Acronyms
HCM
Traffic Signal Control
Facts
Movies
100
HOT Lane
What is High Occupancy Toll Lane?
100
This common performance measure is used by transportation engineers to access the performance of highways with regards to specified traffic volumes.
What is LOS?
100
Traffic engineers must consult this official manual to determine if the installation of a traffic signal is warranted.
What is MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices)?
100
What is the current AASHTO recommended perception reaction time?
2.5 seconds.
100
In this action packed movie, a team of professional thieves must take over the traffic signals of Las Angeles in order to safely guide their fleet of mini coopers out of city and escape their pursuers.
The Italian Job.
200
AWDT
What is Average Weekday Daily Traffic?
200
This term is used to describe the number of vehicles per hour that could cross the line if the signal remained green all of the time.
What is Saturation Flow Rate? **DAILY DOUBLE!**
200
Also thought of as the “point of no return”, transportation agencies may increase the length of the yellow and all red times at traffic signals in order to avoid this phenomenon.
What is Dilemma Zone?
200
This US interstate is the only US interstate that connects all three North American Countries.
What is I-5?
200
In this classic film, space ships have no speed limits and often travel at “ludicrous speeds”.
Space Balls.
300
VMS
What is Variable Message Sign?
300
The Procedure for calculating the FFS of a freeway includes reduction factors for lane width, lateral clearance, ramp density, and what?
Number of Lanes.
300
In order to improve the efficiency of a corridor, coordinated signal control may be implemented. In this type of control the time difference between the start of the green between corresponding phases at adjacent signalized intersections is known as what?
What is offset (distance/velocity)? **DAILY DOUBLE!**
300
This type of curve, also called a curve of easement is no longer used for the design of modern roadways.
What is Spiral Curve?
300
In this Futuristic Sci-fi Action Thiller, people travel to work in an elevator through the center of the Earth called the “fall”.
What is Total Recall?
400
PTOE
What is Professional Traffic Operations Engineer?
400
An integral step in the HCM procedure for determining the LOS of a freeway is to determine the analysis flow rate. Due to nonuniform traffic flow, the analysis flow rate is adjusted using what factor?
What is PHF (Peak Hour Factor)?
400
Although there are many different kinds of traffic signal control systems, all automated traffic control systems use 1 of these two control conventions. Pre-timed control is one convention. What is the other?
What is Actuated Control?
400
The federal highway act of 1956, which paved the way for the creation of the vast interstate highway system of today. It was passed under this president.
Who is Dwight D. Eisenhower?
400
In this 1995 Scifi movie starring Kevin Kostner, The only mode of transportation in the future are boats after the polar ice caps melt and cover the earth with water.
What is Water World?
500
AASHTO
What is American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials?
500
The LOS of freeways and highways differs from signalized intersections in that it is determined by traffic density and not delay. In the state of Washington freeway facilities are typically designed to operate at this LOS which occurs when the density is between 35 and 45 veh/mile/ln.
What is LOS D?
500
The formula for the optimum cycle length was developed in 1958 and is still used today. They named this formula after the last name of him.
Who is Webster?
500
This term is used to describe engineering and other measures, including narrowed roads and speed humps, put in place on roads for the intention of slowing down or reducing motor-vehicle traffic and thereby improving the living conditions for residents living along the road.
What is Traffic Calming?
500
In this 1994 action packed, high-adrenaline thriller, a young cop must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph.
What is Speed?
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