jou rnal of the institution of highway engineers
Transcription
jou rnal of the institution of highway engineers
JOU RNAL OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS April 1977 Vol XX1V No.4 In this issue: Roads for People MOSS - Modelling Systems Road Surfaces in Hot Weather \ I ~ '.: . t ,.; . "I j Stothert & PItt . PO Box 25, Bath BA2 3DJ. Engl~nd Telephone Stothert 8< Pitt Limlted ~ath (0225) 314400 JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS and The Highway and Traffic Technicians Association Number 4 VOLUME XXIV APRIL 19n FRONT COVER STORY CONTENTS "Roads for People" is the title 01 the first Paper in this issue of the Jou mal. In it the author emphasises the need to design with a view to enhancing the total environment, and draws attention to recent criticism 01 the residential access road designers. Two examples of good design from Millers Court, Chiswick. london - are used as Iront cover illustrations. The top photograph shows how the motorist at the entrance to this road is slowed down by a rough road surface and a "sleeping policeman". The brick wall contains the road and is used to accentuate its line. The view 01 the parked cars on the right is screened by the hedge. The hedge, in the bottom picture. ;s used as a structural element to contain the parking space. The line of the road is terminated by the raised planting box and the broad traverse band of pavers wh ich imply a pedestrian area. The Institution Institution Highway 3 and the Future 4 news and Traffic Technicians 9 news Roads for People J.M. McCluskey, BSc, MICE. MIStructE. 12 AMIHE MOSS - Modelling Systems G.S. Craine, BSe, MICE, MIMunE, MIHE, J.M. Houlton, MBCS and E. Malcomson, BSclEngl, MICE, MIHE 26 MSc, OipTech, Road Surfaces in Hot Weather 34 New plant, equipment 36 and materials .President: T.O. Wilson, BSc. FICE, FIStructE, FIMunE, FIHE Secretary: Miss P.A. Steel, SA All editorial communications should be addressed to The Editor, The Journal 01 the Institution ot Highway Engineers, 3 Lygon Place, Ebury Street, London SW1. Telephone 01-730 5245-7. Membership subscriptions are dealt with by the Institution and not by the publishers .. The Highway Engineer is published monthly for the Institution of Highway Engineers by Whitehall Press Limited and circulated to all members of the Institution and to members of the Highway and Traffic Technicians Association. It is available on subscription (see below!. lABc11 The Institution (limited by guarantee) is responsible neither for the statements for the opininns expressed in this journal. made nor / JOURNAL Printed by Sparta Press (Blacklenl Blackfen.Road, Sidcup, Kent. Ltd., SUBSCRIPTIONS/ADVERTISING Advertisement Manager: A. Brown, Whitehall Press Limited, Maidstone, Kent. Tel: Maidstone (0622) 59841. Earl House, Earl Street, Subscriptions: £12.00 a year (post paid); single copy £1.25 Subscription Enquiries: Subscription Department, Whitehall lPE. Telephone: Maidstone 59841 (g APRIL 1977 The Institution of Highway Engineers Press Limited, Earl House, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1977 THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS INSTITUTION OF CIVI L ENGINEERS SOUTHWALESASSOCIATION / A 2 DAY TRANSPORTATION SEMINARVALUE FOR MONEY A 2 day Transportation Seminar "Value for Money" has been arranged at "The Hill" Residential College, Abergavenny, Gwent on Thursday. 19th and Friday 20th May. 1977. PROGRAMME Transportation in the Total Budget Social Objectives and Urban Transport Policy Government view on County Transport Expenditure County view on Transport Expenditure Benefits of Highway Expenditure Benefits of Public Transport Expenditure .. h ve a comprehensiverange In the BarbicanFurn,Shlngc:~trebweall~eading manufacturers, on f of carpets, furniture and a lies Y ve a wide range of display in room settings. All .o,urShowrooms dhaManchester have h . addItion Bllsto l an carpets on SOW-In . btained from any branch. furniture showrooms. All goods can.~~~he manager-he will be Just discuSSyour requlrem~nts Wb't t'lal stocks for immediate We maintain su s an . pleased to heIp. h . he U K Full fitting service delivery-free of charge-anyw ere In t ., for carpetsthroughoul the country, Traffic Management and Restraint Maintenance Expenditure Land Use Implicati ons Allocation of Resouces Discussions. Registration fee for the Seminar is £34.50 including Accommodation for the nights of 18th and 19th May 1977, preprints of papers, coffee, lunch and tea during the Seminar, and the Seminar Dinner on Thursday evening. For appl ication forms contact Mr. T. J. Pasley. Department of Environment and Planning. South Glamorgan County Council. Newport Road, Cardiff. Tel: Cardiff (0222) 499022 Ext. 3203. ABERDEEN: 11 Exchange St .• AD1 2NH, Tel: 54055/6 BIRMINGHAM: 164 Edmund St" B3 2HB. Tol: 021.236 5862 BOURNEMOUTH: 268 Old ChriSichurch Rd .. BH1 1 PH. Tol:21248 BRIGHTON: 2-5 North Road; BN11YA. Tol:66402 BRISTOL: 2-3 Royal London H.c .. Queen Charlotte 51" aSl 4EX, Tel: 28857 EXETER: 157 Fore SL EX4 3AT. Tel: 32019 FALMOUTH: 35 Killigrew SL, TR11 3PW, Tel: 313555 GLASGOW: 166 Howard St.. Gl 4HA. Tel: 041-221 3278 LEEDS: 12 Great George St .. LSl 3DW. Tol: 41451 LONDON: 100 Alder.gate St" EC2Y 8AE. Tel: 01-628 7020 MANCHESTER: 55-61 LeverSt.. MIl DE. T.I:061.236 3687/B/9 NEWCASTLE-uponTYNE; 90-92 Pilgrim St .. NEI 6SG. Tel: 20321/21428 WESTCUFF.on.SEA: 495 London Rd .• 550 9LG. Tel: Southend 46569 / Write. 'phone Or call for details to Dept, IHE I 2 THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER . APRil 1977 ~. ir ~ I, I I I I The Institution and the Futu're The Debate Council have recently been debating the image of the Institution and its role in the years ahead, and a discussion paper has been sent to each of the Branches to enableyou to become pan of this debate so that we each understand what is happening and have a say in what should be done in the years ahead. Should everything be left as it is? Has nothing changed to alter the Institution's potential in the future? An Institution based on a particular kind of employment is sensitive to the fonunes of the employment and chenges in administrative structures. We will do well to recall that a major growth in Institution membership reflected the growth in the road programme - and the road programme as such is in slow decline.. By answering these questions and others we can and must make our minds clear as to what we will leave our successors to inherit. Things do not happen suddenly and it will all take time so you are being asked to think ebout the Institution's future and not simply leave it all to someone else Today was Tomorrow, Yesterday. The Past . Our founding fathers. were far-sighted when they laid down the principles upon which the Institution was set up, and they sought to marry all the interests associated with .highways under one institutional umbrella and included in its membership those responsible for the design and maintenanceof highways and their appunenances, the bflilders of highways and the sp6cialistswho advised upon or manufactured items required by the highways industry. A unique convocation which has been so successful that we are today the beneficiariesof their foresight. A decade or so ago the problems of movement were seen to be due to an inadequate roads network and the solution was to develop a purposeful, rational road system. As a corollary to such an improved network, the quality of life was anhanced by saving areas which ware being damaged or destroyed by the effects of traffic. The highway engineer was well equipped to appreciate, present and implement such a national and local need and by his effortS techniques of design, construction end maintenance were developedas an answer to the problems. But the cure for one ill is not necessarilythe cure for all ills and the side effacts of a successful highway strategy are being felt by the reactions of those who did not wholly agree with what has been done and so the interests of the APRIL 1977 highway engineer have broadened again to take account of the wider implications of environment end transpon planning or transponation. The aim should be to reflect the work of the current membership who are in the business of advising decision makers on land eccessibility investment, including the provision of interfaces with existing sYstems. The Future It is these realisations of the wider implications et the conceptual stage in plenning for transpon which requires us all in the Institution to think carefully end cautiously about the future. If the Institution is to serve the best interests of its membership can it take a back seat and be unconcerned about the initial stages of planning for transpon or should we be the proper home and forum for debate for those. who think that planning for transport is a thoroughly professional matter in which we should seek to serve those engaged in the whole of this field from conception to operation? The task is undoubtedly a broad one bringing in skills of a high degree but engineered to .produce a workable solution. So it is a challenge, but more than this, this Institution already is in this business and our Journal "The Highway Engineer" confirms this by displaying a comprehensive coverageof the whole field. The traditionel highway engineer's role is of fundamental importance, i.e. to design, build, manage and maintain highways - that stays our number one role. BUT unless we are pan of the initial thinking in planning for transpon, as is so .evidenttoday, then they who are'in eHhe beginning may leave the problems for their successors. Surely we should encompass all in transportation engineering right from the stan? Transportation The adoption of the term transponation is now worldwide and there are many bodies striving to become the foster parent of those planning for transpon in which the highway is the predominant facility. All of us recognise and respect the concise designation of our Institution as something very attractive which we must not discard unless it benefits the Institution and its membership. So having positively embraced transportation as one of our principal roles the question to 'be asked is whether we must not confirm it in our title, for the benefit of future members for those who ere not aware and need to see it in print that we are involved in transponation engineering. There is no question of chanGing the' objectives end nature of our THE JOURNAL Institution, we are hoping to alter the attitude .of others and make known to a much wider audience whet we are attempting to achieve and that the professional services of highway and transportation engineers match the needs of the day and the changing needs of the community In which we live. Movement in all its aspects will be under close scrutiny and the choice of solutions will be'governed not only by the mode to be utilised but also what influences the nature of the work to be undenaken; that is in construction, improvement or reconstruction although the emphasis is and will continue to be on the operation of the road network. The future requirementsof the profession and Institution membership should be considered in this light. Object. For Which The Institution Is.Establls had In the "Memorandum and Anicles of As~ociation" of the Institution the object of the Institution which was amended in 1974 reads:- . "To advance for the public benefit the science and technology of highway and transportation engineering in a/l its aspects and to promote education and research in. a development of the said science and technology...... ,.. " I In funherance of this Object, the Institution has the fOllowing powers: "To promote the consideration and discussion of all questions affecting the profession' of highway and transportation engineering .and branches of engineering allied thereto and of highway and transponation engineers in practice in any part of the world ........ "To give to public authorities and others facilities for conferring with and ascertaining the views of persons engaged in highway and transponation engineering and branches of engineering allied thereto ...... " "T 0 diffuse information on all matters affecting highway and transponation engineering and to print, publish, issue . and circulate such papers ...... " "To educate and seek to improve, extend and elevate the technical and general knowledge of persons engaged in, or about to engage in, highway end transportation engineering or in any employment, profession or otherwise in connection therewith ...... " "To promote the highest standards in Highway and Transportation Engineering ...... " Implementation of These Objectives The Institution must now consider the future breed of highway engineer and demonstrate to the new members of the future the validity and wonh of the Institution to them. Since 1914 many steps have been taken to extend the Institution interests in the highway and transponation field. These include the setting up of: 111A Construction Board which deals (Contirwttd Of THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY on P8r;t1 35 J ENGINEERS 3 /~ . ... , ~"r ',,' Institution News OBITUARY RT. HON. ANTHONY CROSLAND, MP 1918-1977 Council learned with regret of the death on February 19th, 19n of the Rt. Hon. Anthony Crosland, MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, and Secretary of State for the Environment from 1974to April, 1976. Educated at Highgate School and Trinity College, Oxford, he served in the Royal Fusiliers and the Parachute Regiment during the war, entering Parliament in 1950as MP for South Gloucestershire. In 1959 he was elected MP for Grimsby. \ After the 1964 General Election he became Economic Secretary to the Treasury and in 1965 was appointed Secretary of State for Education and Science. From 1967 to 1969 he was Presidentof the Board of Trade end from 1969 to 1970 Minister for Local Government and Regional Planning. With the return of the Labour Government in 1974 he was made Secretary of State for the Environment, and members will recall that-in that role he-was principal speaker at the Institution's Annual Luncheon in December, 1974. His period of office, although a short one, was marked by a number of controversies, notably the changes made in the rate support grant and the abandonment of the Channel Tunnel project. The cutbacks in the road building programme and in financial aid to local councils heralded the present severe economic retrenchment. NEW DIRECTOR-GENERAL FOR CONCRETE ASSOCIATION The Hon. Leo Russell, Chairman and Director-General, Cement and Concrete Association, was succeeded as DirectorGeneral on April 1st, 19n by Dr R.E. Rowe, MA, SeD. The Hon. Leo Russell will continue as Chairman of the Cement and Concrete Council. Dr Rowe, a Fellow of the Institution since 1973,joined the C and CA in 1952 and has been Director of Research and Development since 1966. In 1968 he was appointed Chairman of the sub-committee drafting the concrete 4 THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER Dr. R.E. Rowe section of the new Bridge Code, and in 1974was appointed as a member of the Construction and Housing Research Advisory Council (Advisory Council to the Secretary of State for the Environmentf and also of the Advisory Committee on Fixed Off-Shore Installations (Advisory Committee to the Secretary of 'State for Energy). He is the author of a number of technical Papers and books and in 1966 was awarded a Telford Premium from the Civils for a Paperon "Model Analysis and Testing as a Design Tool", which was presented jointly with Dr G.D. Base. He holds a Doctorate of Science from Cambridge University and in 1973 was -made a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute. - PROFESSOR WILLIAMS TO SERVE ON LEITCH COMMITTEE Professor T.E.H. Williams, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering, Southampton University, and a Vice-President Professor T.E.H. Williams of the Institution, has been appointed a member of the Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment which will be Chaired by Sir George Leitch, Chairman of Short Brothers and Harland Ltd.. The Committee was set up by the Secretary of State for Transport, and its terms of reference are to comment on and recommend any necessary changes in the Department of Transport's methods of appraiSing trunk road schemes and their application; taking into account both economic and environmental factors, and the extent to which these methods give a satisfactory basis for comparison with investment in alternative modes of transport. The Committee will also review the Department's method traffic forecasting and its application of the forecasts and will comment on the sensitivity of the forecasts to possible policy changes. The terms of .reference preclude commenting on and receiving evidence on individual road schemes. The Committee is inviting representations from interested organisations and individuals by March 18th, 19n. The Institution has set up two Working Parties to consider its submission to the Comminee. The other members of the Advis'ory Committee are Mr R. Beckham, Managing Director, SPD Ltd., Professor J. Durbin Professor of Statistics, University of London; Dr S. Glaister, Lecturer in Economics and Rees Jefferies Research Fellow, London School of Economics'ProfessorP. Hall, Professorof Geography: University of Reading; Mr H. Middleton, Director, Civic Trust and Dr J. Prideaux Strategic Planning Officer, British Rail: ways Board. The Secretary of State in announcing the setting up of the Committee, saw it as "an important step forward towards a new dimension in decision-making on roads. An independent view is greatly needed if the road programme is to be soundly basedand to command respect." I NEW CEI FELLOWS ELECTED , The Annual General Meeting of the CEI Fellowship of Engineering was held in London on Tuesday, February 8th, 1977, under the Chairmanship of its Senior Fellow, HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.. The Chairman of CEI, Lord Hilton of Bankside gave a progress report on the Fellowship, and 49 new members were elected as Fellows. Among them were four members of this Institution, Mr J.W. Baxter, G. Maunsell and Partners, (Fellow, 1960); Mr H.W.A. Francis, CBE, Vice-Chairman, Tarmac Ltd., (Fellow, 1963); Sir William Harris, KBE, CB, Director-General of - Highways, 1965-1973 (Honorary Fellow, 19651and Sir William Kirby Laing, KB ChaJ!man,John Laing, (Fellow, 1961). , . 