Influence of vehicular interaction on PCU values

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to determine the influence of vehicular interaction on passenger car unit (PCU) values. The capacity of vehicles under homogeneous and heterogeneous traffic conditions was studied. The capacity of cars for a two-lane road under homogeneous stream was found to be 3920 vehicles/h and under heterogeneous stream it was 3645 vehicles/h. The limitation of the PCU values defined in the Highway Capacity Manual is explained. The results of the present study showed that for buses, sports utility vehicles and motorcycles, the PCU values, expressed as a function of volume-to-capacity ratio, varied from 1·4 to 3·3, 1·2 to 2·25 and 0·25 to 1·3, respectively. The PCU values found in this study were influenced by the volume-to-capacity ratio. The values found herein are recommended for use in the analysis and design of traffic engineering facilities for similar traffic conditions to those of the present study.