual. and it low
Level ot Servire (au mdicatc

II capacity

ckfici.:I)I'Y,

However; the

observer

should refrain from drawing conclustons l'egurlill!l t'ap.lily from ].cv(;(.of'Service

OhS('JValjOIl~,

Vehicle Dela.y Study

29

Vehicle Delay
Datil Collet tiun Form
Miller.

ApproJch
OdIC:

rep I

4:00 PM-

1,<,; ... 1.

voturnes

Vehicles Delayed
, IJ

~30

.,..43

.2

.5

3
3

J!

1
0

.5

0
5

.5

.f0
1.5

4:0<;1

4:10

5
0

4:11

.5

.5

4:1.2

4:14

.5
4
0

1
.f
0

5ttbIOI"J

37

40

33

44

l'ime

4:00
4:01
4:02
4:0.5
4:04
4:05
4:06
4:0r
4:08

4:15

,,,,.1

30

Tim,'

,$/(If''!.lfL-

WCd,lIel

20

1.

Vehicle Delay Study

+60

1
.3
0
5
0

Nt) l)cldY

Tut

al

14

23

37

15

16

1.5
15

fO

7
26
22

19

26
54

12
21

8
6
.f
19
fO
3

"

22

28

15

Ir

58

f 1

49

.5

.21

26

8
2
0

Ild",~c<l

1.54

233

25
2f

1r6

28
.f2
I

34
22
24-

409