1/ ~ BRANCH MEETINGS East Anglian April 6th, 19n: AGM and films ji APRIl19n \ 1 1 April 20th, 1977: "Highways and Natural Resources - The Future." Joint one-day symposium with the East Midlands Branch at Bury St. Edmunds. Greater London Branch April2Oth, 1977: AGM at 5.30pm. St Stephen's Club, SW1, tion Suite, Malinstee House, Telford, Shropshire on "The Effects on Road Surfaces of the 1976 summer and the 1976fi7 winter." Panel speakers: A. Onions, P.R. Distin and representative from a research organisation. Refresh-ments will be served. a Yorkshire Branch May 12th, 1977: Return visit to construction work on the Humber Bridge, Hull. Midland April 25th, 1977: Annual golf match followed by AGM Northern April 29th, 1977: AGM at 5.15 for 6.00pm. North-Eastern April 20th, 1977: AGM at 6.30 followed at 7.15pm by "The Work of the Mining Engineer in local Government." Meeting at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. North-Western April22nd, 1977: Annual Dinner at 6.45 for 7.30pm at the lord Daresbury, Daresbury, Nr Warrington, Cheshire. ' Central and Southern Scotland April20th 1977: Site visit and Paper. Meeting at Perth. May 12th, 1977: Golf outing at Monifieth North of Scotland April 26th, 1977: Golf tournament and AGM May 14th, 1977: Site visit to A9 road schemes. Joint meeting with the Civils. Southern PRESIDENT ATTENDS TARMAC AWARDS PRESENTATION The President, Mr T.D. Wilson and the Secretary, were among over 300 guests at the Europa Hotel on Thursday, February 3rd, 19n, for the presentation of Tarmac's 1976 British Racing Championship Award to the British Champion Driver of the Year. The prize, a cheque for £2,000and the Tarmac trophy - a 3-dimensional replica of Tarmac's ITs symbol - went to the World Champion racing driver James Hunt, with a score of 356 points. The prizes were presented by HRH the Duke of Kent who, in his speech, said that the Award merked a purely British sporting success - with a British car and a British driver - and that in itself made a refreshing change in the present gloomy climate. James Hunt paid tribute to his mechanics, particularly those in the Japanese Grand Prix who, in appalling conditions, had managed to change the two front wheels of his racing car in a record 24 seconds. The Duke also presented a prize to racing driver David Purley, the runner-up in the competition with a score of 1n points. A special prize also went to the only woman entrant in the Tarmac Competition, Davina Galica, who, with 62 points, finished 16th in the final placing. ROAD SAFETY TALK AT PETERSFIELD "Engineers Responsibility for Road Safety", was the title of a talk given by Mr G. Gehan, Accident Investigation Branch, 'Department of Transport, to the Southern Branch meeting at The Welcome Inn, Petersfield, Hampshire, on Monday, February8th, 19n. M r Gehan explained to the 70 members present that the aim of the talk was to show that engineering could influence human behaviour in the highway environment. Reference was made to the "po,>r relation" status of road safety, this had not been helped by the general attitude that Road Safety Officers, set up after the Parliamentary Committee Report of 1944, were poster 'hangers. No universal panacea existed with regard to road safety but good standards could improve it and sites engineeredto -give sefe usage. In refuting some general prejudices Mr Gehan said that there were no minority groups who were necessarily accidentprone; there was a small group of accident repeaters but these accounted for a tiny proportion of all accidents; it was not always possible to drive according to conditions, a driver often had to make a number of correct decisions when carrying out a manoeuvre and this was not always possible. One wrong decision, or lack of decision, caused an accident. Elements in the generation of accidents were the user/environment, and their occurrence happened when the user failed to cope with the environment. The options were to reduce environment problems and/or improve user ability to cope. It was easierto carry out small improvements based on accident studies than to improve user ability. Small improvements based on common fectors identification could give a 400-500per cent return. A road user had to judge and respond April 15th, 1977: Social evening at the Welcome Inn, Petersfield, Hampshireat 8.00pm. South Midland ApriI27th, 1977: From left to right: HRH the Duke of Kenr, James Hunr and BHI Francis, Vice-Chairman. Tarmac Lrd. czgr ,J " AGM followed by "The Vehicle in Society~',talk by R.H. Phillipson. Meeting at The Watermill Motel, london Road, Bourne End, Hemel Hempstead, at 7.30pm. South Wales April 26th, 1977: "Human Resource Management." Paper by A.G. Baker. Meeting at the University of Wales, Institute of Science and Technology followed by buffet supper. South Western April \ " 19th, 1977: South-Western Transportation Engineering Group. "Transportation". One-day symposium - 10.30-4.30pmat Newman Building, Exeter University. West Midland ApriI28th, 1977 Workshop meeting, 3-5.30pm at Re.cep- APRil 1977 THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS 5' to the clues (signals) available, the strong clues got through, the Weak ones did not. An example could be found on the long straight road broken by a "Give Wey" crossroads. The road length, created distance vision and "Give Way" signals on the verge or footway were within the user's peripheral vision and did not register. . Mr Gehan stressed the need to avoid over-curing at sites, simple inexpensive means of removing one or two accident factors should be considered. It was better to cream off 33 per. cent of accidents at many sites than to over-cure one. ' In conclusion he said that it was the engineer's task to provide sufficient clues to the user, provide a road geometry suited to the vehicles using it and balance the needs of various road users. A vote of thanks was proposed by Mr D.L. Selby, Hampshire .CC. EAST ANGLIAN AT NORWICH DINNER/DANCE The Royal Hotel, Norwich was the setting on Friday, February 11th, 19n, fo~ the Dinner/Dance of the East Anglian Branch, attended by 115 members and guests. The Branch Chairman, Mr E.L. Williams, County Surveyor of Suffolk, proposed the Toast of "The Institution" to which the President, Mr T.D. Wilson, LJirector, Mott, Hey and Anderson replied. Among those attending this function were Mr F.J. Per\(er, Greatllr London Branch Chairman and his daughter; Mr F.J.S. Best, East Midland Branch Chairman and Mrs Best; the Secretary of the East Midland Branch. Mr D. Dearlove and Mrs Dearlove; the Chairmen of the East Anglian Branches of the Civils and Structurals accompanied by their wives and the Secretary of the Institution, Miss P.A. Steel. NORTHERN BRANCH PREMIUM PAPER AWARDS' The annual Premium Paper competition of the Nonhern Branch was held at the Town Hall, Penrith on Thursday, January 27th, 19n, and three. papers were presented. Mr B. Fulton, Assistant Engineer, City of Carlisle Technical Services Depanment, gave an illustrated talk on pedestrianisation in Carlisle entitled "Leather and . Blether", He outlined the history of the scheme, gave details of the choice of materials and described the technical details of their use. Mr t. Graham, former Mar\(eting Manager, Nonhem Division, Amey Roadstone Ltd., presented a Paper on aggregate supplies to the construction industry at a time of increasing costs and falling demand. The talk was supponed by "hand-out" sheets of tables and graphs, which proved to be useful ready references. Mr G.D. Hall, a Fellow of the Highway and Traffic Technicians Association, and Assistant Engineer, Cumbria CC, described the programming and planning of direct labour wor\(s for road maintenance From left to right: Mr r.D. Wilson, Mrs Williams, Mr E.L. Williams, Mrs Shambrook, Mr J.R.R. Shambrook, East Ang/ian Branch Secretary, and Mr D. Dear/ove and improvement achemes, illustrating his talk with slides. Each Paper proved to be extremely interesting and provoked lengthy questioning. The three judges, Lt.Col. F.R. Oliver, Mr G. Hirst and Mr D.W. South had the unenviable tesk of agreeing the winner, and'finally decided that the prize should go to Mr Fulton. Mr Graham and Mr Hall were judged to be equal second. The competition was open to all members of the Institution and of the HTTA in Cumbria.. FILM NIGHT AT TUNBRIDGE WELLS The Institution's South.Eastarn Branch met at the Spa Hotel, Tunbridge Wells, on Thursdey, January 27th, 19n, to see I i. JOINT ONE-DAY SYMPOSIUM EAST ANGLIAN AND EAST.MIDLAND BRANCHES The East Midland and East Anglian Branches are to hold a joint one-day symposium on "Highways a,nd Natural Resources - The Future" at West Suffolk College of Further Education, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, on Wednesday, April 20th, 1977. Speakers will be: J.R. Lake Department of Transport B.J ..Walker C &CA F.M. L. Akeroyd Bitumen Mobil Oil Co. Ltd. L.J. Cox Tarmac Construction Ltd. Mr T.D. Wilson, the Institution's President will sum-up. The fee of £3.00 will include coffee, lunch and afternoon tea. Further details can be obtained from D. Dearlove, Highways and Transportation Dept., Shire Hall, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, or J.R.R. Shambrook, 16 Highland, Poringl~md, Norwich, Norfolk. I 6 THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER APRIl19n '1 )! ______________ :1 three films, presented by Mr J. Gooch and Mr A.S. Ramsay, from the anticorrosion specialist firm of Winn & Coales (Denso} Ltd. After an introduction by the Branch Chairmen, Mr C.J. Carter, members were shown "Denso The Corrosion Fighters" and "Pipelining with Denso", parts 1 and 2. The films illustrated the wide range of pipeline and construction projects in which Denso protection systems have been used - from post tensioning cables on the new London Bridge to the protection of a water supply pipeline in Iran. A stimulating Question and answer session fonowed and the meeting ended with a vote of thanks by a Past Chairman of the Branch Mr F.G. Brown. LARNE ROAD LINK DISCUSSED AT NORTHERN IRELAND BRANCH The Northern Ireland Branch Chairman, Mr J. Buchanan, presided over a meeting of the Branch at Queen's University on Monday, Januery 24th, 19n; 90 delegates from the Institution and the Transportation Group of the Civils heard a talk on "The Lame By-Pass Complex." Mr J. Gault and Mr T. Chambers of the consulting firm of Gault and Chambers, together with the Resident Engineer, Mr H. Fletcher, traced the evolution of the scheme from its inception in the late 1950s, and spoke particularly on the site investigation and construction aspects of the project. Road construction is to dual carriageway standards with an overall width of 100 feet. Mr Gault said that Lame BC wished to divert the road away from the town centre and this led to the choice of a line skirting the redevelopment area and running parallel -to the River Lame crossing Bridge Street beside the First Lame PreSbyterian Church. The new road was then constructed directly across the bay joining Curran Point on the south side of the harbour. The final 'plan involved the relocation of the Belfast-Lame railway which released car-parking land and road junctions between the old and new lines. Two new bridges and a station were built. The main structure ofthe project was a 660ft viaduct built in a confined space between the Church and the River Lame. This consisted of eleven 60ft spans on ten reinforced concrete piers with prestressed concrete crossheads each having an overall width of 58ft. The deck construction carried two 24ft carriageways and a 4ft central reservation over Bridge Street. Soil conditions - boulder clay layer overlying a stiff lias - meant the construction of in-situ concrete bored piles 2ft diameter. Rockfill, said Mr Fletcher, had been placed at the rate of 13,000 tons per week. Road transport had been used for this work, it proving more economical than raiI. Colour slides used by the speakers showed ancillary features such as carriageway details, abutment and retaining wall finishes and street lighting. now used for highway contracts (or used up until the moratoriuml, how he saw this changing in the future and what he considered were areas of contention. A lively, wide-ranging discussion between members and panel followed, the main areas covered being the effects of the introduction of EEC criteria for awarding contracts; opening tenders in public; awarding solely to lowest price or most economically advantageous with criteria to be applied stated in tender docu ments; payment of fees to tenderers; specification of contract periods; taking contractors' programmes into account when awarding contracts; consultation with contractors during design and before documents are drawn up; operation of Baxter index; fixing of tender periods and the date the tender is to be let; adequacy of soil survey information given in the tender docu ments; complexity of present procedures and scope for simplification. The meeting provided an opportunity for each side, client and contractor, to appreciate. the difficulties faced by the other. No earth-shattering conclusions were reached, but there was general acceptance that a Payment to tenderers when no. tender was accepted, and a more flexible system of contract periods with tenders being priced to a dictum point arid a. bonus for finishing in a shorter time might be worthy of further consideration. Mr Elbourne closed the meeting with a vote of thanks to the panel: SOUTH MIDLAND BRANCH LOOKS AT THE TENDERIINGI TRAP On Wednesday, January 19th, 1977; 55 members anended the South Midland Branch meeting at "The Buckinghamshire Yeoman", Aylesbury. This was an open forum on the principles, practices and problems of "Tendering for Highway Contracts". The panel consisted of Mr M.J. Cryer, Assistant County. Surveyor and Engineer (Contracts}, Oxfordshire CC; Mr R. Douglas, Specialist Director, Quantity Surveying Services, Amey Roadstone Construction Ltd; Mr D.V. Manning, Quantity Surveyor, Eastern RCU and Mr J.S. Moorhouse, Contracts Manager, Associated Asphalt Co Ltd. The meeting was Chaired by Mr D.S. Elbourne, Branch Chairman, who after welcoming and )ntroducing the panel opened the discussion by giving a brief background to the method of tendering TRAFFIC ENGINEERING AND ROAD SAFETY CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION AT COVENTRY The journal "Traffic Engineering and Control" is organising a three day traffic engineering and road safety exhibition from Wednesday, Aprfl 27th to Friday, April 29th, 19n. It is, at the same time, co-ordinating a series of concu'rrent seminars. The events - Traffex n - will be held at" the National Agricultural \ l I I I, '\ HIGH PRESSURE AQUA JETTING Completely equipped With the latest design .. mobile sewer and drain cleaning units operating an Aqua Descaling jetting team IS always ready to tackle both emergencies and routine. maintenance .. AQUA DESCALING CO LTD at 1500 psi. , MAKE A NOTE OF OUR NUMBERS, NOWSHEFFIELD 695064 Dr BILSTON43081 2 Orgreave Orive Sheffield S13 9NR - 4 Broad Street. 8ilston, Staffs. 