University Of New South Wales
Sustainable Transport and Highway Engineering
CVEN2401
Iowa State Course Substitution
Principles of Transportation Engineering
C E 355
Course Info
International Credits:
6.0
Converted Credits:
4.0
Country:
Australia
Language:
English
Course Description:
COURSE DETAILS
Units of Credit 6
Contact hours 5 hours per week
Class Monday, 13:00 – 15:00
Tuesday, 15:00 – 16:00
Matthews Theatre A
Sir John Clancy Auditorium
Workshops Tuesday, 16:00 – 18:00 http://www.timetable.unsw.edu.au/current/CVEN2401.html
Course
Coordinator and
Lecturer
Dr Lauren Gardner
email: l.gardner@unsw.edu.au
office: CE112
Lecturer
PTA
Dr Kasun Wijayaratna
email: k.wijayaratna@unsw.edu.au
office: CE111
Divya Jayakumar Nair, d.jayakumarnair@unsw.edu.au
INFORMATION ABOUT THE COURSE
This is the first introductory course into the discipline of transport engineering as part of the broad field of civil and
environmental engineering. An outline of the field of transport engineering and its relationships with other engineering
and non-engineering disciplines is provided within the course. The basic concepts and terminology of the discipline is
introduced. The course comprises of two strands.
The first strand of the course covers the first 6 weeks of the session. This section of the course is concerned with the
analysis, design and evaluation of traffic and network systems, including basics of traffic flow theory and the steps of
the regional transport planning process. The lectures and workshops will provide an opportunity to learn engineering
properties of traffic streams along with relevant measurement and network analysis techniques.
The aim of the second strand is to give students a brief overview of the geometric design of Rural Highways and
Roads, which will be covered in weeks 7-12. Road design is usually undertaken by specialists under the supervision
of a civil engineer. The engineer must therefore have a good understanding of the design methods and the quality
requirements to enable him/her to evaluate the design. The progress of the project work will be noted by the
demonstrators. The design strategies being taught are based on the Austroads Road Design Guide.
HANDBOOK DESCRIPTION
See link to virtual handboo:
http://www.handbook.unsw.edu.au/undergraduate/courses/2017/CVEN2401.html
OBJECTIVES
The first strand is expected to develop skills related to the analysis of traffic and transport systems. Topics include:
overview of the transport task, trends in motorization, sustainable transport, motorized and non-motorized transport,
traffic flow fundamentals, definitions and concepts related to land use and transport systems; prediction methods of
future transport demand; modeling and evaluation of transport systems; transport operations and traffic management.
CVEN2401 – Semester 1, 2017– Course Profile - 2
• Understand components of the field of transport engineering.
• Learn the basic terminology of transport and traffic engineering practice.
• Learn urban transport planning concepts adopted by planning agencies and Roads and Traffic Authorities.
• Learn management methods related to road network systems.
The second strand is expected to develop skills related to highway design. Topics include: introduction to road design,
route location process, design practice of urban and rural roads. During the course we will:
• Introduce the basic principles of road geometric design.
• Explain the methods of geometric design including horizontal and vertical alignment design and design of
cross-sections as well as earthwork volume calculations.
TEACHING STRATEGIES
The following teaching strategies will be used in the course:
Private Study Review lecture material and textbooks
Do set problems and assignments
Use Moodle for discussions
Download class notes from Moodle if not collected during classes
Reflect on class problems and assignments
Lectures Find out what you must learn
See methods that are not in the textbook
Follow worked examples
Hear announcements on course changes
Workshops Be guided by demonstrators
Practice solving set problems
Work with peers to apply theoretical concepts within realistic design scenarios
Ask questions
Assessments Demonstrate your knowledge and skills
Demonstrate higher understanding and problem solving
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
A successful study of the first strand will enable students to
• Explain relationships between fundamental traffic flow parameters;
• Describe basics of transport modeling concepts;
• Calculation methods related to each step of the four step planning process;
• Calculate trip generation;
• Calculate trip distribution and mode choice
• Calculations methods related to traffic assignment;
• Route choice calculations;
• Perform computational evaluations of network traffic management methods;
• Evaluate the transport system conditions based on demand forecast.
By successfully completing the second strand of this course students will be able to
• Develop horizontal and vertical alignments for simple road sections on different types of terrain;
• Evaluate the alignment design according to various design criteria;
• Design cross-sections appropriate for various types of roads;
• Calculate the earthwork volumes of a designed road section;
• Present and document a road design in a standard format;
• Prepare technical reports that explain the road design process and detailed calculations;
• Use design software to analyse and create road alignments.
