Traffic engineering is a branch of civil engineering that applies engineering techniques to ascertain the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. It concentrates mainly on research and construction of the immobile infrastructure necessary for this movement, which includes roads, railway tracks, bridges, traffic signs and traffic lights.
Increasingly however, instead of building more 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. Also, traffic flow and speed sensors are used to fish out problems and alert operator, so that the cause of the congestion can be determined and measures can be taken to minimize delays. These systems are generically called intelligent transportation systems.
The relationship between lane flow (Q, vehicles per hour), maximum speed (V, kilometers per hour) and density (K, vehicles per kilometer) is Q = KV. Observation on limited access facilities suggests that up to a maximum flow, speed does not decline while density increases, but above a critical threshold, increased density reduces speed, and beyond a further threshold, increased density reduces flow as well.
Therefore, managing traffic density by limiting the rate that vehicles enter the highway during peak periods can keep both speeds and lane flows at bottlenecks high. Ramp meters, signals on entrance ramps that control the rate at which vehicles are allowed to enter the mainline facility, provide this function (at the expense of increased delay for those waiting at the ramps).
Highway safety engineering is a branch of traffic engineering that deals with minimizing the frequency and severity of crashes. It uses physics and vehicle dynamics, as well as road user psychology and human factors engineering, to minimize the influence of factors that add to crashes.
Traffic engineering is closely associated with other disciplines:
* Transport engineering
* Highway engineering
* Transportation planning
* Urban planning
* Human factors engineering
Monday, June 28, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
What is SEO
Search engine optimization is the activity of improving the volume and quality of real time traffic to web pages or whole sites from search engines via natural search results for targeted keywords. Most often a website that gets a higher position or ranking in the search results is the one which the searchers will visit more frequently. Therefore, it is important that a site is optimized to get real time traffic the right way to make it more search-engine friendly and get a higher rank in the search results.
Though SEO helps in boosting real time traffic to a website, it should not be considered as the marketing of the site. It may be easy for one to pay and appear in the paid search results for a set of keywords, however, the concept behind the SEO technique is to get the topmost ranking without paying since your site is relevant to the search query entered by the user.
The amount of time that can be spent on optimizing a website to get real time traffic can range from a few minutes to a long term activity. If your product or service is such that the keywords used are uncommon, then some general SEO would be sufficient to get a top rating. However, if your product or service industry is competitive or is in a saturated market, then it is important to dedicate considerable amount of time and effort for SEO. Even if one decides on simple SEO solutions, it is necessary to understand how search engine algorithms work and which items are crucial in SEO to get real time traffic.
The marketing approach that SEO adopts for increasing a site’s relevance is consideration of how search engines work and what searches are performed by users. The SEO process attempts to concentrate its efforts on a site’s coding, presentation, structuring, and also resolving issues that prevent search engine indexing program from spying a website entirely.
Additionally, SEO efforts also include inserting unique content to web pages to make it more attractive to users and also to ensure that the search engine robots can easily index the content. Optimizing a site to get real time traffic can either be done by in house personnel or outsourced to professional optimizers who carry out SEO projects as a stand-alone service, like us - SEO Traffic Spider.
Though SEO helps in boosting real time traffic to a website, it should not be considered as the marketing of the site. It may be easy for one to pay and appear in the paid search results for a set of keywords, however, the concept behind the SEO technique is to get the topmost ranking without paying since your site is relevant to the search query entered by the user.
The amount of time that can be spent on optimizing a website to get real time traffic can range from a few minutes to a long term activity. If your product or service is such that the keywords used are uncommon, then some general SEO would be sufficient to get a top rating. However, if your product or service industry is competitive or is in a saturated market, then it is important to dedicate considerable amount of time and effort for SEO. Even if one decides on simple SEO solutions, it is necessary to understand how search engine algorithms work and which items are crucial in SEO to get real time traffic.
The marketing approach that SEO adopts for increasing a site’s relevance is consideration of how search engines work and what searches are performed by users. The SEO process attempts to concentrate its efforts on a site’s coding, presentation, structuring, and also resolving issues that prevent search engine indexing program from spying a website entirely.
Additionally, SEO efforts also include inserting unique content to web pages to make it more attractive to users and also to ensure that the search engine robots can easily index the content. Optimizing a site to get real time traffic can either be done by in house personnel or outsourced to professional optimizers who carry out SEO projects as a stand-alone service, like us - SEO Traffic Spider.
Organic SEO
Today online advertising has become one of the most basic mediums to promote a business and make your presence felt in the market. The need of the hour is to draw customers to your website by creating successful campaigns coupled with unique ideas and quality products and services.
Since the concept of online business has taken a front foot in the competitive market, it is important for businesses to realize that they need to dedicate their time and efforts more towards website advertising and marketing.
You may be in a quandary as to which technique to employ for advertising your website. First, before you employ any technique to promote your site, the golden rule is to clearly define goals that you wish to achieve. This will guide you in selecting techniques more appropriately and help you maximize your results within your budget.
Regarding the techniques, there are two options that have gained a lot of popularity in the recent times. These are:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization is the activity of improving the volume and quality of real time traffic to your site by optimizing your web pages. The SEO technique involves getting the topmost ranking without paying since your site is relevant to the search query entered by the user.