1:-. APRil 1977 THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS 7 " Centre, Stoneleigh, near Coventry. The seminar programme includes: April 21th, 1977 County Councils' Transpon Responsibilities (sponsored by the County Surveyors' Society], The development of TPPs - points of view from a Metropolitan and a non-Metropolitan county. Urban constraint - the views of a county council and a municipal operator. April 28th. 1977 Road Safety (sponsored by the GLC Safety Unit, the Police Scientific Development Branch (Home Officel, RoSPA; the AA, the RACJ. Past. present and future of accident prevention at county level. Pedestrian safety in town traffic. Road safety. education and training - British and continental practice. Speed limits and accident rates. Collection of road accident statistics. April 29th, 1977 Parking in Relation to Recreational Needs (sponsored by the PSDB Home Office). The allocation of traffic police resources. Accident risk prediction. Traffic data collection. Effects of police action. The Traffex n Exhibition, to which admission is free, will be open from lOam to 6.00pm daily and will feature systems. services, products and equipment relating \.. to traffic engineering and management and to design and training for road safety: ,Registration details for the full confer- ence programl'TMl - and complimentary tickets to the exhibition - are available from "Traffic Engineering and Control", 29 Newman Street, W1. Tel: 01-6363956. INTERNATIONAL IN GERMANY for Highways in the UK" by Mr J.H. Nicholas, TRRL. Further details can be obtained from BTIA, 132-135 Sloane Street, London, SW1X 9BB. TAR"CONFERENCE The next International Tar. Conference (lTC) - formerly IRTC - will be held at Wiesbaden, in the -Federal Republic of Germany, on May 12th and 13th, 19n. Patronage of the session has been accepted by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economics and Technology of Hessen, Herr Heinz Herbert Karry. , There will. be a reception for delegates on Thursday, May 12th, Friday, May 13th, will be devoted to an intensive programme of technical Papers and reports. Papers will be presented in their entirety and the printed versions will only be available after the Conference. Time will not permit questions from the floor but delegates will have an opportunity outside the formal sessions for meetings and the exchange of ideas. The main Papers to be presented include: "Ideal Cars and Roads of the Future", Professor Dr. Ing. H.G. Krebs; "Surface Treatments of Heavily-Used Roads in France; Processes and Practical Results", M.A. Thiebautt, lngenieur General des pont et Chaussees, and "Recent Developments in the Use of Tar SCI SYMPOSIUM ON MATERIALS DETERIORATION The biological deterioration of timber is an all too familiar occurrence. However, many other materials used in the construction industry also suffer from this attack. The Road and Building Materials Group of the Society of Chemical Industry and The Biodeterioration Society are holding a one-day meeting on Thursday, April 21st, 19n at 14 Belgrave , Square to discuss "The Biodeter/oration of Building Materials" and, hopefully, how to prevent it. Further details can be obtained from the Membership Secretary, SCI, 14 Belgrave Square, London, SW1. (Tel: 01-2353681). CORRECTION It is regretted that in the February, 19n issue of the Journal the footnotes which appeared on pages 1B and 23 respectively were inadvertently transposed. That on page 18 refers to page 23, that on page 23 to page 18. SUPERVISION OF LARGE ROAD CONTRACTS The Paper entitled "The Supervision of large Road Contracts" by Mr T.E. lewis, Assistant County Surveyor, South Glamorgan CC, which appeared in the March, 1976 issue of the Journal, has attracted a good deal of critical acclaim from readers and requests for extra copies have been received. In view of this interest reprints of the Paper are now available, priced at 50p each, and members who wish to purchase a copy are asked to complete the form below. I enclose Cheque/Postal Order/Money Order for 50p made payable to the Institution of Highway Engineers. Please send me ......... copy(ies) of Mr lewis' Paper. . ,. NAME , . (BLOCK CAPITALS PlEASEI ADDRESS . / DA TE 8 THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER : . APRIL 1977 , t l. HIGHWAY AND TRAFFIC TECHNICIANS ASSOCIA TION INSIDE HTTA The second in the series of articles on the Association traces its histoty from the establishment of the old Association of Highway Technicians in Janllaty, 1965, through to the incorporation of the present Association in September, 1972. Although raday's Association is a rather different animal from its predecessor, the present organisation owes a great deal both in terms of support from longstanding members and the evollltion of current objectives - to the Association of Highway Technicians, and the period 1965-1972 can, in a very real sense, be regarded as the Association's formative years. "To improve the status of technicians connected with highway work, to hold meetings and to exchange views on matters of common interest." With these as its aims, the Association of Highway' Technicians was establishedby'a Declaration of Trust in January, 1965, its three trustees being ProfessorW. Fisher Cassie, Mr H. Criswell and Mr T.S. Sinclair - all eventual Presidents of the Institution of Highway Engineers. From the very beginning the Institution was to play a most important role in the development of the Association, the four Institution nominees on today's Council continuing this tradition. The new body was to have only one class of membership and, in March, 1965, the first members - thirty-five in all were elected. This membership was to grow rapidly (622 by January, 1968) and the increasing importance of the technician element was reflected by the first Association members being co-opted to the Committee of Management, in July, 1965, this being repeated in March, 1966 and June, 1967when additional Association appointments were made. In September, 1968,an Association member, Mr P.D.C. Arnold, was electedVice-Chairman of the Committee. In the meantime, the Association was examining the question of quality as well as quantity of its membership, it having been felt from the beginning that a high standard should be maintained. At the start, the possibility of having more than one grade of membership had been discussed - but the Association had to wait until it was re-constituted under the Companies Act in 1912 before tOOay's different grades of membership were set up. Nevertheless, work went ahead on improving admission" requirements, stimulated by the report in September, 1967,of Mr T.S. Sinclair (the Institution's APRIL 1977 representative on Lady Sharp's Urban Manpower Working Group], that certain technician qualifications might receive official endorsement. As a result, by the December, Mr M.J. Hall, then Secretary of the Institution of Highway Engineers, had drawn up new regulations regarding entry to the Association which required a minimum educational or professional qualification by age and experience. These were accepted by the AHT Management Committee and details appeared in the Journal. Not all Association activities during this period were centred on the election of members and the establishment of criteria for membership, important as these were. In 1967, announcements requesting designs for an Association tie appeared in the Journal and, on May 24th of the following year, the first Annual Luncheon of the Association was held in London at the Cafe Royal, to be followed by one in Dudley, Worcestershire in 1969. May, 1968 also saw the beginning of the formation of branches, notably in the West Midlands and East Anglia, although these were not able to be properly constituted until the Association's incorporation in 1972. By these means members were increasingly able to identify closely with the Association. Meanwhile, events 'were taking place outside the Association which were to have a profound effect on its future development. In 1967, discussions were started by the Council of Engineering Institutions (CEil to consider the necessity for the national recognition of qualifications and titles for engineering personnel other than Chartered Engineers. These led, at the end of that. year, to the formation of a body of non-chartered institutions called the Standing Conference for National Qualifications and Title ISCNQTI on which the Association was represented by Mr R. Newey (from March, 19681and Mr P.D.C. Arnold (from February, 1969). The worle; of this organisation subsequently formed the basis of the qualifying standards for admission of non-Chartered Engineers to .the register of the organisation set up by the CEI in 1971 the Engineers' Registration Board (ERBIIt was, in great part, the Association's wish to obtain membership of the ERB which led to its incorporation in 1912.The way was now open to the election to different grades of membership; the drawing up of new admission regulations and the formation of branches provided for in the articles,' were not long in following. This account of the early days of the Association can only hope to give the briefest outline of all that went on between 1965 and 1972, the minutes of THE JOURNAL the Management Committee meetings and seven years correspondence fill not a few thick files at headquarters, testimony to the great amount of work carried out by all those whose efforts kept the new infant alive. By Institution members such as Mr H.S. Taylor, who today, as Chairman of the Association's Mature Candidate Panel, continues to involve himself as much on technician education as when, in 1969,he was suggesting that the Association consider examinations at technician level on traffic engineering and highway materials; and Mr J.N.L. Sellick, until recently an Institution nominee on the Association's Council and one of its five Honorary Fellows. By Association members such as Mr K.l. Mackereth, who succeeded Mr Taylor as the Association's second Chairman, and Mr N,A.E. Blackmore, the present Chairman, whose term of office has seen the establishment and consolidation of nearly all Association branches and the beginning of Association involvement in technician training. And by all those Association members who today number over 1600, whose continuing support and involvement have made the Association the professional "home" for technicians in the highway and transportation fields. May its future years continue as fruitful. (Research: Miss H. Heaney). A PRESENT FOR THE ASSOCIATION Wednesday, January 19th, 1977proved to be something of an occasion for, on that day, the Association's Council were able to welcome"to its meeting the Rhodesian Branch Chairman, John Hardwick, who was holidaying in the UK. This was the first time that an Association Branch Chairman had been invited to sit in on a meeting of the Council, Mr Hardwick's visit having provided an excellent opportunity for contact with a Branch which otherwise would not have the opportunity of representation on Council. At the buffet lunch preceding the meeting Mr Hardwick was able to meet members of Council in an informal atmosphere and exchange views on highways and transportation work in this country and Rhodesia. Mention was also made, of course, of the differing branch experience in the two countries. More, however, was yet to come. After the Council business in the afternoon Mr Hardwick addressedthose present on the development of the Rhodesian Branch and the rapid growth of local Association membership. He concluded by presenting the' Association with two hand-carved soapstone heads - a gift from the Rhodesian Branch. OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS 9 Branch Chairman Norman Blackmore receiving hand carved heads from John Hardwick, Rhodesian Branch" Chairman Receiving the "presentation Norman Blackmore, Association Chairman, expressed Council's thanks to the Branch whereupon it was agreed to arrange for a couple of brass plaques to be fixed to the carvings commemorating t~e' gift. (The heads are now housed in the Secretary's room at Association headquarters and all members who wish to view them ere invited to call at the office when in London). EASTERN BRANCH Branch AGM Prior to the commencement of" the meeting held at The Angel Hotel, BurySt Edmunds, on Wednesday, January 27th, 19n, and attended. by twenty-six members and guests, there was the forme I presentation of the Branch Chair- . man's chain of office by Mr S.F. Utting, May Gurney & Co. Ltd., on behalf of the' four"companies who hed subscribed to its purchase. Representatives of the other three "companies were also present, Mr" M.C. Ayton, Tilbury IEARAT) Ltd., Mr.M. Langram, Tarmac Roadstone Holdings Ltd., and Mr E. Holder representing Shell" UK Oil Ltd. I At the meeting the results of the elections for Branch Officers and Committee were announced as follows; Luncheon preceding the Council meeting Meeting at Peterborough On Tuesday, February 22nd, 19n, a joint meeting of technicians in the Peterborough area included members from the Association's Eastern and Mercia Branches and the East Anglian and East Midland Branches of the Society of Civil Engineering Technicians. The meeting arranged by Branch member Mr A. White, was held at Peterborough Development Corporation and was attended by "24 technicians. It took the form of a Paper entitled "Geology for Engineers" which was given by Mr K.M. Pare, Managing Director, Soils Engineering Ltd., and Mr A. White of Peterborough DC. This proved to be a most interesting exposition of a very complex subject which, nevertheless, was presented in a clear. and concise manner. A lively discussion followed. The success of the meeting confirms that there is a potential technician following in an area which is geographically remote as far as most Branch meetings are concerned, and thanks are to be expressed to Mr A. White for all the work which went into arranging the meeting. NORTHERN IRELAND BRANCH Chairman: E.G. Adams Vice-Chairman: "M.J. Bodger 'November Meeting Secretary/Treasurer: A.A. Livock On Wednesday, November 24th, 1916, at Committee Members: R.J. Alderson; Queen's University, Belfast, those attendM.E. Corder; A. Grundill, E. Holder; ing the Branch meeting heard Mr W.A.G . . K. Kiddell; J.H. Shaw; H.S. Taylor; Macafee of Northern Ireland Railways, A. White. give a talk on the position of the railway In addition the meeting learnt that Mr in Northern Ireland over the past ten Langramhad been co-opted" on to the years. Mr Macafee's talk included referBranch Committee as Programme ence to lines being reopened as well as Secretary. closed, and it was followed bya lively The Branch was very pleased to " question and answer, session. welcome to the meeting Institution members Mr G. Day and Mr B. Prees, January Meeting who respectively represented the East Midland and East Anglian Branches of the On Wednesday, January 19th, 19n, Institution on the Branch Committee. the Branch held a joint meeting with the At the close of official business two local branch of the Society of Civil;l films were shown. _Engineering Technicians, again at Queen's University, Belfast. At the well-attended meeting, Mr C. Lovelock of Ulster's Management Centre - an internationally recognised expert on management games - gave a most interesting talk on the technician in the field of management. When speaking about the different attitudes of various professions towards management functions, Mr Lovelock pointed out that, sadly, very low priority was given to the development of management techniques in the civil engineering field. The talk was followed by a discussion. SEVERNSIDE BRANCH February Meeting On Tuesday, February 22nd, 19n, members and guests attending the Branch meeting at Gwent CC Highways Depot, Raglan, heard a most interesting talk on "Aggregate Production and Usage" presented by Mr R. Bater, ARC Ltd. The talk stimulated a valuable question and answer session and the meeting concluded with a film of ARC's resurfaCing of Runway 5 at Heathrow Airport. April Meeting Branch members are reminded that a second meeting will be held at Raglan on Tuesday, April 19th, 19n, at which "Health and Safety at Work" will be the subject of films and a discussion led by Mr Kemp, an Area Officer of the Health and Safety Executive. YORKSHIRE BRANCH The managerial meeting of the Branch was held at Leeds University on Monday, February' 21st, 19n, those attending being welcomed by Mr W.S. Hydes, one of the four Institution nominees on the Association's Council, who had kindly arranged the_ accommodation for the evening. The proceedings opened with an '\ 10 THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER APRIL 1977 I 1 address by Association Chairman Norman Blackmore, who spoke on "The Role of the Local Branch in the Development of the Association" and this was followed by the election of Branch officers and Committee. Chairmen: H.R. Chapman Vice-Chairman: A.B. Goddard Treasurer: A. Lavery Secretary: R.E. Gordon Committee Membars: J.C. Birdsall; B. Gregory; C.J. Matthews, G.E. Skeith. The meeting concluded with the presentation of a most interesting Paper "An Introduction to the Awards of the Technician Education Council" by Mr R.W. Stringer, Principal Lecturer in Civil Engineering, Stonecliffe College of Further Education, Sheffield, who is a member of the TEC Programme Committee for Civil Engineering. Mr Stringer's talk on both the work of TEC in developing programmes leading to its awards and that of his own college in devising its own options and. operating the relevant courses, provided much food for thought and stimulated the lively discussion session which followed. (It is hoped to include 8 synopsis of Mr Stringer's Paper in 8 future issue of the of Roads. Killian was elected an Associate Member in 1976. Department, City of Salisbury, where he is now a senior member of the department's supervisory staff in charge of carrying out minor works and the Municipality's extensive maintenance programme. A founder member of the Rhodesian Branch he was elected its first Honorary Treasurer. Mr Coulter's interests, which are shared by his Scottish-bom wife, are fishing and boating. Branch Profile Thomes Wood Coulter Thomas Couher was born and educated in Glasgow and it was on completion of his apprenticeship and while still studying for the City and Guilds in building construction, that he was conscripted into the British Army, for the duration of the second world war. Attached to the Royal Tank Regiment, he was in action during the evacuation of Dunkirk, later the North African campaign and the invasion of Europe. After active service he continued as an Army instructor in building construction during the rehabilitation period for servicemen prior to their demobilisation. After the war years, he started his own building business but eventually decided to emigrate with his family to Southern Rhodesia in the early 1950s. It was at this time that he became involved with civil and highway construction engineering and supervised various projects. In 1957 he joined the Highway and Works Division of the City Engineer's OBITUARY Council has learned with very much regret of the death of the following: J.R. Collins (Leicestershire, Fellow, 1965). CORRECTION It is regretted that on page 13 of the February, 19n issue the name of the East Midland Branch Secretary was shown as J.G. Boyden. This should have read J.G. Brogden. JournalJ. RHODESIAN BRANCH News in Brief Branch Members Gain Qualifications Congratulations to Rob De Preez, who successfully passed the Rhodesian National Technician Diploma in Civil Engineering examinations. Rob was elected a Student member of the Association in 1976 and is employed by the City Engineer's Department, Salisbury. Congratulations are also extended to Killian Mutero, who was awarded the Rhodesian Government Certificate of Competency in Geotechnology. He is one of the first Certified Geotechnologists in Rhodesia and is employed by the Ministry TIE ORDER I To: The Secretary, THE HIGHWAY AND TRAFFIC TECHNICIANS ASSOCIATION 3 lygon Place, Ebury Street. london, SWl Please supply at £1.35 ........ Association tie(sl 0 D 0 Blue Maroon Green Cheque/Postal Order/Money Order for £. ......... enclosed and crossed'and made payable to 'The Highway and Traffic Technicians Association', T.W. Coulter NAME , .. , (BLOCK CAPITALS ADDRESS Grade : . PLEASE) Date , . ! , .. A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No. 1064239. Registered office as above. Price includes VAT APRIL 19n THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS 11 ....... :..- ..... " ~- ~ . -- .Roads-for People J.M. McCluskey, asc, MICE, MIStructE, AMIHE i I. i I Public concern over a rapidly deteriorating environment is growing. More and more books are coming onto the market with titles like "Derelict Britain", "Goodbye Britain?" and "Battle for the Environment". All the professions concerned with environmental design are reexamining their. premises to try and discover what has been going wrong. This is as true of the. 'architectural profession with, for example, their rejection of high rise housing and their second thoughts about comprehensive redevelopment, as it is of the Forestry Commission who are adjusting their planting policies to improve the amenity of areas under their control. It may also be true that highway engineers can make significant improvements in the quality of the built environment by re-considering c-ertaindesign premises. In the design 0.1 major inter-urban roads the highway engineering profession has .had notable triumphs and on the whole has not been the subject of adverse criticism. This has not been so with regard to the design of access roads in residential areas. On the contrary the standards adopted have been the subject of conflict for many years. The criticism levelled at road designers" include the contentions that they compile' books of rules which are dogmatically enforced without regard to the real needs of a particular site and housing layout, that the standards enforced are often excessivelygrand and are often based on inappropriate premises. It is - 'fu rther claimed that this rigidity. of approach is _ held by authorities and experts of other disciplineswho share the responsibilitYfor the design of new housing. 'The results, say the critics, carl"be seen from one end of Britain to the 'other in. countless numbers of similar, du'lI.housing developments which sprawl across the countryside; anywhere type~ :developments, unjustified by climate, topography: :"tradition or. even local or '"-individual idiosyncrasy. ' ." One oLthe. most cogent attacks on current standards appeared~in "The Architectural Review" for October, 1973,The Journal devoted a large part of issue to what it considered were "sick remedies" attempted as housing problem solutions. "Sick Remedy F" was "The Rule Book". This section attacked the straitjacket of rules and regulations which circumscribe the' design of ne~ housing _',__ .j envirqnments. It' illustrated the":ffYpe of ~ prairie planning which results from slavish adherenceto the rule book. The first two pages of this section are shown at Figure an 1 ' / "' . a with Ove Arup and Panners, he designed and supervised construction of factories, flats and schools both overseas and in the UK. In 1968 he was employed by 'C.H. Dobbie' and Panners, responsible for the design, predominantly, of motorway bridges. . One of the author's main professional interests is the quality of the built imvironment. He believes that there is a need for professionals with inuir-disciplinary qualffications and' consequently is now in the 'process of /becoming a mem.ber of the Institute of , Landscape Architects .... iI J.M. McCluskey BIOGRAPHY SUMMARY The Paper begins by underlining the need to design' with a view .to Mr McCluskey graduated from enhancing the' total environment. It Glasgow UniverSity with a BSc in civil goes on to draw attention to the engineering, and since 1975 has been criticisms which have been levelled at on the staff of the Housing Branch designers of residentiai access TOadsin Architect, 'GLC as a landscape archirecent yeafS. teet.. The great variety of possibilities in From 1952 to 1956 he worked as a the designs of vehicle access systems site engineer with the Founda tirm ~__ i., then illustra ted with designed Company of Canads' in charge of the examples. The anicle concludes with construction of warehouses, office the suggestion that there is much to blocks and factories in Montresl. be gained by road designers reBetween 1956 and 1965 he was a appraising their attitudes . to the design engineer with Babtie Shaw and method of providing vehicle access to Monon working initially 'on the ,residential areas. Su'c'r a reappraisal resident engineer's staff of a large could result in the highway engineer , hydro-electric scheme and later in the playing a fuller pan in the efforts "to - firm's Glasgow headquaners on evolve more pleasing and fuffilling motorway, road and rail bridge design. environments in which people have ~ . In 1965, as Senior Design Engineer their homes. This rticle is fu II 'of sensible views regarding road' layouts, The few quotations which follow arEiintended to presenf an impression of the. attitudes adopted.With regard to roads the writer of the article said:, ....;> .:' "Roa~s /-. ' .. ' .RoadS-'ln-houslng--estates are- laid. out ~........-raccording to two criteria, neither of 'which . /' has anything tq, dO..... with -hou~ing. To."'-;'; quote the basic'handbook on the subject; 'Urban roads should: be designed to be safe and to permit the free flow of traffic -at reasonablespeed'.- .. ' The twin' objective's, therefore, are , .. safety and convenience,"The ':<-first. is . ~•.,., .' obviously crucial; but it is when 'Safety is "-;," -..Iinked 'to"the requirement of conv~nience '. :.--" - for vehicles - that the trouble starts. , .~,_.,~ :,.:,1,1. - ~For the underlying principle in: regulatin~i . . .road and pavement dimensions seems to --~~': :~ have .,been to _assume the unlikeliest _'. possible concatenation of. - hazards, . coupled with the least possible likelihood .of consideration for other road users and the greatest possible need for uninter- -,-rupted driving. The result":" a decision to ., play for safety at all Costs .- _ not only ), permits motor vehicles to travel ,danger- - "'- r, ously .fast through housing areas,but also' .- ; can reduce the land available for actual' living ... " ,,' ~ ' ~i' c/ I . On existing junCtion standards he .went t ... ! on to say that: / '\. I "Junctions . , RO,ad junctions on new estates' .are --- •. , equ.ipped. with wide radius'.~curves .' '1 - designed, In the-words of Roads In Urban. -_... - -I .A~eas: 'to pem'llt the free flow of traffic at '1 reasonable speed', as well 'as to avoid' --:~ accidents" (18, 19). . For most access roads on esta~es,the I I 'I 1 ....:~ 12 THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER , , .,'! I \ I" \ "\1. :.':_, ~~..:" r ,<, • ,H '''l,'''' \ ~~, .j .. ' i.'''\ ,J'. I \ , f' \ .- ,j APRIL 19n THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS 13 / handbook lays down a design speed limit of 3Omph, a minimum full visibility in either direction of 200ft and a minimum kerb radius of 20ft. (The proposed metric rounded-up equivalent of 200ft is 70m i.e. nearly 230ft!. The object, apparently, is to ensure as uninterrupted as possiblea run from home to office to shops to school and back again, with the minimum number of gear changes and at the maximum permissiblespeed. Junctions of this kind encourage a 'glance and carry on' 'mentality, rather than the 'slow, be prepared to stop, check, move on again' approach; and in spite of the 400ft of visibility (from a distance at least 20ft back from the connecting road), they can be a real hazard for cyclists and pedestrians, who can easily be missed when the driver's eye is briefly scanning the wide open space for another car." On the question of design speeds he had the following comment: "The concept of courtesy should be a reality in planning and safety contexts; there is no reason why people should not be encouraged, by tighter road spaces such as are found in historic towns and villages, to reduce speed substantially out of a real concern for hazards to themselvesand others, and to wait till the road is clear before embarking on the sharper curves required by narrow junctions. People don't have to drive about residential housing estates at the full legally permittffi:! 30mph or cruise around 20ft radius kerbs; a substantially reduced speed, even walking pace, could not possibly add more than five minutes to any journey. Severe speed restrictions have enabled play streets to be carved out of environmentally deprived areas; the same basic philosophy could just as well be applied to increasingly expensive estates." In the architectural press critical attitudes towards enforced highway standards are not hard to find. A few more examples underline the point. In the book "A Decade of British Housing, 1963-1973", published in 1975, the author, discussing "the two sibboleths" of low density and free vehicle access, said: "The intentions were of course of the best but the effect over the years has been to turn the one-time standards of progress into a universal straitjacket of regulations that has frozen thinking about land use in housing. This has especially become true with the car assuming more importance in the urban landscape. In modern housing developments, careless planning which unthinkingly works within all the highway and other regulations has been able to consign up to 50 per cent of the total area developed to the various elements. of access. This has become less true of the I public than of the private sector but not / always; for while the DoE survey referred to earlier found that "Roads and footpaths occupied an average 20 per cent of the site" it also discovered that "in extreme cases this reached 35 or 40 per cent" and again that "on average the proportion of the site occupied by buildings is less than 20 per cent at all densities." Roads in modern housing areas, whether public or private, have been laid out according to two criteria, 14 THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER neither of which has anything to do with housing. "To quote the basic handbook of the 1960son the subject: 'Urban roads should be designed to be safe and to permit the free flow of traffic at reasonable speed.' The first objective is obviously crucial, but it is when safety is linked to the requirement of convenience for vehicles that the trouble starts. "Roads in Urban Areas' laid down recommended lane widths for estate roads which have been treated as minima and often increased in practice by local highway authorities. These have exercised a powerful sanction - their ability to refuseto adopt for maintenance purposes any roads whose layout they disapproved of. In addition, generous passing and turning space has been allowed for large vehicles (dustcarts, fire engines and furniture removal vans) on the assumption that their drivers could never be expected to back out of an estate they had once entered.''' An article in "The Architects Journal", February 4th, 1976, described the design of the Neath Hill Housing area at Milton Keynes.The writer said: "Perhaps following the recent experience of several New Town designers. who have been overconfident about waivers from highway authorities, the design team has decided to accept many of the rigid regulations which highway engineers like to enforce, and to design their spaces and buildings within these constraints.. "Although they will probably lose battles about sight lines at the entrance to mews, they may well have gained a measure of control over the choice and disposition of surface materials (if you don't have to allow dust carts in you don't have to have two footpaths and regulation curbing which has made visual nonsense of many Radburn layouts and of which the omission by less politically adroit designers than these has led to highway authorities refusing to adopt roadsl." The DoE Is aware that the standards adopted for the design of roads in residential areas are often excessive. It has expressed concern at both the unnecessarily high costs incurred by excessive standards and at the detrimental effect these standards have on the environment. On May 17th, 1974 the Department issued its "New Streets" circular which included interim recommended widths for access roads and' footpaths. Flexibility was called for: Paragraph3 of Appendix. I included the following: "3. Local authorities are asked to use the recommendations flexibly, especially when considering the various types of layout which are designed to segregate pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The impact of growing car ownership on the pattern of living in residential areas, and the need to make the fullest use of available building land, are both factors which are likely to continue the development of new forms of housing layout and neighbourhood design. Every encouragement should be given to the development of schemes of this kind." On March 25th, 1975 the Department published its Circular 24n5 entitled "Housing: Needs and Action". Annex Part IV includes the following: "IV. REDUCING PROVISION FOR CARS ON HOUSING ESTATES Roads and footpaths 11. There is room for considerable economies in the design of roads and footpaths. Detailed guidance on how these economies might be achieved is being prepared. Local authorities are urged to adopt the revised interim. recommendations for road widths and footpath requirementsgiven in Appendix I to Circular 79n4 (DoE) 130n4 (Welsh Office)." The concern of the Department was further expressed in their lener of June 17th, 1975 haaded "Residential Access Roads and Footpaths." This went to all highway, planning and housing officers and to all authorities responsible for design and construction of access roads. Some of tha points made were: "that the standards at present required by some highway authorities are in excess of the minima required for safety and convenience: and that a large and sometimes arbitrary variation exists amongst the standards presently required." People, not cars, should be given the main consideration, thus: "Roads providing only access to residential areas are intimately related to a diverse range of individual and communal activities in which the needsof the moving vehicle do not necessarily have the highest priority. Pedestrians rather than vehicles tend to predominate as users of this environment and this is reflected in the fact that pedestrians, particularly young children, are more at risk than motorists." And, with regard to speed: "The flow of vehicles generated within residential areas is sufficiently light in volume to allow speeds to be kept low without causing inconvenience." "The aim should be to encourage drivers to reduce speed when entering residential areas. While the choice of deSign speed may vary according to particular site constraints it is important that the design of the layout raflects and reinforces the need for traffic speeds to be kept well be/ow 3Omph." (author's italics) Concerning radii and carriageway widths: "The presentstandards for corner radii and carriageway widths required by highway authorities are often excessiveas far as the manoeuvrability of vehicles is concerned, even when the needs of removal vans and emergency vehicles are taken into consideration." In March, 1976,the DoE circulated the second draft of their