Traffic Engineering: Traffic Flow, Capacity, Intersection Design and Traffic Impact Assessment – Dubai, 8–12 Mar 2027

Programme overview

Introduction:

Traffic engineering decisions in municipalities are often taken on judgement alone: a new mall is approved without checking what its trips do to the next junction, a roundabout is chosen where a signalised junction would carry more queues, and roadworks close a lane at the peak hour. This Core Concept course gives authority engineers a numeric method to count and analyse traffic flow, test capacity and level of service, design and time junctions, and assess the traffic impact of new developments. Participants build a Traffic Impact Assessment and Junction Capacity Report for a development site.

Course Objectives:

• Plan and run classified turning counts, speed surveys and queue length surveys that produce design-hour volumes
• Calculate flow, speed and density relationships and identify bottlenecks on urban links and approaches
• Assess capacity, volume-to-capacity ratio and level of service for priority junctions, roundabouts and signalised junctions using HCM concepts
• Select and lay out the right junction control and prepare a fixed-time signal plan with pedestrian clearance and phase sequence
• Prepare a traffic impact assessment for a development covering trip generation, distribution, assignment, parking demand and mitigation
• Review pedestrian, cyclist, road safety and roadworks traffic management proposals submitted to the authority

Target Audience:

• Municipal engineering staff who design and approve junction layouts and road markings
• Development control engineers who review traffic studies submitted with planning applications
• Transport planning staff who prepare corridor and network traffic studies
• Traffic operations staff who maintain fixed-time signal plans and junction performance
• Consultant engineers who prepare traffic impact reports for public and private developments
• Roadworks permit staff who check temporary traffic management plans

Course Outline:

Day 1: Traffic Flow Fundamentals and Traffic Data Collection

• Flow, Space Mean Speed and Density: The Fundamental Diagram
• Peak Hour Factor, Design-Hour Volume and Passenger Car Equivalents
• Classified Turning Movement Counts: Manual Tally Sheets and Video Counts
• Spot Speed Surveys and the 85th Percentile Speed Method
• Queue Length, Delay and Origin-Destination Survey Design

Day 2: Capacity and Level of Service Using HCM Concepts

• Highway Capacity Manual Structure, Facility Types and Level of Service A to F
• Saturation Flow Rate and Lane Group Adjustment Factors
• Volume-to-Capacity Ratio and Control Delay Calculation Worksheet
• Unsignalised Priority Junction Capacity: Gap Acceptance and Critical Headway
• Urban Street and Multilane Link Level of Service Assessment

Day 3: Intersection Design, Junction Control and Fixed-Time Signal Plans

• Junction Control Selection Matrix: Priority, Roundabout or Traffic Signals
• Roundabout Geometry: Entry Deflection, Yield-at-Entry and Capacity Checks in ARCADY or SIDRA Intersection
• NEMA Phasing Diagram and Phase Sequence for Conflicting Movements
• Fixed-Time Signal Plan: Critical Lane Volumes, Green Apportionment and Intergreen Periods
• Pedestrian Walk and Flashing Clearance Timing and Green Wave Progression Between Adjacent Junctions

Day 4: Traffic Impact Assessment, Parking and Active Travel

• Traffic Impact Assessment Scoping: Study Area, Horizon Years and Assessment Scenarios
• Trip Generation Rates, Trip Distribution and Network Assignment Spreadsheet
• Parking Demand Estimation, Parking Accumulation Surveys and Access Layout
• Pedestrian Crossing, Footway Width and Cycle Lane Design Checks
• Mitigation Options Appraisal: Junction Upgrades, Access Changes and Travel Plans

Day 5: Safety, Roadworks Traffic Management and the Development Case

• Road Safety Audit Stages and High-Crash Location Review at Overview
• Temporary Traffic Management Layouts: Lane Closures, Taper Lengths and Signing Schedules
• Traffic Microsimulation at Overview: Calibration, Validation and When to Use It
• Mixed-Use Development Case: Junction Capacity Model Build with Base and Future Scenarios
• Traffic Impact Assessment and Junction Capacity Report Drafting and Peer Review

Skills You Will Gain:

• Traffic Survey Design
• Traffic Flow Analysis
• Junction Capacity Analysis
• Level of Service Assessment
• Signal Phasing Design
• Trip Generation Modelling
• Parking Demand Estimation
• Temporary Traffic Management Review

Why Attend This Course:

• Return with a Traffic Impact Assessment and Junction Capacity Report that can be used as a template for the next development application
• Challenge consultants' traffic studies by checking their counts, trip rates, capacity results and mitigation against a clear method
• Explain to planning committees and managers why a junction will fail or work, using volume-to-capacity ratio, delay and queue length
• Work through junction and development cases with engineers from municipalities, road authorities and consultancies

Conclusion:

Traffic engineering turns counts into decisions: how much a junction can carry, which control suits it, how long each green should be and what a new development will add to the network. The week moves from flow theory and surveys through capacity and level of service, junction layout and fixed-time signal plans, then into traffic impact assessment, parking and active travel, road safety, roadworks and microsimulation. On the final day participants model a development case and complete a Traffic Impact Assessment and Junction Capacity Report.