Pay Per Click (PPC)
This is an advertising model which requires an advertiser to pay when a user clicks on the ad. Advertisers select keywords that they want to run on and which are relevant to their business and then bid on these keywords. Bids may vary from keyword to keyword depending on how important and relevant the keyword is for the business. The advertiser’s ad shows under the sponsored links when a user types in a search query which matches the advertiser’s keyword.
Many times some commercial websites make use of both these options simultaneously to advertise their website. This is also a smart option as it not only leads to better website exposure and visibility but also ensures a better ranking and real time traffic to your site. However, gaining a better understanding of both these methods by analyzing their pros and cons can help you gauge which technique would be more suitable for you and is in align with your business objectives.
Search Engine Optimization Pros
More Credibility – By showing on top of search results you can enjoy more credibility because real time traffic and popularity is achieved by putting in lot of time and effort. The ranking is achieved purely on the basis of quality content and relevance.
Free Placement – Unlike PPC, you do not have to pay for the clicks you receive from organic search results. Getting on the top position is a matter of how well you optimize your site in relation to your competitors. It also saves you money in the long run once the process takes off well.
Improved Website Ranking –SEO also helps you attain a better site ranking with little effort. You can also hire SEO professionals like SEO Traffic Spider who can carry out the optimization task on your behalf which will reap you the benefits in the long run.
Qualified Traffic – You can expect a good amount of qualified real time traffic to your site as a result of increased recognition of search engines.
Long Lasting Results – The results you achieve from this method are more lasting and stable. Also, it gives you a much higher return on your investment. This is because usually users tend to click on organic search results when compared to PPC ads and this brings more traffic for less.
Search Engine Optimization Cons
Time Consuming – SEO is a complicated task and requires enormous amount of time and effort to implement it the right way. Sometimes it may also require you to completely modify the structure, layout, presentation, or content of your website to make it search engine friendly and also enhance user experience.
Results May Take Time – The true impact of SEO efforts cannot be known immediately. It will not give you instant results in terms of traffic and may take some time for your site to get the desired traffic. This time gap may affect your profitability till the time you start seeing true results.
Since the concept of online business has taken a front foot in the competitive market, it is important for businesses to realize that they need to dedicate their time and efforts more towards website advertising and marketing.
You may be in a quandary as to which technique to employ for advertising your website. First, before you employ any technique to promote your site, the golden rule is to clearly define goals that you wish to achieve. This will guide you in selecting techniques more appropriately and help you maximize your results within your budget.
Regarding the techniques, there are two options that have gained a lot of popularity in the recent times. These are:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization is the activity of improving the volume and quality of real time traffic to your site by optimizing your web pages. The SEO technique involves getting the topmost ranking without paying since your site is relevant to the search query entered by the user.
Pay Per Click (PPC)
This is an advertising model which requires an advertiser to pay when a user clicks on the ad. Advertisers select keywords that they want to run on and which are relevant to their business and then bid on these keywords. Bids may vary from keyword to keyword depending on how important and relevant the keyword is for the business. The advertiser’s ad shows under the sponsored links when a user types in a search query which matches the advertiser’s keyword.
Many times some commercial websites make use of both these options simultaneously to advertise their website. This is also a smart option as it not only leads to better website exposure and visibility but also ensures a better ranking and real time traffic to your site. However, gaining a better understanding of both these methods by analyzing their pros and cons can help you gauge which technique would be more suitable for you and is in align with your business objectives.
Search Engine Optimization Pros
More Credibility – By showing on top of search results you can enjoy more credibility because real time traffic and popularity is achieved by putting in lot of time and effort. The ranking is achieved purely on the basis of quality content and relevance.
Free Placement – Unlike PPC, you do not have to pay for the clicks you receive from organic search results. Getting on the top position is a matter of how well you optimize your site in relation to your competitors. It also saves you money in the long run once the process takes off well.
Improved Website Ranking –SEO also helps you attain a better site ranking with little effort. You can also hire SEO professionals like SEO Traffic Spider who can carry out the optimization task on your behalf which will reap you the benefits in the long run.
Qualified Traffic – You can expect a good amount of qualified real time traffic to your site as a result of increased recognition of search engines.
Long Lasting Results – The results you achieve from this method are more lasting and stable. Also, it gives you a much higher return on your investment. This is because usually users tend to click on organic search results when compared to PPC ads and this brings more traffic for less.
Search Engine Optimization Cons
Time Consuming – SEO is a complicated task and requires enormous amount of time and effort to implement it the right way. Sometimes it may also require you to completely modify the structure, layout, presentation, or content of your website to make it search engine friendly and also enhance user experience.
Results May Take Time – The true impact of SEO efforts cannot be known immediately. It will not give you instant results in terms of traffic and may take some time for your site to get the desired traffic. This time gap may affect your profitability till the time you start seeing true results.
Get Traffic Online
Get Free Traffic Online?...How To Get Free Traffic Online?...What Is Free Traffic Online?...These are the common queries internet marketers must know in order to reach the top of their game. There is tons of systems out there, teaching you marketing from A to Z but often times this leads you to confusions and at the end of the day, it seems to fail you and your money making business. The real issue at hand is finding software that allows you to obtain highly targeted and traffic that converts into money with zero cost. I did a lot of research on these questions as it pertains to: Get Free Traffic Online? How to get Traffic Online? What is Free Traffic Online? And I know and understand how you desire to get targeted traffic for your websites especially with zero investment. That's why with my initiative, I decided to create new software that is free of charge.