bulletin entitled "Residential Access Roads and Footpaths: layout Recommendations." The final version of this document will eventually supersede "Roads in Urban Areas" as the Department's recommendations regarding the subject. In the introduction the need for flexibility is stressed again: "New housing schemes vary so greatly on matters such as.their size, location and the accommodations they provide, that the need for APRIL 19n , .1 o large variation exists amongst the sometimes arbitrary standards presently provided." And "that convenience, safety and general amenity might often have been achieved more economically by a more open-minded approach to the limitation and opportunities presented by individual sites," The document stressed the need to consider the contribution that roads can make to the overall environment and went on to recommend standards that would encourage a more varied and appropriate response to the problems of access road design. The circulation of this bulletin provides an occasion for those highway engineqrs responsible for design in this field to turn their attention to the arguments of their critics. If there is substance in the arguments of the critics this is a serious matter for the highway engineering profession. It is estimated that 60 per cent of new urban roads are built in residential areas. The design of these roads is a vital element in creating the character of the residential environment. If the designers of the urban environment, the architects, planners, engineers and developers are going to maintain their role with any degree of autonomy they must satisfy the real needs of the people being housed. Different people have different needs. One person might have, as a top priority, the requirement that he can drive his car right into the driveway of his house, another will prefer to have no cars in the housing areaat all. The type of design for a housing area which is admirable in one part of the country might be totally inappropriate in another. • In the satisfactory design of a housing area it is necessaryto take into account such factors as the social structure of the people being housed,the traditional forms of layout for dwellings, the climate, the micro-climate, the topography and so on. In addition it is becoming more common to take into account the most important LAYOUT IN WHICH ALL CARS ARE PARKED OR GARAGED ADJACENT TO THE RADIAL ROAD. THE HOUSING AREA IS THUS FREED FROM PRIVATE VEHICLES. ONLY SERVICE VEHICLES ENTER THE HOUSING AREA. THESE CAN BE CONTROLLED TO MOVE AT VERY SLOW SPEEDS AND THE NARROW ACCESS ROADS CAN BE DUAL USE (VEHICLE/PEDESTRIAN) LAYOUT IN WHICH SHORT ACCESS ROADS PENETRATE THE HOUSING AREA. THE CARS ARE STORED AT THE END OF THE CUL-DE-SAC ACCESS. THERE IS NO ACCESS FROM THE CUL-DE-SAC TO THE HOUSING ARF~ EXCEPT AT END Of CUL-DE-SAC. THIS GIVES ADDED ADVANTAGE THAT PARKING IS WITHIN HOUSING AREA AND WALKING DISTANCE IS MINIMISED. LAYOUT IN WHICH ACCESS IS A SERIES Of CULS-DE-SAC. LAYOUT IN WHICH ACCESS IS A SERIES Of LOOP ROADS USED IN COMBINATION WITH CULS-DE-SAC. LAYOUT IN WHICH ACCESS IS BY MEANS Of A SERIES Of INTERCONNECTED DUAL USE (VEHICLE/PEDESTRIAN) AREAS. LAYOUT IN WHICH DWELLINGS ARE GROUPED AROUND A SINGLE DUAL USE AREA. (THIS IS A SPECIAL CASE OF THAT OUTLINED ABOVE) LAYOUT INCORPORATING CULS-DE-SAC, PEDESTRIAN MEWS COURT AREAS LINKED IN SERIES. SEGREGATED J easily administered standards must be' tempered to allow for innovation and solutionswhich suit the special characteristics of each scheme". Figs.3 and 3(a) Architect: High Kingsdown, Stage I Whicheloe S"ge 2 BuUdlng Parking Off Perimeter Road No Cars Within Housing Area Bristol MacF.arlane Partnership Pari,,"".'. 'Bri"ol) Ltd. _.E._ .. ~ us:. . Fig.2 It also says: "that the standards at present required by some highway authorities are in excessof those required for safety and convenience; and that a [ __ '::----0. 0(;J ~~--~ APRIL 1Sn AREAS AND CJOOoaao '. . DOC THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS 15 Fig.4 Eaglestone, Milton Archirect: Keynes Culs-de-Sac penetrate housing scheme to parking courts Ralph Erskine ::: --- /' p 1200m C Sire plan. 1 factor of all; the wishes of the people who are going to live in the housing areas being designed. It is clear that for satisfactory design of housing it is absolutely necessary to have diversity of design. People must be able : \ to make choices between different forms of home environment. This means that the highway engineer - a key figure in the design process - must be flexible and creative in his approach. It is not possible in the space available \ to examine ways in which road design affects layout of housing areas, however it is possible to present a few examples of variety of approach which can be used in the design of access roads. These examples illustrate the possibility of adapting design response to the needs of a particular community and environment. NEW SCHEMES Many different types of layout have been used in new housing areas. Seven types are shown in Figure 2. The sole purpose is to illustrate the variety of solutions possible and to underline the need for an open-minded approach by all involved in housing layout design. Each of the seven types are symbolised by a diagram. In each case the circle represents a radial road round the housing area which in a particular case may exist in total 0 r in part. High Kingsdown, Bristol Although one cul-de-sac has been incorporated in this scheme it is not essential to the type of layout used. This example belongs to that type of housing layout which does not permit private cars to penetrate the scheme. Instead residents and visitors park ~heir cars at the edge of the housing area and walk to the dwellings (Figures 3 and 3[a}). 16 THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER Thus an environment is produced which is safe for children and free of traffic noise and pollution. adjacent to the road can be screened. In this case two-way lane, 5m wide roads have been used [Figures 6 and 6(a)). Eagtestone, Milton Keynes The short culs-de-sac penetrate the housing area and terminate in garage courts. There is no access from the culs-de-sac to the housing area except via the garage court. The garage courts form a rectangle separating parked cars from the housing area. By using this type of layout cars can penetrate the residentiaI area thus minimising the walking distance to the dwellings. At the same time cars are kept in their own precinct and the advantages of safety, freedom from noise and disruption by the cars are retained (Figure 4l. Area 7 Andover . As with the other types of layout, many different interpretations are possible. The one illustrated (Figure 51 uses straight spine access roads with shorter culs.desac branching off at right angles and is probably the arrangement most commonly adopted in the recent past. In this e"xamplethe spine roads are 5m wide with short lengths widened to 7.5m to allow parallel parking at the side of the road. The branch culs-de-sac are 5m wide and have an adjacent parking strip 4.8m to allow parking. Langdon Hills. BlI;sildon Roads can encourage high speeds as well as being often dull and monotonous. By curving the access roads speeds are restricted and a constantly changing view along the road results. An additional advantage is the comparativeease with which vehicles parked Halton Brow, Runcorn At "The Brow" in Runcorn culs-de-sac access roads take an informal, organic form. As a result the road network ceases to be obtrusive and becomes an integral enhancing etement of the residential environment lFigure 7). The roads are designed as one lane, two-way roads with a basic width of 2.75m, passing places are provided and parking is in small informal areas off the_ access roads. The ground is modelled to form a bank at the sides. This has the effect of making parking at the side of the 2.75m road impossible and the layout is so arranged that to park on the access road, as well' as virtually blocking the road, would entail the driver in an unacceptably long walk to the dwellings. B~ookside 4, Telford The serpentine access roads in this layout are 2.75m wide (Figure 8). They operate as two-way single lane roads, the forecourts of the paired garages acting as passing places and in some locations taking the place of hammerheads and turning circles. Using garage forecourts as passing places has the advantage of ensuring that the passing places are not used for parking. The curved alignment and narrow road width induce low speeds and caution. (Note: Part only of the Brookside 4 housing area is shownl. Hounslow Heath, Hounslow In this layout cars are given similar APRll19n A network Fig.5 Area 7 Andover Architects: GLC • of Culs.de-Sac • 1 .~ I i -_on ,, \ ..... ~~ ~ \ 10 .:~;. :, .... \, \ "~I\:. ,J ,/\ / t ,- ...!""-: ~-~ / .~ ,/ I -~--.~~. freedom to that of pedestrians, and both are required to maintain a similar speed [Figure 91. They are constrained to very slow speeds by the designer's use of a number of expedients. Very sharp bends are used frequently in the road layout and where straights are used they are very short so that a driver cannot appreciably increase his speed before the next corner. The Q) APRIL 19n Figs.6 and 6(a) Langdon Architects: Basildon DC loop roads go through narrow gaps between buildings, This has the effect of inducing caution. Unfortunately this scheme will not be built due to exces. sively high noise levels' from nearby Hills, Basi/don THE :JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTION A network OF HIGHWAY of cu/s-de-sac ENGINEERS 17 1 Plan Qf the Estate Heathrow Airport. Fig.7 Halton Brow, Runcom -Architects: Runcorn DC Fig.8 Brookside 4, Telford Architect: Telford DC -l""", U .. 18 THE HIGHWAY j II .••.. j ENGINEER A network of culs-de-sac Loop roads in combination with culs-de-sac Millers Court. ChlBwlck. Hammersmijh. London. In this small infill site the road is a fully integrated design element. The architect has treated the road surface with as much careful attention to form, proportion, texture and detail as he has treated the elevation of the buildings. The result is an enclosed space both intimate and full of character. In such spaces motorists drive slowly and with care (Figure 101CaTSare slowed down on entering the housing area by the rough-textured cobbled surface at the start of the access road, by the raised section of cobbles and by the curvature of the road. The white wall facing alerts the night driver. The road curvature leads to the central square (Figures 11 and 12). The strategically placed and elevated planting boxes provide some screening for the cars, act as spaca dividers, ensure that drivers will not exceed walking pace and add an element of soft landscaping which acts as a foil to the other materials. lines drawn by the pavers in the asphalt help impart a human scale to the space, and at the same time delineating parking spaces. These lines are linked to the building modules and so are a strong unifying element (Figure 13). Christchurch Site. Victoria Park. HaCkney. london In this intelligent and sophisticated development the designer has used a variety of methods to provide vehicle access. For example, a cul-de-sac terminOatesin Vicars Close, Pennethorne Close leads to a mews court and between these two areas is a pedestrian-only precinct., The result is a number of spaces linked in series providing a neighbourhood of great interest and variety. Other spaces linked in parallel add to the diversity and choice -of route for the.pedestrian.(Figljre 141: Vicar's Close is the end of a curved cul-de-sac access road. This relaxed, informal space leads into a pedestrianonly precinct via the gap in the low wall to the left of the photograph (Figure 151This precinct provides a safe area for children's play and a quiet place away from the noise of traffic. lt leads, in turn, to a mews court via the gateway in the high wall seen in the middle diStance of Figure 16. The brick paved surface of the mews is in contrast to the normal asphalt surface of roads for traffic. This has the effect of inducing a feeling of caution in the driver (Figure 17). Another feeling of caution; coupled with a sense of enclosure, comes from the space which has been created. The entrances to the dwellings have been recessed in order to provide a small, private outdoor space as a transition to the semi-public mews. The mews leads to another pedestrian precinct in the background [Figure 18), The pedestrian can walk from the mews through the gate to this second pedestrian area below and. from there, through the gateway in the low wall to the end of a second cul-de-sac, St. Agnes Close [Figure 19 and 19(a)). APRIL 19n I~ Fig.9 A series of inter-connected dual use (vehicle/pedestrian) areas Hounslow Heath, Hounslow Architect: GLC C>N c,". ~.' I I ~, r -."'" .... Fig.fO Millers Coun, Chiswick, Hammersmith Architects: London Dual use pedestrian Chapman Taylor Pannership Access Road vehicle court. Acc~ss road I I~ ... L.~'c .• '•. .. \ ~ ~ '" I \, \I •.. • " APRIL 19n THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS 19 Fig. 11 ~i l ! As can be seen on the layout plan, .St. Agnes Close is U-shaped around Block 1. This device has maximised the length of tha cul-de-sac and proponionately increased the number of parking places which could be supplied. By constructing a leg of the L.shaped Block 2 parallel to Gore Road the designer has closed the founh side of the space lFigur~ 20J and greatly enhanced the sense of privacy. Although vehicles must retrace their route to the cui-de-sac the pedestrians have been given egress directly into Gore Road. This short cul.de-sac leads off the access road to Vicars Close. Two bollards are sufficient to delineate the edge of the road and the normally obligatory upstand kerb is clearly unnecessary (Figure 21). The line of the road is emphasised by Fig. 12 20 THE HIGHWAY \ ENGINEER APRll19n Fig. 13 Fig.14 Christchurch Site, Victoria Park Hackney, London Architect: John Spence and Panners Pedestrian Curde~Sac Access Road only coun. Mews coun IV 1 VICTORIA >ARK CHRISTCHURCH GENERAL LAYOUT SITE' VICTORIA PLAN ~,ll 1977 THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTION HACKNEY -I-I .. ]"M Scale ~f" .Mhft fn.. APRil PARK' "'1.-1 L..4toCt ~n~ ' .... ~111 ..... rdItIM~ Llo:I...-.oU. ~ OF HIGHWAY Iwn ENGINEERS 21 ~ I I Fig. 15 the orientation of the brick paving. {Figure 22). In the location a change in level has been used to provide a pedestrian access clear of the cars and leading direct to the pedestrian precincts. Cars have been placed on a recessed level below that of the pedestrians and of Victoria Par\( Road rendering them less conspicuous. Cars are slowed by means of the section of footpath which projects out in front of the entrance to the cul-de-sac. Here a!so the device of using a different coloured and textured surface is employed. It is the writer's view that until quite recently the critics have been largely justified ~ Highway engineers have, too often, in the design process, concentrated almost Fig. 16 22 THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER APRll19n POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA COURSE IN TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING AT PORTSMOUTH POLYTECHNIC The Course In 1968 the Department of Civil Engineering at Portsmouth Polytechnic established a Postgraduate Diploma Course in Traffic and Transportation, which is run annually during the Autumn. Today's traffic problems require the co-operation of Civil, Municipal and Highway Engineers, Town Planners, Architects, Economists, Mathematicians and people in associated professions. The course has been designed to enable people of Graduate status from these professions, who are working in the various branches of local and central government, the public services and private organisations, to supplement and to broaden their basic knowledge of the techniques of Traffic Engineering and Transportation. The twin objective of the course is to cover basic technology and to provide an opportunity for an examination of the assumptions which underlie the analysis of transport needs .. . Syllabus The syllabus includes lecture series on:. Traffic and Travel Surveys, Traffic Engineering, Transportation Planning, Economics, Law, Town Planning, Statistics, Computer Programming, Highway Design (Option 1) Transport Systems and Transport Policy(Option 21 Coursework A choice of coursework is available which includes projects on highway design, traffic studies and transportation. The transportation project requires team work and the direct application of material from lectures on computer programming, economics, town planning and transportation. Other projects are of a more individual nature. Design StUdy During the four months following the course, course members are required to prepare a report on a subject of their own choice. Awards The award of a Postgraduate Diploma in Traffic and Transportation Engineering is made to course members who satisfy requirements with respect to written examinations, coursework and design study. Course Dates are:Monday 3rd October to Friday 16th December, 1977. Further Information If you would like a brochure, or further information on a specific point, please fill in the reverse side of this leaflet and return it to the Polytechnic. Postage is prepaid. » z » c c ~ m " m :t> "C "C g-. ~ ::::s ~ en ::::s OJ i 3 I CD OJ ::::s Q. D) .!0.a}!Y..'f!!.d..!l2.ngt(!J~/0!.a!!.d_w.!