Traffic/ Road Engineering
Traffic
engineering is a
branch of
civil engineering
that uses
engineering
techniques to
achieve the safe and
efficient movement
of people and goods.
It focuses mainly on
research and
construction of the
immobile
infrastructure
necessary for this
movement, such as
roads,
railway
tracks,
bridges,
traffic signs
and
traffic lights.
Increasingly
however, instead of
building additional
infrastructure,
dynamic elements are
also introduced into
road traffic
management (they
have long been used
in rail transport).
These use sensors to
measure traffic
flows and automatic,
interconnected
guidance systems
(for example traffic
signs which open a
lane in different
directions depending
on the time of day)
to manage traffic,
especially in peak
hours.
Road safety engineering is a branch of traffic engineering that deals with reducing the frequency and severity of crashes. It uses physics and vehicle dynamics, as well as road user psychology and human factors engineering, to reduce the influence of factors that contribute to crashes.