If you want to get Traffic Online then you would typically need to do a few things such as ppc, seo, etc. These methods is costly and can be very time consuming, especially if you're doing seo work on your own. When someone first comes online to start a business, they need targeted traffic. This is what we all desire and need in order to succeed online.
Without traffic, you are not in business but just a body in space. You need to get in the game and to win at this game, it requires highly targeted, highly converting traffic and viral traffic is better. Viral traffic is traffic that exponentially grows over time and continues to grow to a point where you get so much traffic that traffic is never a problem again.
I have tried all the strategies on how to get traffic online and spend a lot of money and nothing to show for it. I needed free traffic online and needed it now, so I came up with a system that gives you what you need in the form of traffic online.
Nothing in life is free, it's either you'll spend a lot of money or consume a lot of time and I understand in these economic crisis that an investment of thousands is not the answer for most. When you see what I put together and apply the software within then you will get free traffic online that will come to you like a tidal wave out of control. That's the power of viral traffic and that's just one cool feature of many within this powerful free traffic online system.
The secret is taking action and putting your focus on a few things, typically one or two at the most. I have seen too many people get that deer in headlight look because they have too much information and no real direction on how to apply it.
Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/seo-articles/get-traffic-online-for-your-website-2030165.html#ixzz0rXTPyFxs
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
If you want to get Traffic Online then you would typically need to do a few things such as ppc, seo, etc. These methods is costly and can be very time consuming, especially if you're doing seo work on your own. When someone first comes online to start a business, they need targeted traffic. This is what we all desire and need in order to succeed online.
Without traffic, you are not in business but just a body in space. You need to get in the game and to win at this game, it requires highly targeted, highly converting traffic and viral traffic is better. Viral traffic is traffic that exponentially grows over time and continues to grow to a point where you get so much traffic that traffic is never a problem again.
I have tried all the strategies on how to get traffic online and spend a lot of money and nothing to show for it. I needed free traffic online and needed it now, so I came up with a system that gives you what you need in the form of traffic online.
Nothing in life is free, it's either you'll spend a lot of money or consume a lot of time and I understand in these economic crisis that an investment of thousands is not the answer for most. When you see what I put together and apply the software within then you will get free traffic online that will come to you like a tidal wave out of control. That's the power of viral traffic and that's just one cool feature of many within this powerful free traffic online system.
The secret is taking action and putting your focus on a few things, typically one or two at the most. I have seen too many people get that deer in headlight look because they have too much information and no real direction on how to apply it.
Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/seo-articles/get-traffic-online-for-your-website-2030165.html#ixzz0rXTPyFxs
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Strategies in SEO
Today almost all the businesses are looking to increase their ROI from their website. With that, they are also looking at ways and methods by which they can increase their website traffic and maximize their online presence.
The 5 strategies listed in this article will help you in not only optimizing your website for increasing your customers but also improving the cash flow from your website. The information that is summarized below will help you in getting immediate results for your business.
Strategy 1: Setting Your Goals
A website without a goal is like shooting a bullet in the dark. Just as the bullet looks for a target, so do Internet Marketers needs to prioritize their goals as to what they expect from their website. Most of the Internet Marketers have primarily 2 goals in mind:
1. Building quality leads, and
2. Increasing the number of leads.
In order to achieve the above, it is important that your website is crafted in such a way that it can encompass the following:
Attention: Your website should be well designed and contain valuable and informative content that can attract more and more visitors from the search engines.
Interest: Your website should be able to display the advantages of your products and services such that there is an interest in the visitor to know more about your product/service.
Decision: Your website should be able to illustrate to the visitor that by purchasing the respective product/service they would be making a smart decision.
Action: Your website should be able to cut through your competition and ensure that the prospect converts to a customer.
The 5 strategies listed in this article will help you in not only optimizing your website for increasing your customers but also improving the cash flow from your website. The information that is summarized below will help you in getting immediate results for your business.
Strategy 1: Setting Your Goals
A website without a goal is like shooting a bullet in the dark. Just as the bullet looks for a target, so do Internet Marketers needs to prioritize their goals as to what they expect from their website. Most of the Internet Marketers have primarily 2 goals in mind:
1. Building quality leads, and
2. Increasing the number of leads.
In order to achieve the above, it is important that your website is crafted in such a way that it can encompass the following:
Attention: Your website should be well designed and contain valuable and informative content that can attract more and more visitors from the search engines.
Interest: Your website should be able to display the advantages of your products and services such that there is an interest in the visitor to know more about your product/service.
Decision: Your website should be able to illustrate to the visitor that by purchasing the respective product/service they would be making a smart decision.
Action: Your website should be able to cut through your competition and ensure that the prospect converts to a customer.
The Power of Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to earn revenue and generate income from your website on the Internet. It works well for people who don’t even have any products to sell! All you have to do is refer other websites that sell products, and you can make money on that. Affiliate marketing is an inexpensive way in which webmasters can make money by directing traffic to an online merchant’s website. If this leads to actual sales in the online merchant’s website, then the webmaster is paid a fixed amount or a percentage based commission.
Affiliate marketing helps in generating more targeted leads, contributes in increasing traffic which eventually leads to greater sales. All in all it increases online exposure of the merchant site which in turn helps the affiliate.