~i~ 00 not Post,g. WIll b. ....: Q. Q. ---l ,ff,. posl,g. slemps ,f posted In Gre'l Brit.in Chen".1 Islands Or N. Illlland ... t I CD en 'en pa.d bVlhe licensee " BUSINESS REPLY SERVICE LICENCE NO. PT272 • The Registrar, •• ." Admissions Office, c: Portsmouth Polytechnic, Alexandra House, Museum Road, ~ ~ PORTSMOUTH, POl 4YY. ~ -0' ::::s ---------------------------------------------~ Second fold along this line I I I I I I I f I t . J ... 3 Q) r+ -. o :::J r I ,. Fig. 17 exclusively on technical aspects of design and omitted to give due consideration to environmental and aesthetic aspects of their work on access roads. This is clearly no! because engineers do not consider APRIL 19n these asPects important. Is it because they believe that if they can get the engineering right the other factors will take care of themselves? If so this attitude has not been a fruitful one. Is it because they believe it is their job to take care of the engineering and others will look after the aesthetic and environmental aspects? The writer believes that it is only through an interest in, and feeling of responsibility THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY I • ENGINEE'RS I 23 / Fig. 19 Fig. 19(a) for, all aspects of road design that the highway engineer will be able to _enter into a fully participating partnership with , the housing architect. , It would appear that this interest is not yet very prevalent. Why is it for example that virtually all the articles in the Institution's Journal are concerned with such matters as traffic surveys, computer programmes and engineering materials for road design? Why is it thet libraries dealing with roads have countless books about the technical aspects of road, design and almost none about environmental espects? The critics are also often right when , they question the premises used in access road design. Because, even though concentration has been given to engineering considerations, it is highly questionable that the premises used have always been correct. The premises - under question are well-known so only one is mentioned here - that relating to design speed. Too' often in the past accessed roads have been design8cl as though 30mph was a statutory minimum instead of a maximum. Is it possible to justify the saving of, at the most, two minutes in average journey time at the expense of creating an intimate and peaceful environment in which people can relax away from the speed and noise of contemporary urban life? When we design access roads do we fully appreciate that in many areas most peopla do not own a car? ,The- , average ownership' was' 0.40 cars per dwelling for publichouslng and 0.62 cars per dwelling for housing in England as a whole at the time of the 1971 census.- J I '. I -, ~. - 1 ! \ f t .- 24 THE HIGHWAY E~GINEER APRIl19n '. Fig.20 When we design access roads for cars we are often designing for the' minority. Another criticism is concerned with "the standards applied for the accommodation of service vehicles. Should roads be . . designed for the comfort and convenience of people living in the housing. areas or for the convenience of removal contractors and managers and operators of refuse disposal facilities? Obviously some reason- able compromise must be reached, but is the compromise always reasonable from . the point of view of the householder who wants a quiet pleasant environment? Should access roads and junctions be designed to take 40ft long removal contractors vehicles or should the contractor use' vehicles appropriate to the scale of properly designed housing areas? Should refuse veh1cles always be able to approach within 150ft of each dwelling or should, in some cases, trollies be used to allow longer carting distances? The pu rpose of this Paper has been simply to underline the existence of the conflict and to illustrate that there, are viable alternatives to current wisdom. If the conflict is to be resolved it must be by . means of open-minded discussion throughout those professions which share responsibility for the design of the' residential environment. As part of this discussion there .is one viewpoint which the writer would like to underline in conclusion .. Why is the Institution's Journal full of text, diagrams and formulae as opposed , to, say, the "Architectural Review" which is full of attractive photographs? It is not suggested that one extreme is better than the other, nor is it being. suggested that particular journals should necessarily not pay more attention. to one aspect of' design rather than another. But it is suggested that if professional designers identify with one particular aspect of design to the exclusion of others then this polarisation of interest may be one of the most important factors causing the present difficulties. " , ' ;/ " i~...... . ,Fig.21 \ , ' ,. . ...... Fig.22 APRIL 19n .. -THE JOURNAL OFTHE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS 25 I MOSS Modelling Systems G.S. Craine. BSc. MICE. MIMunE. MIHE, J.M: Houlton, MSc, DipTech, MBCS, and E. Malcomson, BSc(Eng), MICE, MIHE 1. INTRODUCTION MOSS stands for MOdelling SyStems and describesthe concept of the use of a computer system for building digital models in the form of spatial co-ordinates with associated attributes. The system provides facilities for the storage of models and a comprehensive set of easily used computational options which allow the user to create, develop and display models(1). Initially the system was developed for the representation of land surfaces, both natural and man-made,for use in highway engineering. The fundamental simplicity of the MOSS concept will allow models to be created and processed for dis- ciplines outside the field of highway engineering and provides a base for other computer developments in the fields of engineering and planning. 2. EVOLUTION OF THE SYSTEM MOSS hasdevelopedfrom a study of the problems of defining earthworks and the computer storage of ground surfaces in the form of digital models. As a result of experiencewith square grid, random point and triangular models it was found that the ground can best be defined by a combination of feature lines for the definition of irregular or acute ground profiles such as existing roads, railways, etc, and contours or general lines for the recording of ground curvature. These lines or strings are composed of three dimensional co-ordinates and form tha digital model of the ground surface. It became apparent that the designed earthworks and surfaces could be described in identical manner to the existing ground surface. Further investigation showed that the concept could be simplified because the angular nature of . earthworks .required only road feature lines to define channels, kerbs, backs of verges, embankment toes, etc. Road feature lines are similar to ground feature lines but are generated by the designer and are stored as strings of three dimensional co-ordinates. Bacause a global co-ordinata system is used it is simple to generate the features of the I . G,S. Craine BIOGRAPHIES Mr Cm;ne is Management Information Engineerin the Surveyor's Department, Durham CC. His early training was as a mine engineer with the NCB and he obtained his mine surveyor's certificate in 1962. He then obtained a CNAA degree in civil engineering at Sunderland Polytechnic and joined his present employers. ' After experience of road and bridge design and motolWay contracts he was appointed as. Computer Engineer providing a service to both the county and the RCU Sub-Unit. In 1971 he was appointed to his present post where he has responsibi1itiesfor computing and project planning. Mr Houlton is Principal Engineer, Management Systems with the Surveyor's Department, West Sussex CC. He graduated in 1965 with a mechanical engineering degree having 26 THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER J,M. Houlton worked as a student engineer for International Computers Ltd. A year later he obtained an MSc at Birmingham University and stayed for a further two years as a research assistant in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, working on the computer-aided design of mixed flow pumps and fans. This led to the use of inter-active graphics. In 1968 he moved to West Sussex CC as a Senior Systems Analyst to develop computer-aided highway design. He is now one of nine Principal Engineers in a department of 350 and is responsiblefor project planning and the development and use of computer techniques for all aspects of the department's work. Mr Malcomson has been Computer Applications Engineer, Surveyor's Department, Northamptonshire CC since 1965. He is responsible for project planning and the development and support of computer techniques for the Department. E. Malcomson .... He graduated in 1965 with a civil engineering degree from London University and took up an appointment as Assistant Engineerwith East Riding CC. He gained ex.periencein roed and bridge design and was responsible for supervising the construction of several schemes. SUMMARY The MOSS system is a completely new approach to the use of computers for solving a wide range of problems in the engineering and planning fields and exploits the sophistication of current computing machinery. The Paper shows that the data structures adopted in MOSS are fundamental in concept and have a/lower;J the integration of many applications into one system. The application of MOSS to a range of problems, including aerial survey and ground surveying, highway design and spatial information systems is described. APRIL 19n / f highway because they have B known relationship with the lines defining the road alignments. Thus the engineer is creating the ground model of the finished earthworks. Because both the road and ground models are dealt with in the same way the ground model can be updated with the new construction. This facility is useful where schemes are to be constructed in several stages. A simple concept has evolved which makes it possible to store both ground and highway models in the same way. The system can operate on both types of models with the same program logic, for instance, the method of editing or plottin!J road or ground strings is the same. The system is therefore uninfluenced by the type of string and now the concept of holding models in string form can be further generalised. Any surface or object that can be adequately represented as lines in a three dimensional space can be stored and operated on by the system. The major advantage of such a storage concept is that different applications can interface with one another through the stored data. For example, a model can be created from data produced by both ground survey and aerial survey methods, or a plotted drawing can be produced of a composite model of a highway formed from a' ground model, road model, street furniture and building models. 3. CONCEPTS OF MOSS This section summarises the concepts which are inherent in the MOSS system. The system will store and operate on models which are sets of data representing either a physical entity such as the surface of an area of land or a logical entity such as a model of traffic noise. Each model is composed of Bny number of strings of data. A string can be of any length and is composed of any number of elements or points. An element can consist of any number of items of data and will generally include spatial coordinates, in which case they must occupy the- first three positions in the elemant. The format of each etement nf data must be constant throughout a given string and is defined in an index of string details. Every model is referenced by a 32 character name and each string within a model has a unique four character label. Where spatial co-ordinates form part of an element in most instances each element is assumed to be joined to the preceding and succeeding elements by an imaginary line. Examples of strings are contours (2 dimensionalf; topographical feature lines (3 dimensional); road networks, proposed road alignments (6 dimensional: x, y, z, chainage, bearing, radius); drainage systems (8 dimensional: x, y, z, gradient, pipe shape codes, roughness coefficients, dry weather flow, influx volumes etcf. Models can be used to define any surface or network e.g. Surface models; Existing ground, substrata, proposed works, structures and bridge geometry, Stockpiles Feature models: Ground detail, street furniture Network models: Road, public utility and APRIL 19n drainaga networks Abstract models: Noise and visual intrusion. The important fact is that several applications i.e. bridge geometry, surveying etc., which were previously considered independent, have been united by developing a common storage concept basl!ld on the spatial co-ordinates, 'which are the only common property. Thus the advaniage of MOSS is that all information is supported by a single system with common files and processing options such as plotting and editing, with the added facility of being able to compare the stored information from several sources. ' 4. THE COMPUTER SYSTEM The computer system consists of a set of file handling routines which deal with the storage Bnd retrieval of models and stri ngs. ' The user has access to the stored data , and the computational functions of the system through the use of a Saries of simple option commands. Major options define major functions of the systBm which operate on a model such as model generation, editing and updating, the determination of areas and volumes and highway engineering functions. Within a major option are a series of minor options which generally perform operations on one or more strings within a model. The facilities provided by the system fall into two grou ps, those of a -ganeral nature which relate to the storage, editing and plotting of models and those for specific applications. To simplify the use of the system, where sets of options are frequently used with varying data a facility is provided to group options into "macro-options" which can then be invoked with a minimum of data. The file structure has been designed to facilitate the use of graphical display devices such as visual display units and dig itaI plotters. The program has been written in a high level portable subset of FORTRAN and has been implemented on IBM, ICL, UNIVAC and COC computers: Input data can be read as either fixed or free format and the system contains data vetting facilities and comprehensive warning and error messages. 6. GENERAL SYSTEM FUNCTIONS lal Maintenance And Updating Of Models MOSS provides a comprehensive set of options to manipulate models and strings. These ,include:Creation, deletion, copying and merging of models. Altering values in elements within strings. Adding new elements to strings. Changing or deleting elements in strings. Adding or delating complete strings. Joinin g strings. Creating new, strings from part of other strings, the extent of which is defined either by specific points or points of intersection. The definition of the security of a model, whether it may be updated or whether it may only be read and not amended. Further options are provided to aid the maintenance of the computer files used by the system such as creation reorganisation, safe copying and retrie~al. The input data. required to achieve these functions is very simple and extremely well suited to computer terminal use. lbl Display of Models A major advantage of MOSS is the immediate acceptance by designers of the co~cept of the computer S!0rage of stnngs because of its direct comparison with working drawings. It follows that ~OSS .has the capability to output Information to a graphical device in a very efficient way. A comprehensive set of options is available to allow the user to define the area of inter~t and strings to be displayed. The output can either be in ,plan form, isometric or perspective views, vertical and horizontal sections or cross sections. For plan drawing, strings can be interpreted according to type and drawn with a variety of line and symbol types and the macro facility allows the user to define almost any shape of symbol or line types. For example a network model of gas pipes may include information at each node concerning the existence of valves, compressors, pipe diameters etc., and the plotted output could interpret this information as appropriate symbols. On drawings of ground surveys, hedges, fences and spot heights can be shown according to standard survey practice. A "mask" feature is available which permits the selection or rejection of selected strings within a plot. An example of its use when producing contract drawings is to plot the highway model and then overplot the channel strings, selected by an inclusive mask, as a series of spot levels~. When the output device is a digital plotter the "picture" of a model can be any size and the system will 'automatically split the picture to fit pages of specified size. Sectional information' in the form of cross-sections and long sections can be extracted from the stored models and planed. To aid the design of merging alignments and crossfalls several strings can be projected onto a common reference string and be drawn as a comprehensive vertical profile. Cross-sections, as well as being a useful visual aid, are the basis for determining contours. Isometric and perspective views may be taken of any models whether they contain networks or land surfaces. They can prove effective for checking ground models and upon completion of a highway design perspective, views may be taken of the road within the existing grou nd model to assist the designer in ensuring it is aesthetically acceptable. Icl Reporting of Models The display facilities are the most convenient form of reporting a model but it is also necessary to list the model and string contents and determine string relationships. The basic reporting features THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS 27 air survey ,, ~ D \1 'I , I I I 28 THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER APRIL 1977 . \ \ are of two types; status reports which list the contents of either the models within a file, the strings in a model or the contents of individual strings and geometric reports which determine the intersection of strings etc.. Sectional information is a form of reponing, and sections are extracted by retrieving the points at which the section intersects strings, if necessary causing linear interpolation along that string to determine the third dimension and, additionally, in-filling sparse sections with information taken at right angles to the section. These sections may be stored for funher processingor plotted as previously described. .improve the information by using high order interpolation. The onus always remainswith the user to ensure the model is adequately defined. 