Estimating PCU of Unconventional Modes of Transport

Abstract

Passenger Car Unit (PCU) is one of the fundamental measures in traffic engineering representing the impact a vehicle has on a road. Several major calculations in traffic, such as, capacity analysis, density determination, signal timing, etc. require conversion of traffic data into PUC. In most cases, the PCU values of conventional vehicles, such as, various kinds of trucks, buses, motorcycles, etc. are already determined by the related agencies of government. However, in the context of developing countries, a substantial part of the traffic comprise of unconventional modes of transport (UCM). Being a developing city, Dhaka city also accommodates various UCM, such as, leguna, auto-rickshaw, easy bike, etc. This study calculates the PCU values of these modes using both Speed-Data analysis method and Headway analysis method. Moreover, by calculating the Standard Deviation from these methods, the discrepancy from average value calculated in different methods are also determined. The average PCU for auto-rickshaw using speed-data analysis method is calculated as 0.828 and from headway analysis method it is calculated as 0.642. Also the average PCU of leguna is calculated as 1.31 (speed-data analysis method) and 1.49 (headway analysis method). The difference of results using two different methods is due to inappropriate headway compared to the road conditions. This dissertation will cover the overall procedure in finding the PCU, considering that these modes of transport play a vital role in the transportation system. Along with this, important problems are also mentioned and the difference of results obtained from different methods is showed. The reasons for the difference in PCU values are described briefly. Due to governmental jurisdictions it was not possible to take data from every roads. However, this research has huge potential in contributing to future road analysis by different organizations.