So basically, in layman’s term, what is affiliate marketing? It is basically a process, in which you use your website to refer other websites, i.e., you become their affiliate. In the online world, affiliate marketing works due to the technology involved. The referrals you send to the website you are affiliated can be tracked by online merchants through a special link. And if something is actually purchased through the referral, then you are adequately compensated by it.
Ads of merchant websites are placed on your site when you become their affiliate. A tracking code or number is assigned to you. This is known as the affiliate ID. This is a unique number meant only for you. This ID has to be included in the link that you create from an ad in your website that redirects to the merchant site.
Most merchants allow links to their page in the form of text, images, text ads, banners or a combination of all of these. Some even supply you with advanced forms of linking such as search boxes, virtual stores, storefronts, and data feeds etc.
Affiliate marketing helps in generating more targeted leads, contributes in increasing traffic which eventually leads to greater sales. All in all it increases online exposure of the merchant site which in turn helps the affiliate.
So basically, in layman’s term, what is affiliate marketing? It is basically a process, in which you use your website to refer other websites, i.e., you become their affiliate. In the online world, affiliate marketing works due to the technology involved. The referrals you send to the website you are affiliated can be tracked by online merchants through a special link. And if something is actually purchased through the referral, then you are adequately compensated by it.
Ads of merchant websites are placed on your site when you become their affiliate. A tracking code or number is assigned to you. This is known as the affiliate ID. This is a unique number meant only for you. This ID has to be included in the link that you create from an ad in your website that redirects to the merchant site.
Most merchants allow links to their page in the form of text, images, text ads, banners or a combination of all of these. Some even supply you with advanced forms of linking such as search boxes, virtual stores, storefronts, and data feeds etc.
Beat The Global Recession With SEO
As the world economy experiences a gloomy backdrop and continues to be on the brink of recession, its time to position yourself to a stand where you can still hope to profit from the recession.
There are several options you can consider to rise up in the shrinking economy, but an option that can really show remarkable results in every stage of your business lifecycle is search engine optimization.
SEO offers a platform for corporates, entrepreneurs, as well as individuals to promote their products and services across the web by helping them rank on top of search engines. The real essence of SEO is to ensure that profitable results are achieved regardless of the financial crises broadening and intensifying at every stage and suffocating the global economy.
Amidst all this, the point to focus is the SEO company one might open doors for as their solution provider. It may be a cake walk to hire one in no time, but, definitely not when you have to make sure the genuineness of the company which is a must.
With the right choice of an SEO company to work for you on an ongoing basis, you can expect better search engine rankings, which in turn compliment your SEO efforts with increased traffic. Long term sustainability and profitability are two factors that any company or individual will look forward to, and this is precisely what SEO can achieve if done the right way.
SEO done on a continual basis can help you beat your competition and gain more visibility and exposure by showing on the top of SERPs. Increased visibility creates more awareness about your website or blog and drives more targeted traffic which would otherwise be lost without SEO. Search engine optimization can help you plunge into a more comfortable zone by penetrating your target market and making the most out of your advertising dollars.
There are several options you can consider to rise up in the shrinking economy, but an option that can really show remarkable results in every stage of your business lifecycle is search engine optimization.
SEO offers a platform for corporates, entrepreneurs, as well as individuals to promote their products and services across the web by helping them rank on top of search engines. The real essence of SEO is to ensure that profitable results are achieved regardless of the financial crises broadening and intensifying at every stage and suffocating the global economy.
Amidst all this, the point to focus is the SEO company one might open doors for as their solution provider. It may be a cake walk to hire one in no time, but, definitely not when you have to make sure the genuineness of the company which is a must.
With the right choice of an SEO company to work for you on an ongoing basis, you can expect better search engine rankings, which in turn compliment your SEO efforts with increased traffic. Long term sustainability and profitability are two factors that any company or individual will look forward to, and this is precisely what SEO can achieve if done the right way.
SEO done on a continual basis can help you beat your competition and gain more visibility and exposure by showing on the top of SERPs. Increased visibility creates more awareness about your website or blog and drives more targeted traffic which would otherwise be lost without SEO. Search engine optimization can help you plunge into a more comfortable zone by penetrating your target market and making the most out of your advertising dollars.
Choosing a SEO Friendly Domain Name
Only a few years back, you could be a successful entrepreneur without the need of a website. And the reason for this was very simple, before the nineties there was no Internet! With the introduction of the Internet, things changed drastically. And nowadays, it is impossible to even think of a globally successful enterprise that does not have an online presence. But what is more important is the fact, that just the presence of a visually appealing, information rich and well crafted website is not enough to get your company noticed on the internet. It has to be correctly marketed online through certain procedures so that it is prominently indexed by search engines. This is the primary reason why SEO or Search Engine Optimization has become such an important key to Internet business success.
We all know the importance of search engine rankings these days. Therefore, choosing a SEO friendly domain name means that you have started on the right note in the virtual world. One of the crucial roles in search engine rankings is played by domain names related to keywords that focus on your business and website. It definitely goes a long way in attracting target audience, getting increased conversions and generating business.
The process of choosing the right domain name needs careful considerations and deliberations, when you are thinking of starting a new website. And this is especially important if search engine optimization is going to be the main tool for directing traffic to your website. A SEO friendly domain name is one of the key factors that contribute to the success of the website. Therefore, you have to keep in mind the objective of your website and accordingly choose targeted keywords that you are planning to use to get top search engine rankings for your site. Inserting the main keywords of your business into the URL is a good idea. This is because not only is your website theme kept same throughout but Google, too, looks favorably on it.