6. SURVEYAPPLICATION MOSS permits the creation of models by either ground or air surveytechniques and models may comprise data from both methods. It is imponant to remember that the model of the land form is only a digital representationof the complex surface and the number of strings and number of points in the strinGs dictate the accuracy of the surface interrogation. The options that extract sections only use linear interpolation and no attempt is made to lal Creation Of Digitised And Air Survey Models Oigitising is a rapid means of collecting information in string form from existing plans or optical models such as occur in stereo plotting machines. MOSS provides for the creation of models of contour and three dimensional strings from data produced as an automatic process from stereo-plotting equipFig.2 --, ground APRIL 1977 survey THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS 29 ..., / , ment as used by aerial survey companies, table digitisers or by manual means. Where the data results directly from a machine process it is unlikely to ,be suitable for direct input to MOSS and a preprocessor is provided for use when information is taken .from stereoploning machines or table digitisers. The preprocessor verifies and transforms strings of date from machine coordinates to true co-ordinates and removes excessivepoints from the strings subject to specified tolerances in the horizontal and vertical planes. The data is finally reformatted to conform to the specifications required by MOSS. Once the information is stored the strings are plotted and verified to ensure its acceptability prior to use for design and earthwork calculations, (Figure 1]. lbl Ground Surveying A complete ground survey, analysis and drawing procedure can be defined in MOSS, with the added advantage that the models so created can be further utilised for new works design, area and earthwork calculations. Survey control stations are created either from computations of triangulatiol's, resection or traversing exercises, or by direct input, The field observations of detail then fall into categories according to the type of surveying employed. MOSS standard field ~heetsprovide for the observations from:Vertical staff stadia tacheometry. Self reducing tacheometers observing either slope distance/verticaI tangent or horizontal distance/level difference. (iiil Electronic measuring devices such as 01 10 and 01 3 distomat. [ivl Chain and offset with the optional addition of reduced level. Certain features such as hedges, fences, waterlines, ditches, and features with unique point definitions such as manholes, gulleys, trees and poles, and spot levels, are all recognised by MOSS by a simple labelling system applied by the surveyor to either a sequence of observations for a feature, or to each observation individually. In the tatter case, all observations with the same label are collected together before sending the results to the filing system for storage, On a special instruction, the plotting of this type of model is carried out by interpreting the labels and representing the feature with the appropriate symbol. (Figure 2). Any errors found from the plot, or upon field verification, can be edited using the MOSS editing functions, and a final drawing made which requires only minor manual burnishing to be acceptable.. Upon interrogation 'by other options in MOSS, for example 'area' and volume calculations, all features in the model which do not represent the surface levels are ignored. ". The "string" concept for recording features introduces a discipline into the ground survey method but once accepted the system can automatically produce interpreted plots direct from the field observations. [i) (ii) 30 THE HIGHWAY . 7. HIGHWAY APPLICATION The design of a highway scheme can be considered as a seriesof engineering procedures. Each procedure involves the use of a seriesof major options and these will be both the general purpose options and highway design options. Initially a model of the original ground "surface will be recorded either by air or ground survey methods as previously described. If geological strata influence the earthwork quantities, models should be created for the various rock strata. These models will be created from borehole information and can take the form of contours of the conjectured surface or a series of strings linking the boreholes in a triangular pattern. The MOSS design technique is to create a model of th9 proposed highway consisting of a series of strings representing the major features such as centre lines,channels and verges. These features are created by simple offsetting from the alignment strings and the initial step is to define the "master alignments" which geometrically define the proposed highway. The feature strings are generated by specifying their horizontal and vertical relationships to a master alignment or previously generated feature string. This is followed by the generation of the line or feature that occurs at the intersection of the road and ground model, known es the interface string, to complete the road model in readiness for the area and volume calculations. The general editing functions will be used to remove redundant sections of strings where they intersect other features and to insert non-standard features such as nosings to complete the model. Throughout the design plots of the model will be necessaryfor p'rogresschecks and to assist the planning of the subsequent design and editing. Once the model of the highway surface is complete sections and perspectivescan be determined and plotted to check the visual impact of the scheme. Topsoil and seedingquantities are determined by constructing a boundary around each of the areas of interest and totalling the calculated quantities for each of these areas. A further model is created from the completed road model to describe the formation surface, prior to the" determination of earthwork volumes. The volumes between this model and the ground model can be determined by either taking sections along a string or by defining a boundary and taking elemental sections, depending upon the complexity of the situation. The follOwing sections describe the more important highway design facilities in greater detail. lal Alignment Analysis The alignment strings form the, basic strings from which all road feetures are generated. These strings are created in two stages as in the conventional design process, the horizontal geometry is designedfirst and the levels are added by the vertical alignment options later. Sufficient points must be created by the, horizontal alignment programs to ensure adequate digital representation of the" designed line and a chord/arc tolerance can be specified by the user. MOSS provides a comprehensive range of design options including conventional horizontal alignment design with an improved version of the program HORAL and cubic spline alignments. Levels can be added to the horizontal geometry by options based on conventional vertical alignment techniques or the vertical cubic spline method. The cubic spline alignment options were created within MOSS to provide the greater level of designer interaction that is required for detailed schemes. The cubic alignments are located on plan using piano wire which permits the designer complete involvement to finalise the horizontal geometry. The piano wire is accurately approximated by a series of splined cubic curves. The program calculations ensure continuity of gradient and curvature between adjacent cubic curves and ensure that the alignment geometric considerations ara satisfied. The flexibility of the method easily lends itself to design in urban areas and of minor improvements which provide some of the greatest problems to the de. signer.121 - The role of the master alignment in highway design is that it fathers a series of features that are related to it by simple horizontal and vertical offsets. In this way a complete design of an interchange can be prepared by the careful selection of several master alignments. Where feature lines cannot be located in plan by this offsetting technique secondary alignments are used which employ the horizontal alignment options to determine their horizontal geometry, but the levels are added by defining a relationship to a previously designed string. Examptesof the use of secondary alignments occur where roads narrow, bends widen and where, on complax interchanges, the constraints for horizontal and vertical geometry are not coincident in a 'singlestring. Ibl Geometric Design The geometric design option provides a range of facilities for the creation and amendment of feature strings relative to previously designedstrings and is used to generate the highway features such as channels, kerbs and verges. The geometric design facility differs from other MOSS facilities in that it creates strings by reference to other strings and for this reason it is possible to generate strings in a' new model with reference to strings in an existing model. This feature is used to generatethe model depicting the road formation from the--strings in the road surface model. The facilities can be considered in two groups; those for the generation of coordinates in the horizontal plane and those for the vertical plane. The horizontal geometry of successive parts of a road model string can be created or amended relative to a master alignment string or other strings using offsat functions such as constant offset. linear and reverse curves. The co-ordinates of points on the ENGINEER APRIL 19n / l 5500 --MDO' -- ......- - / / /' I / -- .. 06 -OlIdb.- - ,'OI.~r --MD02 I I I I \ \ r I \ \ \.l~ .... I I I I 6-000 I 7 I . < . : broug h j I I "'-" thorn I I I I. t E / hornbrough i nt ere hange interchange / model 1491.963 tig .. Fig.3 new string are generated normel to those on the reference string. Where a widening function is used sufficient points are generated in the new string to ensure adequate..definition .of the string according to a predetermined chordlarc tolerance. The vertical geometry of the string is generated either by specifying a constant or variable crossfall relative to a reference string or by the application of a vertical offset similar to those defined for horizontal offsets. Because the generation of the geometry of new strings is in two phases, firstly in the horizontal, then the vertical plane, a further level of flexibility is introduced in that horizontal and vertical relationships may be to different reference strings. Also. when the levels for a new string are determined, the points do not need to be opposite those on the reference string. The advantage of this feature is obvious when adding levels to a string designed by the horizontal alignment options. Slip road alignmants are of this type and where they convargel diverge from the main carriageway their levels may be determined by a continuation of the existing carriageway crossfall. Special facilities are available for use in the design of roundabouts. lcl Sections. Interface. Areas and Volumes Sections may be extracted from any model by a range of options which can APRIL 19n rlt t .gUf. J 4 Fig.4 determine a long section along a specific line, a section along a single line and sections at right angles 'to a specified string. Sections through the ground and geOlogical streta will essist the location of vertical alignments and cross sections through the ground and completed road models can be ploned as visual aids for contractual use. The interface line between the road and ground model is termed the toe of the batter and is determined by taking sections normal to a reference string, usually the back of verge and extending a slope until it intersects the ground. These slopes may be of simple form or a combination of several slopes with or without berms and may be extended from the road to ground or vice versa. By defining a boundary of an area within a model. the 9nc'0~1j plan slope or surface area can be computed, and optionally multiplied by a corn;tant representing a unit conve"llion factor or depth to give a crude vOlume. Boundaries are set up by defining individual points, or parts of existing strings snd can be stored temporerily or permane1"t1yif their use is likely to be repeated. Pa~ ~f strings are defined by start ar.d en.~!-)ointswh:ch can be the intersection wit:"! another string, an intersection with I! nQrmal frnm a given point, or the start or lmd '1f the !ltring itself. Th03e b')lmdarias lire used in several MOSS QPtilJn~,providing a simple common mElthod of inte:rogBting the THE JOURNAl contents of a model. Several options are available for the determination of volumes for various situations and accuracies. Volumes are usually determined between two models but for preliminary design a standard profile can be defined to give repid results. For streightforward lengths of highway the volumes can be determined by taking cross-sections through the models normal to a string such as a master alignment string. In complex areas and interchanges volumes can be determined by defining the boundary string around the area, cutting the main alignments at appropriate places. The volumes are computed by taking parellel sections through the area enclosed by the boundary, computing the areas of these sections and multiplying by the section interval. In this way errors introduced in • the previous conventional cross section approach to volume calculation along a given (curvedl alignment are eliminated. The direction of the parallel sections is specified for each calculetior. and a comparison of accurecy can be obtained by specifying a different section direction for a further calculation. Experience has proved that for normal section intervals the total volumes can be expected to compare within 2-3 per cent. ldl Setting Out Setting out of Bny feature represented by a string is possible in MOSS. Options OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS 31 section long -- ..... - - -- U£'t ...."'" - .-.v --;..-- ,.- ~ : I I iI ~ ~ ~ ij EXISTING ~ ~ w I'-- l- J---.- !- NOf<'1"HSLIP ROllO ---- -- ---- ------: l- t--- !- r---. r----- ~ --- ~ "" oil , ...... J ~ , ' n. , 0 ~n~~. ~~ ~~,~~~~~~~,m~~~~ ~f!lU~H~!' !IS ; ~ ~ !.;SSSHm!i!!!i!l!i r~m~sal U~~ !~!~!!!!!!!!!! ~ ~ ~ ! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I ~ @ a i ! !~~llill!l~ II a 5 I S I ~ i i iI ~ $ ~'H~ ~ ! ! ! ! ! ~ ! ~ ! ! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~~ ~ ! ! ! ! ~ ~ o! o! ! ! ~~~~!!i (f g~~~~~gg~~~~~~ ~ I , I ~ ; Iii ~ f.~ ~ ; • i i I Iii I I j i ! ~i ~~~~i ! ~I 5 . ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~f~~~~~ ~~ DISTAN:E , - i ~ ~ ~ ~ fl i I m ! i I ! ! II i I' s: ! ~ I ~ ~ il I ~ r B II ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! .! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! a ~ ~~ ~ 31 ~ ij ~ II ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ n u ~ P 1; ! ;:; 5 !;!, 2i ; !i ~ E !i !i 5 !in !i !i !i !i 5 !i 5 5 !i5 I ROAD t-- :--t--- ",--. r-- r-- 1- pOIJTH sUP ROAU SOIJll-i5LIP ~ -- -- "".0 PPOPCEED ( - .--.- \. ) i I Fig. 5 provide setting out information for two instruments and intersecting rays, one instrument and deflection angles, or C'ftsets from a baseline. Alignments, channels, interfaces, fence lines, the position of level profiles at a constant offset from an alignment string are aU dealt with in the same way. Because every string is independently related to the overall co-ordinate system it is more practical to initially set out the fence and interface lines prior to stripping of topsoil, followed by the level profile strings to assist construction and then the channel strings, rather than offset from the theoretical alignment string. \ Extensive use can be made of the plotting facilities to produce site information inCluding plan drawings detailing either all levals or only the carriageway levels. Fig.6 \ ---------- ..... -..