For each hour of contact it is expected that a student will put in at least 1.5 hours of private study.
CVEN2401 – Semester 1, 2017– Course Profile - 3
ASSESSMENT
The final grade for this course will be based on the sum of the scores from the assignments and the final examination.
For the values of the single components see the table below:
Strand Assessment Weighting Assessment Criteria
1
Weekly
Moodle
Quizzes
(Weeks 1-5)
5%
Weekly online quizzes will be administered via Moodle. The
Moodle quizzes will be based on the material covered in lectures
and workshops. The quizzes will cover the material presented on
Monday and Tuesday of that week. The Moodle quizzes will be
open book, and are intended to help prepare the students for the
mid-session quiz and final exam. The weekly assessments also
provide a means for continuous assessment and feedback for
students throughout Strand 1. The questions will be marked
based on technical accuracy.
There will be 5 quizzes in total, one administered every week
(between Week 1 and Week 5) which will be accessible for a 30
hour period immediately succeeding the workshop (6:00PM
Tuesday - 11:59PM Wednesday). Failure to complete a quiz
within the accessible time period will result in a mark of zero. The
performance in each quiz will contribute to 1% of the final grade.
1
Mid-session
Exam 20%
A mid-session exam will be administered in the Week 6
Workshop. The quiz will cover Strand 1 material (Week 1 to Week
5 Lectures), and is intended to assess student’s knowledge of the
expected learning outcomes, prepare students for the final exam,
and discourage last minute cramming. The quiz will be assessed
on technical accuracy.
Failure to attend the mid-session exam will result in a mark of
zero. Students who miss the assessment as a result of illness or
unforeseen circumstances must apply for special considerations
through the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and
contact the course-coordinator. The performance in the midsession
exam will contribute to 20% of the final grade.
2
Design
Assignment 25%
Strand 2 will be assessed through a group design assignment
which will be made available to students at the beginning of Week
7 (April 10) and will be due at the end of Week 13 (May 26th).
Students are expected to work in teams of 2 or 3, and apply the
theoretical knowledge gained during lectures and workshops to
complete a preliminary road design using the Infraworks360
design software, in a realistic context. Students must submit a
technical report detailing the design calculations and associated
technical drawings. The design assignment will assess the
expected learning outcomes in a practical setting and expose
students to software used in industry. The assignment will be
assessed based on technical accuracy, clarity in reporting and
presentation.
A late penalty of 10% per day will apply for failure to submit the
assignment by the stated due date. Any reports submitted 7 or
more days after the deadline will receive a mark of zero. The
performance in the design assignment will contribute to 25% of
the final grade.
CVEN2401 – Semester 1, 2017– Course Profile - 4
Strand Assessment Weighting Assessment Criteria
1 & 2 Final Exam 50%
A 2-hour closed-book final exam will be administered at the end of
the semester. The exam will be cumulative (covering both Strand
1 and Strand 2 material), and intended to assess the student’s
knowledge of the material covered throughout the entire course.
The exam questions (and weighting) will be evenly split between
the two strands of the courses. The exam will be assessed on
technical accuracy.
The performance in the final exam will contribute to 50% of the
final grade. In order to pass the course, a student MUST achieve
a mark greater than 40% in the final exam to demonstrate a
holistic understanding of the course material. If below a 40% is
scored on the Final Exam, the final exam mark will replace your
course mark.
Students who perform poorly in the assignment and workshops are recommended to discuss progress with the
lecturer during the semester. The lecturer reserves the right to adjust the final scores by scaling if agreed to by the
Head of School.
The pass mark in this course is 50% overall, however, students must score at least 40% in the final examination in
order to qualify for a Pass in this course. If below a 40% is scored on the Final Exam, the final exam mark will replace
your course mark. Please note that passing of all course components is required to pass the subject.