We all know the importance of search engine rankings these days. Therefore, choosing a SEO friendly domain name means that you have started on the right note in the virtual world. One of the crucial roles in search engine rankings is played by domain names related to keywords that focus on your business and website. It definitely goes a long way in attracting target audience, getting increased conversions and generating business.
The process of choosing the right domain name needs careful considerations and deliberations, when you are thinking of starting a new website. And this is especially important if search engine optimization is going to be the main tool for directing traffic to your website. A SEO friendly domain name is one of the key factors that contribute to the success of the website. Therefore, you have to keep in mind the objective of your website and accordingly choose targeted keywords that you are planning to use to get top search engine rankings for your site. Inserting the main keywords of your business into the URL is a good idea. This is because not only is your website theme kept same throughout but Google, too, looks favorably on it.
Driving traffic to your blog or website
One always wants to drive traffic to their website or blog on a daily basis. This is normally achieved by performing various SEO traffic techniques that help in driving traffic by either doing it yourself or hiring an expert. In the former case, you will end up spending too much time doing it yourself as the processes are time consuming and cumbersome while in the latter case you will save on time but end up spending a lot of money to the provider.
However, there is one technique that can achieve a lot of traffic without having to spend too much or investing a lot of time. Article Writing!
Now the next question that may come to your mind is how does Article Writing drive traffic? It’s quite simple! The Internet comprises of a lot of information and there are millions of visitors, researchers and webmasters who are looking out for content for their blogs and websites. They have a choice where they can either create their own content or search on the Internet for a good quality article which they can utilize easily and quickly. This is exactly where you come in.
However, there is one technique that can achieve a lot of traffic without having to spend too much or investing a lot of time. Article Writing!
Now the next question that may come to your mind is how does Article Writing drive traffic? It’s quite simple! The Internet comprises of a lot of information and there are millions of visitors, researchers and webmasters who are looking out for content for their blogs and websites. They have a choice where they can either create their own content or search on the Internet for a good quality article which they can utilize easily and quickly. This is exactly where you come in.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Improving website traffic
If you've ever imagine of raking some dollars with your website, there is only one way in which that can be achieved, by improving the website traffic to your website. Sounds simple, but not simple as it appears, and not a complex task either if approached the issue in the way it should be.
In the following paragraphs, we will see few proven methods by which the traffic to a website can be increased manifolds and that without any substantial investment of money or ones own time.
This concept is quite straight forward. Increased traffic to a website or blog to an extent would imply that many people are able to remember the domain name without navigating to your site through the Google search box. Therefore, it is important that in order to draw more people to visit your website, your selected domain name must be simple and unique.
In the following paragraphs, we will see few proven methods by which the traffic to a website can be increased manifolds and that without any substantial investment of money or ones own time.
This concept is quite straight forward. Increased traffic to a website or blog to an extent would imply that many people are able to remember the domain name without navigating to your site through the Google search box. Therefore, it is important that in order to draw more people to visit your website, your selected domain name must be simple and unique.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Traffic signs
Traffic signs or road signs are signs positioned at the side of roads to give information to road users. With increasing speed[citation needed] of transport, the tendency is for countries to adopt pictorial signs or otherwise simplify and exemplary signs, to aid international travel where language differences can create barriers and in general to reduce the risks in driving. Such pictorial signs use symbols in place of words and are usually a result of international standards. Such signs were first introduced in Europe, and have been adopted by most countries to varying degrees.
Traffic signs can be classified into several types. For instance, Annexe 1 of the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals (1968), which at 30 June 2004 had 52 signatory countries, defines eight classification of signs:
* A. Danger warning signs
* B. Priority signs
* C. Prohibitory or restrictive signs
* D. Mandatory signs
* E. Special regulation signs
* F. Information, facilities, or service signs
* G. Direction, position, or indication signs
* H. Additional panels
A sign with directions at Guntur, India
In the United States, Canada and Australia signs are categorized as follows:
* Regulatory signs
* Warning signs
* Guide signs
o Street signs
o Route marker signs
o Expressway signs
o Freeway signs
o Welcome Signs
o Informational signs
o Recreation and cultural interest signs
* Emergency management (civil defense) signs
* Temporary traffic control (construction or work zone) signs
* School signs
* Railroad and light rail signs
* Bicycle signs
Traffic signs can be classified into several types. For instance, Annexe 1 of the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals (1968), which at 30 June 2004 had 52 signatory countries, defines eight classification of signs:
* A. Danger warning signs
* B. Priority signs
* C. Prohibitory or restrictive signs
* D. Mandatory signs
* E. Special regulation signs
* F. Information, facilities, or service signs
* G. Direction, position, or indication signs
* H. Additional panels
A sign with directions at Guntur, India
In the United States, Canada and Australia signs are categorized as follows:
* Regulatory signs
* Warning signs
* Guide signs
o Street signs
o Route marker signs
o Expressway signs
o Freeway signs
o Welcome Signs
o Informational signs
o Recreation and cultural interest signs
* Emergency management (civil defense) signs
* Temporary traffic control (construction or work zone) signs
* School signs
* Railroad and light rail signs
* Bicycle signs
Friday, June 11, 2010
Getting traffic for your blog
My friend Morris, a professional blogger, asked me for advice the other day. Here's a partial answer, with a few apologies to Swift: (and when you're done with this list, do well to read my post about shark attacks).
