250+ TOP MCQs on Travel Time and Delay Studies and Answers

Traffic Engineering Multiple Choice Questions on “Travel Time and Delay Studies”.

1. The total time of travel, including stop and delay, to travel from one point of a section to another under existing traffic condition is called __________
a) Operational delay
b) Travel time
c) Fixed delay
d) Approach delay
Answer: d
Clarification: The total time of travel, including stop and delay, to travel from one point of a section to another under existing traffic condition is called Travel time. There are various techniques to determine travel time. Some of them are floating car method, average speed method, and elevated observation method.

2. What is the purpose of a Travel Time and Delay Study?
a) To assess the quality of traffic movement
b) To assess the time taken to travel by various vehicles
c) To evaluate the traffic stream
d) For survey data
Answer: a
Clarification: To assess the quality of traffic movement along a roadway and to determine the traffic delays, using a test vehicle, is the purpose of a Travel Time and Delay Study.

3. In which of the following cases Travel Time and Delay Study is not used?
a) To compare operational conditions before and after enhancements have been made
b) To compare operational inadequacies in each project
c) To monitor LOS of road
d) To compare the design width of the road in each condition
Answer: d
Clarification: Travel Time and Delay Study is used to compare operational conditions before and after enhancements have been made, to compare operational inadequacies in each project, and to monitor LOS of road.

4. Which of the following is not a method for obtaining travel time and delay studies?
a) Floating car method
b) Average speed method
c) Interview method
d) Spot speed method
Answer: d
Clarification: Spot speed method is not a method for obtaining travel time and delay studies. It is a method which helps us to determine the geometry of superelevation and horizontal and vertical curves.

5. In which of the following methods given below does the observer travels and makes a round trip along a test section in a traffic stream?
a) Floating car method
b) Average speed method
c) Spot speed method
d) License plate method
Answer: b
Clarification: In Average speed method the observer travels and makes a round trip along a test section in a traffic stream. In this method, the driver drives the test car at an average speed of the test route and the time taken to complete that distance is noted.

6. Which given formula gives the volume of traffic in westbound direction?
a) qw = (ma+mo-mp)/(ta+tw)
b) qw = (ma+mo-mp)/(ta-tw)
c) qw = (ma-mo-mp)/(ta+tw)
d) qw = (ma+mo+mp)/(ta+tw)
Answer: a
Clarification: qw = (ma+mo-mp)/(ta+tw), is the formula that gives the volume of traffic in westbound direction. Here, qw = volume of traffic in westbound direction, ma = number of vehicle travelling east in opposite lane, mo = number of vehicles that overtake the test car, mp = number of vehicles that the test car passes when it is travelling westwards, ta = time taken to travel to east and tw = time taken to travel to west.

7. In which method a test vehicle is selected at random?
a) Elevated observation method
b) Average speed method
c) License plate method
d) Floating car method
Answer: a
Clarification: Elevated observation method is a Travel Time and Delay Study method which selects a test vehicle at random. Here observation is done from a high building or an elevated point from where the whole test route is clearly visible.

8. Photographic method is suitable only for long test sections.
a) True
b) False
Answer: b
Clarification: The statement, “Photographic method is suitable only for long test sections” is false. “Photographic method is suitable only for short test sections’’ is the true statement. It is useful for the study of the interrelationship between speeds, spacing, acceleration rates, merging and crossing manoeuvres, etc.

9. Which travel time and delay study method is usually adopted in a farm or an establishment?
a) Photographic method
b) Elevated observation method
c) License plate method
d) Interview method
Answer: d
Clarification: Interview method is usually adopted large quantity of material is required in limited time and at little cost for field observation. These are preferably conducted where there is a farm or an establishment. Employees are asked to document their travel time to and from work.

10. Average travel time in westbound direction is obtained from which of the given formula?
a) tw(avg) = tw-((mo-mp)/qw)
b) tw(avg) = tw+((mo-mp)/qw)
c) tw(avg) = tw-((mo-mp)+qw)
d) tw(avg) = tw-((mo+mp)/qw)
Answer: a
Clarification: Average travel time in westbound direction is obtained from,
tw(avg) = tw-((mo-mp)/qw)
where, tw(avg) = Average travel time in westbound direction
mo = number of vehicles that overtake the test car
mp = number of vehicles that the test car passes when it is travelling westwards
tw = time taken to travel to the west.

11. Which method is applicable for under saturated signalized intersection?
a) Highway Capacity Manual 2000
b) Photographic method
c) License plate method
d) Elevated observation method
Answer: a
Clarification: Highway Capacity Manual 2000 is travel time and delay study method which is applicable for under saturated signalized intersection. Queue buildup in over-saturated conditions makes the method unfeasible.

12. What is the correct order of procedure in a License plate method?
a) Portable computer, Manual, Video with manual transcription, Video with character recognition
b) Manual, Portable computer, Video with manual transcription, Video with character recognition
c) Video with manual transcription, Video with character recognition, Portable computer, Manual
d) Video with manual transcription, Video with character recognition, Manual, Portable computer
Answer: b
Clarification: The correct order of procedure in a License plate method is Manual, Portable computer, Video with manual transcription, Video with character recognition. This method is employed where only overall speed value is needed.