CVEN2401 – Semester 1, 2017– Course Profile - 5
COURSE PROGRAM - LECTURES
Week Date Topic
Strand 1: Taught by Dr Lauren Gardner
1 Monday, 27 February Introduction to Transport Systems and Planning
1 Tuesday, 28 February The 4-Step Urban Transport Planning Model
2 Monday, 6 March Traffic Flow Theory
2 Tuesday, 7 March Traffic Flow Theory
3 Monday, 13 March Queuing Theory
3 Tuesday, 14 March Trip Generation
4 Monday, 20 March Destination Choice
4 Tuesday, 21 March Mode Choice
5 Monday, 27 March Mode Choice
5 Tuesday, 28 March Route Choice
6 Monday, 3 April Project Selection
6 * Tuesday, 4 April Applications of Traffic Planning
Strand 2: Taught by Dr Kasun Wijararatna
7 Monday, 10 April Introduction into road design, route location
7 Tuesday, 11 April Speed parameters
Monday, 17 April Mid Semester Break
Tuesday, 18 April Mid Semester Break
8 Monday, 24 April Horizontal alignment
8 Tuesday, 25 April No Lecture
9 Monday, 1 May Horizontal alignment
9 Tuesday, 2 May Horizontal alignment
10 Monday, 8 May Vertical alignment
10 Tuesday, 9 May Vertical alignment
11 Monday, 15 May Vertical alignment
11 Tuesday, 16 May Cross sections
12 Monday, 22 May Cross sections
12 Tuesday, 23 May Earth works
13 Monday, 29 May No Lecture
13 Tuesday, 30 May Earth works
* Mid-session Exam
CVEN2401 – Semester 1, 2017– Course Profile - 6
COURSE PROGRAM - WORKSHOPS
Week Date Topic Weekly Assessment
Stream 1 – Traffic Engineering and Planning
1 Tuesday, 28 February Transport Planning Moodle Quiz 1: (1%)
2 Tuesday, 7 March Estimation of speed flow characteristics Moodle Quiz 2: (1%)
3 Tuesday, 14 March Queuing theory and Trip Generation Moodle Quiz 3: (1%)
4 Tuesday, 21 March Trip Distribution and Mode Choice Moodle Quiz 4: (1%)
5 Tuesday, 28 March Traffic Assignment Moodle Quiz 5: (1%)
6 Tuesday, 4 April Mid-session Exam (20%)
7 Tuesday, 11 April Introduction to Infraworks360 and Assessing
Existing Conditions
Road Design Assignment Brief
Released: 10/4/17
Stream 2 – Geometric Design
Break Tuesday, 18 April Mid semester break
8 Tuesday, 25 April No Workshop – Anzac Day
9 Tuesday, 2 May Horizontal Alignment
10 Tuesday, 9 May Vertical Alignment
11 Tuesday, 16 May Cross-Sections and Earthworks
12 Tuesday, 23 May Completing a Preliminary Road Design Road Design Assignment
(25%): Due 26/5/2017
13 Tuesday, 30 May Review Workshop
RELEVANT RESOURCES
All required reading will be provided in the form of lecture notes. Recommended reading (available in the library):
Copies of class notes are available at the Moodle site for this course: http://teaching.unsw.edu.au/elearning
Principles of Highway Engineering and Traffic Analysis, Revised Edition/ Fred L. Mannering, Scott S.
Washburn, Walter P. Kilareski
Modelling Transport, Fourth Edition/Juan de Dios Ortúzar, Luis G. Willumsen
o Comments: Modelling Transport, Fourth Edition is Published Online:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/book/10.1002/9781119993308
DATES TO NOTE
Refer to MyUNSW for Important Dates available at:
https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/resources/KeyDates.html
PLAGIARISM
Beware! An assignment that includes plagiarised material will receive a 0% Fail, and students who plagiarise may fail
the course. Students who plagiarise are also liable to disciplinary action, including exclusion from enrolment.
Plagiarism is the use of another person’s work or ideas as if they were your own. When it is necessary or desirable to
use other people’s material you should adequately acknowledge whose words or ideas they are and where you found
them (giving the complete reference details, including page number(s)). The Learning Centre provides further
information on what constitutes Plagiarism at:
https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism
CVEN2401 – Semester 1, 2017– Course Profile - 7
ACADEMIC ADVICE
(Formerly known as Common School Information)
For information about:
Notes on assessments and plagiarism,
School policy on Supplementary exams,
Special Considerations,
Solutions to Problems,
Year Managers and Grievance Officer of Teaching and Learning Committee, and
CEVSOC.
Refer to Academic Advice on the School website available at:
https://www.engineering.unsw.edu.au/civil-engineering/student-resources/policies-procedures-andforms/academic-advice
Review
- Evaluation Date:
- February 26, 2018
- Evaluated:
- Jing Dong