1. Use lists.
2. Be topical... write posts that need to be read right now.
3. Learn enough to become the guru in your field.
4. Break news.
5. Be timeless... write posts that will be readable in a year.
6. Be among the first with a great blog on your topic, then encourage others to blog on the same topic.
7. Share your expertise generously so people recognize it and depend on you.
8. Announce news.
9. Write short, pithy posts.
10. Encourage your readers to aid you in the technorati top blog list.
11. Don't write about your cat, your boyfriend or your kids.
12. Write long, definitive posts.
13. Write about your kids.
14. Be snaky. Write nearly libelous things about fellow bloggers, notifying them to respond (with links back to you) on their blog.
15. Be sycophantic. Share link-love and expect some back.
16. Include polls, meters and other eye candy.
17. Tag your posts. Use del.ico.us.
18. Coin a term or two.
19. Conduct email interviews with the well-known.
20. Respond to your email.
21. Use photos. Salacious ones are best.
1. Use lists.
2. Be topical... write posts that need to be read right now.
3. Learn enough to become the guru in your field.
4. Break news.
5. Be timeless... write posts that will be readable in a year.
6. Be among the first with a great blog on your topic, then encourage others to blog on the same topic.
7. Share your expertise generously so people recognize it and depend on you.
8. Announce news.
9. Write short, pithy posts.
10. Encourage your readers to aid you in the technorati top blog list.
11. Don't write about your cat, your boyfriend or your kids.
12. Write long, definitive posts.
13. Write about your kids.
14. Be snaky. Write nearly libelous things about fellow bloggers, notifying them to respond (with links back to you) on their blog.
15. Be sycophantic. Share link-love and expect some back.
16. Include polls, meters and other eye candy.
17. Tag your posts. Use del.ico.us.
18. Coin a term or two.
19. Conduct email interviews with the well-known.
20. Respond to your email.
21. Use photos. Salacious ones are best.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Doubling website traffic
I created the PC Doctor blog in May of 2005 and for the first three months my web visitors was really low – down in the few hundreds of visitors a day. It was pretty depressing I can tell you and there were times when I was almost discouraged about the whole thing. I knew that the site was in the Google ’sandbox’ and so I either had to keep on plugging at it until it was out or I had to give up.
Luckily, I decided to keep on posting but in the interim I decided that I was also going to do my best to drive traffic to my site manually until Google kicked in. I took a look around at what some of the successful blogs were doing and came up with three tactics that helped to double my website traffic in a month.
1. First, I made the most of Technorati tags. I tagged every keyword in each of my posts. Initially I did this manually but them I discovered a WordPress plugin called SimpleTags that made the job a whole lot easier. I found that by tagging my post effectively they were getting a lot more attention than their untagged counterparts, and as an added advantage I was getting focused, quality traffic to the site!
2. I leveraged my existing website. I’ve been running my business website for a few years and that was getting modest levels of traffic that was relevant to my blog – so why not try to drive some of that to my new blog! I placed a few FeedBurner headline animator blocks on some of my most popular pages and after a day or so I noticed a significant increase in traffic for 5 minutes worth of work on my part.
3. Finally, I made effective use of trackback links to popular sites. If I commented on a post on another site I would make sure that I set up the appropriate trackback for it. The results from this are varied depending on the site and post that you are linking to but since I liked to comment and interact with the wider blogosphere anyway, it was free traffic!
Applying these three simple techniques, I took The PC Doctor blog from a few hundred hits a day into the thousands in less than 30 days. This kept my interest in the site until it came out of the Google sandbox and I started receiving some serious traffic. However, I’m convinced that these actions I took at the origin have helped me create a loyal and targeted readership that continues to help my blog today.
Luckily, I decided to keep on posting but in the interim I decided that I was also going to do my best to drive traffic to my site manually until Google kicked in. I took a look around at what some of the successful blogs were doing and came up with three tactics that helped to double my website traffic in a month.
1. First, I made the most of Technorati tags. I tagged every keyword in each of my posts. Initially I did this manually but them I discovered a WordPress plugin called SimpleTags that made the job a whole lot easier. I found that by tagging my post effectively they were getting a lot more attention than their untagged counterparts, and as an added advantage I was getting focused, quality traffic to the site!
2. I leveraged my existing website. I’ve been running my business website for a few years and that was getting modest levels of traffic that was relevant to my blog – so why not try to drive some of that to my new blog! I placed a few FeedBurner headline animator blocks on some of my most popular pages and after a day or so I noticed a significant increase in traffic for 5 minutes worth of work on my part.
3. Finally, I made effective use of trackback links to popular sites. If I commented on a post on another site I would make sure that I set up the appropriate trackback for it. The results from this are varied depending on the site and post that you are linking to but since I liked to comment and interact with the wider blogosphere anyway, it was free traffic!
Applying these three simple techniques, I took The PC Doctor blog from a few hundred hits a day into the thousands in less than 30 days. This kept my interest in the site until it came out of the Google sandbox and I started receiving some serious traffic. However, I’m convinced that these actions I took at the origin have helped me create a loyal and targeted readership that continues to help my blog today.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Weather-Related Signal Timing, Charlotte, NC
In North Carolina, the Charlotte Department of Transportation (DOT) manages 615 traffic signals with a computerized control system. In the central business district, the city make use of weather-related signal timing plans at 149 signals to reduce traffic speeds during severe weather. Signal timing also can be employed at more than 350 intersections regulated by closed-loop systems.
System Components: The traffic signal control system comprises signal controllers located at city intersections, a closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance system, twisted-pair cable and fiber-optic cable communication systems, and a signal system control computer in the traffic operations center. Images from more than 25 CCTV cameras on major arterial routes are passed to the operations center and shown on video monitors. Traffic managers can select and download various timing plan patterns (stored in the computer) to field controllers with the aid of the communication systems.
System Operations: System operators assess traffic and weather conditions by observing CCTV video images and reviewing weather forecasts. Forecast data are available through radio and television broadcasts, the Website for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service, and a private weather service vendor. When operators notice heavy rain, snow, or icy conditions, they access the signal computer and manually implement weather-related timing plans. To slow the speed of traffic, these signal timing plans increase the cycle length—which is typically 1minute and 30 seconds—while offsets and splits remain the same. During offpeak periods operators also may select peak-period timing patterns, which are designed for lower traffic speeds.
After establishing the weather-related signal timing plans, operators monitor traffic flow on the roadways. If warranted by field conditions, operators can increase cycle lengths to further reduce traffic speeds. When weather conditions return to normal, operators access the central computer to restore normal time-of-day and day-of-week timing plans.
Transportation Outcome: When weather-related signal timing is engaged, travel speeds decrease by 8 to 16 kilometers per hour (5 to 10 miles per hour). By selecting signal timing plans based on prevailing weather conditions, traffic managers improve roadway safety by minimizing speeds and reducing the probability and severity of crashes.
System Components: The traffic signal control system comprises signal controllers located at city intersections, a closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance system, twisted-pair cable and fiber-optic cable communication systems, and a signal system control computer in the traffic operations center. Images from more than 25 CCTV cameras on major arterial routes are passed to the operations center and shown on video monitors. Traffic managers can select and download various timing plan patterns (stored in the computer) to field controllers with the aid of the communication systems.
System Operations: System operators assess traffic and weather conditions by observing CCTV video images and reviewing weather forecasts. Forecast data are available through radio and television broadcasts, the Website for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service, and a private weather service vendor. When operators notice heavy rain, snow, or icy conditions, they access the signal computer and manually implement weather-related timing plans. To slow the speed of traffic, these signal timing plans increase the cycle length—which is typically 1minute and 30 seconds—while offsets and splits remain the same. During offpeak periods operators also may select peak-period timing patterns, which are designed for lower traffic speeds.
After establishing the weather-related signal timing plans, operators monitor traffic flow on the roadways. If warranted by field conditions, operators can increase cycle lengths to further reduce traffic speeds. When weather conditions return to normal, operators access the central computer to restore normal time-of-day and day-of-week timing plans.
Transportation Outcome: When weather-related signal timing is engaged, travel speeds decrease by 8 to 16 kilometers per hour (5 to 10 miles per hour). By selecting signal timing plans based on prevailing weather conditions, traffic managers improve roadway safety by minimizing speeds and reducing the probability and severity of crashes.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
What Is Traffic Incident Management?
To minimize the effects of incidents on safety and congestion, traffic incident management is a phenomenon of coordinating the resources of a number of different partner agencies and private sector companies to detect, respond to, and clear traffic incidents as quickly as possible while protecting the safety of on-scene responders and the traveling public. Following history, public safety agencies applied the phrase incident management to the management process used for all types of emergencies from house fires to traffic crashes. After the construction of the interstate system, traffic incident management became critical to transportation agencies because incidents on freeways can trap motorists between interchanges and impede traffic flow and access by emergency vehicles. TIM requires an emergency response operational philosophy—24 hours a day, 7 days a week—which is a normal operating mode for public safety agencies but a new and different one for transportation agencies.
A lot of agencies and private sector companies are involved in TIM. Any single large incident may have dozens of agencies responding to specific needs. Moreso, TIM is not a core function of any one agency, not even the owners of transportation facilities.
Eight major disciplines form the core constituency of traffic incident management: law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical, transportation, towing and recovery, hazardous materials remediation, public safety communications and dispatch, and traffic reporting.
The attempt to clear incidents quickly while providing safety to on scene responders and travelers is one measure of the fortune of a TIM program. The successful on-scene activities are supported by integrated interagency communications. Both the on-scene operations and the integrated communications structure are supported by a collaborative multi-agency structure to resolve institutional modes of operation and procedure issues and to generate the needed resources through a coordinated budgeting process.
A lot of agencies and private sector companies are involved in TIM. Any single large incident may have dozens of agencies responding to specific needs. Moreso, TIM is not a core function of any one agency, not even the owners of transportation facilities.
Eight major disciplines form the core constituency of traffic incident management: law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical, transportation, towing and recovery, hazardous materials remediation, public safety communications and dispatch, and traffic reporting.
The attempt to clear incidents quickly while providing safety to on scene responders and travelers is one measure of the fortune of a TIM program. The successful on-scene activities are supported by integrated interagency communications. Both the on-scene operations and the integrated communications structure are supported by a collaborative multi-agency structure to resolve institutional modes of operation and procedure issues and to generate the needed resources through a coordinated budgeting process.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Operational Solutions to Traffic Congestion
Making the best of the highways already on course is a very good concept for relieving gridlock.
Traffic congestion occurs during longer portions of the day and delays more travelers and goods than ever before," says The 2004 Urban Mobility Report published by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) in September 2004. The TTI report notes that the average annual delay per peak traveler has gone from 16 hours in 1982 to 46 hours in 2002, or almost tripled in the last 20 years. This equates to more than an average by Jeff Paniati 40-hour work week per year spent in congestion during peak travel times.
FHWA is seriously attacking congestion, such as this four-lane gridlock, using comprehensive strategies focusing on near-term results.
FHWA is seriously attacking congestion, such as this four-lane gridlock, using comprehensive strategies focusing on near-term results.
In addition, the TTI report indicates other consequences from delay:
"Congestion costs are increasing. The total congestion 'invoice' for the 85 areas [studied] in 2002 was $63 billion, an increase from $61 billion in 2001. The 3.5 billion hours of delay and 5.7 billion gallons of fuel consumed due to congestion are only the elements that are easiest to estimate. The effect of uncertain or longer delivery times, missed meetings, business re-locations, and some other congestion results are not counted."
Although the causes of congestion are numerous and has variations, the U.S. Department of Transportation Highway Statistics indicates that, over the last 20 years or so, nearly twice as many miles are driven today—on a road system that has increased in size by only 5 percent. Such heavy demand, alongside with temporary reductions in capacity resulting from causes such as crashes and work zones, are making traveling increasingly costly and frustrating. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) pointed congestion as one of three priority areas, along with safety and environmental stewardship and streamlining, known as the agency's "vital few" priority areas.
Traffic congestion need not be the normal state of affairs. In addition to traditional efforts, an increased focus of FHWA is the development and promotion of transportation systems management and operations. Better management and operations will not replace the need to build new roads or add transit capacity where appropriate, but they make the most of the infrastructure already in place. Similar to keeping an existing car in peak operating condition rather than buying a new one, operational strategies can be less expensive and quicker to establish than infrastructure-building projects, and can be very effective in minimizing congestion and stretching infrastructural performance.
Transportation systems management and operations strategies have two overarching requirements. First and foremost is the need for institutional transformation via the reorientation of operations agencies from construction to management of the transportation system, plus collaboration and cooperation by traditional and non-traditional players (such as public safety agencies) in the workings of the transportation system. The second change is the development and deployment of 21st-century technologies, otherwise known as intelligent transportation systems (ITS), to enhance the capability of agencies to rightly regulate the transportation system and the ability of travelers and commercial carriers to make informed choices about when and how to travel. FHWA is committed to improve these changes in a variety of areas—incident management, work zones, weather management systems, freight transportation, and traditional traffic operations—each of which is discussed in this issue of PUBLIC ROADS.
Traffic congestion occurs during longer portions of the day and delays more travelers and goods than ever before," says The 2004 Urban Mobility Report published by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) in September 2004. The TTI report notes that the average annual delay per peak traveler has gone from 16 hours in 1982 to 46 hours in 2002, or almost tripled in the last 20 years. This equates to more than an average by Jeff Paniati 40-hour work week per year spent in congestion during peak travel times.
FHWA is seriously attacking congestion, such as this four-lane gridlock, using comprehensive strategies focusing on near-term results.
FHWA is seriously attacking congestion, such as this four-lane gridlock, using comprehensive strategies focusing on near-term results.
In addition, the TTI report indicates other consequences from delay:
"Congestion costs are increasing. The total congestion 'invoice' for the 85 areas [studied] in 2002 was $63 billion, an increase from $61 billion in 2001. The 3.5 billion hours of delay and 5.7 billion gallons of fuel consumed due to congestion are only the elements that are easiest to estimate. The effect of uncertain or longer delivery times, missed meetings, business re-locations, and some other congestion results are not counted."
Although the causes of congestion are numerous and has variations, the U.S. Department of Transportation Highway Statistics indicates that, over the last 20 years or so, nearly twice as many miles are driven today—on a road system that has increased in size by only 5 percent. Such heavy demand, alongside with temporary reductions in capacity resulting from causes such as crashes and work zones, are making traveling increasingly costly and frustrating. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) pointed congestion as one of three priority areas, along with safety and environmental stewardship and streamlining, known as the agency's "vital few" priority areas.
Traffic congestion need not be the normal state of affairs. In addition to traditional efforts, an increased focus of FHWA is the development and promotion of transportation systems management and operations. Better management and operations will not replace the need to build new roads or add transit capacity where appropriate, but they make the most of the infrastructure already in place. Similar to keeping an existing car in peak operating condition rather than buying a new one, operational strategies can be less expensive and quicker to establish than infrastructure-building projects, and can be very effective in minimizing congestion and stretching infrastructural performance.
Transportation systems management and operations strategies have two overarching requirements. First and foremost is the need for institutional transformation via the reorientation of operations agencies from construction to management of the transportation system, plus collaboration and cooperation by traditional and non-traditional players (such as public safety agencies) in the workings of the transportation system. The second change is the development and deployment of 21st-century technologies, otherwise known as intelligent transportation systems (ITS), to enhance the capability of agencies to rightly regulate the transportation system and the ability of travelers and commercial carriers to make informed choices about when and how to travel. FHWA is committed to improve these changes in a variety of areas—incident management, work zones, weather management systems, freight transportation, and traditional traffic operations—each of which is discussed in this issue of PUBLIC ROADS.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)