--- ..-JAooI-lAI ....--- - ..-- .. - po- contract 32 THE HIGHWAY -- ........, ENGINEER ... --........ -.. _--- -- j --"'-- ...- .. -.. _---- nformation iA>._ l<5.041 om _ ---- -..- ..---- - - - ....--..--..- ....-----. - ... -. -- ""-. ----.-. -----~---------._-_..-.. .... -- figure ( 6 APRil 1977 f .< 8. HIGHWAY EXAMPLE The example selected illustrates the application of the .MOSS concept to the design of an interchangewhich previously could only be completely designed by manual methods.(3J The ground model for the area is prepared from aerial survey information and consists of contours and 3D strings. The required interchange is shown in Figure4 and initially the number of master alignments must be determined from which all the features can be created by simple geometric offsening. The six alignments chosen are shown in Figure 3 and those depicted by broken lines are of subsidiary form and obtain their levels by crossfall from the adjacent channel strings. The design proceeds by generating the channel strings, then the verges, followed by the interface strings. String editing is required to complete the road model as shown in Figure 4. The various topsoil and soiling quantities are determined by creating the relevant boundaries from features in the road model. Design progress is checked using the planing options. Figure 5 illustrates the planing feature allowing the projection of the slip road alignments on to the main vertical alignment for checking final crossfalls. The potential for using ploned output for contract drawings is shown in Figure 6 which illustrates a small section of the carriageway with levels overploned on the channel strings. Cross-sections may also be extracted from the completod model and produced as a construction aid. The sub-surface model, which depicts the formation surface, is generated from the road model. The model is similar to that in Figure 4 but it is necessary to edit the model adjacent to the overbridge to Table 1 : Comparison Axis Angle - Cut give sub-surfece continuity prior to determining volumes. The earthwork volumes are determined by generating a boundary encompassing the interchange and <then taking a series of parallel sections at a specified angle and interval through both the ground and' sub-surface models. The cross-sections produced are used to determine the overall volumes. Tv compare the accuracy of both the modelling and the earthwork calculation techniques several volume calculations were made in which the direction of the sections were specified at every 45 degree increment of bearing. The results of the calculations are given in Table 1 and show agreement to within 1.07per cent of the mean value. The conclusions to be drawn from these results are that the quality of the model and the method of parallel sections for earthworks computation are extremely < good. Similar results have been obtained from other earthwork calculations and confirm the accuracy of the MOSS concepts. 9. GENERAL APPLICATIONS From the outset MOSS was intended as a general system for storing and manipulating data related to spatial co-ordinates and it has been used for applications other than highway design. The ground survey techniques, area end volume facilities have widespread use for determining volumes for quarries and gravel pits which may be required for waste disposal. Land forms may be designed and assessedfor visual impact, utilising sections and perspectivas, when associatedwith land reclamation projects. Facilities are available which permit geographic and economic modelling for the selection of optimum corridors for detailed design studies{4}. Features of of Earthwork Fill Volumes % .Diff . To tal , 0 305.0 163987.0 164292.0 + 0.62 45 302.0 161229.0 161531.0 - 1.07 90 133.0 162433.0 162566.0 - 0.43 135 202.0 164190.0 164392.0 + 0.68 180 307 •0 163858.0 164165.0 + 0.55 215 293.0 161590.0 161883.0 - 0.85 270 139.0 162375.0 162514.0 - 0.47 315 187.0 164665.0 164852.0 + 0.97 233.5 163040.87 163274.37 Abs. 0.70 APRIL 19n , THE JOURNAL interest such as housing sites, factories, railways, rivers etc. are simulated by cost areas and cost lines through which minimum cost routes can be determined. The OrdnanceSurvey (OS) digital maps can be stored as models. The general MOSS facilities permit creation of boundaries, editing and updating with new information. Property boundary information is required for development control monitoring of planning applications. This information can be either obtained from OS digital maps or recorded separately from digitised plans. These boundaries and associated information can be compared with adjacent land areasand monitored for general land use and availability. Perhaps the greatest future potential of MOSS is for recording network information. Network models may be created to describe highways or public utility apparatus. The networks may be used as an updatable master indexing system to other files of information, not necessarily MOSS files. Summarised highway information such as traffic accident data, traffic flow information, maintenance records and street lighting information can be stored in the network strings. This allows statistical correlation of the data from several sources and the display options allow the information to be superimposed on the network to produce visual evidence of correlation. 10. CONCLUSION MOSS is a completely new approach to the use of computers for the solution of a wide range of problems associated with spatial information and has integreted many previously separate applications into one system. Its creation from first principle has allowed.the development of user orientated techniques which exploit the Sophistication of current computer developments. Graphical presentation is an integral feature of the concept and where MOSS is currently being ,:!mplQyed.for highway design with supporting ploner and graphic display units there has been a complete change of. anitude to design with the emergence of a computer aided design environment 11. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The MOSS system has been developed by a consortium of three countries, Durham, Northamptonshire and West Sussex. The authors would like to thank the three County Surveyors, Mr J.R. Tully. OSE, SSc, FICE, FIMunE, FIHE, Mr M.N.T. Conell, FICE, FIMunE and Mr W.C.S. Harrison, CBE, ERD, FICE, MIHE, for their continued support. 12. REFERENCES III MOSS Manual, Moss Consortium, Northamptonshire CC (21 Craine, G.S. Cubic Spline Alignments. Proceedings of PTRC Detailed Road Design Seminar, June, 1973. (3) MOSS Technical Note No.3 - Design of an Interchange. Moss Consortium. 14) Craine, G.S. and Heatherington, $. Optimum Route Location. Proceedings of PTRC Highway Planning Seminar, July, 1974. OF THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS 33 Road Surfaces ..in Hot Weather Following the request to members to inform the Construction Board of their experiences on the effect of prolonged hot weather on road surfaces.the Board has received some very useful information from individuals, authorities and organisations. .This article consolidates these views and is published both for the information of membersand so that Branchescan use the information as a basis for a workshop type meeting. The response to the Board's request can be seplJf8ted into two categories (i) Surface dressing and (iiJ Other surfaces, plJrticularly hot rolled asphalt and the remedial treatment given to both categories. A further aspect which later contributors have referred to is the effect in some areas of the severe frost conditions coupled with high rainfall since the summer. Surface Drassing In general dressings applied in 1976 were successful. Road temperatures exposed to the sun can exceed air temperatures in the shade by as much as 2(l°C and there were 7-8 weeks in 1976 when the road temperature could. have exceeded the e.v.t. of the binder used. In some places surface dressing work was suspended when the road surface temperature was between 40° and 50° but a successful dressing was laid on a motorway with contra-flow traffic control thus permitting the newly-dressed lanes to be closed when the RST exceeded 40°C. The binders used were 46 evt tar and 300 sec tar bitumen blend. Another successful outcome in an urban area was achieved by delaying work until the RST had dropped. A 200 sec viscosity binder with a rate of spread of 1.1 to 1.2 litre per m2 with 14mm precoated chippings was used on Marshall category 2 and 3 roads. One county reported no trouble on roads dressed using Surfix C emulsion and the faning-up on roads carrying medium to heavy traffic. occurred on roads previously dressed with either bitumen or tar/bitumen binders. The general opinion was expressed that the continuous high day and night temperatures caused sub-strata to soften to such a depth that the traffic consolidated the material and forced the binder to the surface. Dressings on hard sub-strata remained stable and old dressings on concrete were not affected. The hardening in winter of high viscosity • ,HE Journal. 34 Ocrober 1976 THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER binders used in dressings where Iinle chipping embedment' took place has resulted in a loss of stone. From the survey is can be concluded that the major factors to observe so far as surface dressing is concerned are the avoidance of build-up of previous dressings, the careful choice of binders, seeking information on the use of high viscosity binders and the need for stringent traffic control. only of this country but of others also and reports from overseas indicate that deformation takes place with other materials as well as rolled asphalt and the problem does not lead to a conclusion that rolled asphalt should be abandoned aspecially as othe r factors such as surface . texture must be taken into account. Mr D. Brien recently gave a Paper to the Society of Chemical Industry entitled "Design Asphalt - Research" and this will be published in a future issue of "The Highway Engineer". Members will find Remedial Works on Surfacathis useful for UK practice and in it he Dressed Roads studies aspects of aggregate content, filler content and types of binder. Mr V.A. In the short-term sanding and gritting Knight's Paper at the ACMA Seminar in with stone dust helped to prevent the Manchester in November, 1976 also surface from picking up but any improved provides interesting and provocative readtexture is temporary. ing. Chippings can be rolled in if the surface Trials have taken place using high is rich and whilst these may be retained in Penetration Index bitumen and successful warm weather the chippings are likely to carpets have been laid on heavilybe lost in the fOllowing winter. Adhesion trafficked roads in the summer of 1976. is improved if the chippings ere heated. Recent experience indicates that dangers Surface dressing with selective use of which have been forecast in .the' use of chip size e.g. 20mm in the fatted areas, high PI bitumen are not to be discounted. 14mm elsewhere or variation in the binder A failure occurred where material was laid distribution by regulating the spray-tar on an existing road in cold conditions. has also been used. The experimental stage using high PI Carbonisation of the binder by heating index bitumen is illustrated by these with oil-fired or infra-red heaters has been cases. widely used. The binder is not usually Looking abroad. France has had bad removed completely 'to restore deep deformation troubles for many years. A texture and there is some evidence that number of causes can be stated e.g. axle the thin residual film of binder cause the loads up to 13 tonnes, high degree of initial improvement in skid resistance to overloading, use of aspheltic concrete drop to the value similar to the untreated with rounded gravel. The French prosurfaces. Further investigation into skid duced a new material for the base course resistances after carbonisation would be a and which is now being uf?8dto wearing worthwhile exercise. course level with the addition in some An expensive operation and thus only cases of a surface dressing. This material used selectively is heating' fatted areas is Grave-Bitumen and the changes in the with high-pressure propane gas. specification were:tal A high proportion of crushed aggreDeformation of Bituminous gate was used in place of rounded Pavements aggregate; (b) the filler content was increased; and Whilst last summer was exceptional (cl a higher pen bitumen was used with a deformation was already taking place on lower bitumen content, heavily-trafficked roads and the higher road temperatures increased the rate of This has been found successful in withstanding deformation. France only uses deformation. A detailed .survey of a motorway high PI bitumen in cold areas and are showed that deformation is mainly conconcerned about the fetigue life. The French experience confirms it should be fined to the slow lanes and it is absent under bridges where the road is protected confined to the wearing courSe. TRRL from the direct rays of the sun. Supplementary Report 242 deals with Road temperatures of up to 50°C have Grave-Bitu men. been recorded but the slow lane surface South Africa. with similar experience to temperature was some 5°C lower than UK with hot-rolled asphalt, altered their the middle and fast lanes. Whether this is specification to give a tighter envelope for grading and required a Marshall test for due to improved air circulation by moving traffic or the shading effect of traffic the whole material. As they use a could be further investigated but it is' _ relatively thin layer of bituminous inaterial contrary to the view that the higher on a non-bituminous base their experience is not strictly comparable. temperatures of tyres cause the slow lane Our Northern Ireland colleagues report temperature to be higher. that whilst faning up of road surfaces has Deformation has been a feature not APRIL 19n " i.. I 1I. J been more noticeable this year, a more pronounced feature of the hot summer was the longitudinal cracking and subsidence of roads over bog ramparts. This is due to the underlying peat drying out and some doubts have been expressed whether tar peat will become re-saturated and resume its former characteristics. at Palace Hotel, Torquay Contributors referred to the inadequate design methods and the Marshall method was strenuously advocated. Other factors on Thursday and Friday, June' 2nd-3rd, 19n I which were mentioned were the use of pitch bitumen, the use of _single-sized washed sands and the high bitumen content of mixes. Golf, sailing competition, civic reception Remedialwork consists of resurfacing and luncheon but as deformation was already taking place due mainly to the increased traffic -Ioadings-the-acceleration-in-deformation--I--------------------------------1-----during the hot summer should act as a CONFERENCE SPEAKER: spur to go on searchingfor the best ways of overcoming the problem. A. SILVERLEAF, Director, TRRL A subsequentproblem has followed the shrinking of clay formations during the hot dry spell with consequent deformation and cracking of surfaces - particuDetails from Branch Secretary, A.F. Cousins, larly on minor roads. The heavy rains of 23 Charlotte Street, Bristol BS1 5PZ the autumn infiltrated thus weakening the road structure and the ponding of water Tel: Bristol 24868 on the surface, especially when it froze, produced hazardousconditions especially associated with maintaining the road and advice and will be pleasedto receive for two-wheeled vehicles. structure within the limited budget will be reports from any Branch meetings where Highway engineers know the solution discussedat a joint colloquium which the the subject is debated. to this problem and are only too aware of Institution and the Institution of Civil In addition to referencesin the text the the expenditure involved which will be Engineers are, holding during 1978. Board acknOWledgesthe assistance given considerable because of the reduction in Further details will appear in the Journal. by Mr D.A. Robinson, Road Surfacing maintenancefunds at the present time. The Construction Board is indebted to Dressing Association, in compiling the This and other maintenance problems those who wrote giving their experiences section on surface dressing. SOUTH-WESTERN BRANCH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ( (Continued ftom page 31 The Institution the Future and with all matters associated with the design, construction and maintenance of highways. This Board organisesseminars, conferences and publishes Papers in the Journal to-keep members up to date with current matters in this field. (2l A Transportation Board which has acted similarly to the other Board in the field of planning for transport and has organised transportation workshops, transportation topics and transportationretated articles in the Journal. Many branch meetings deal with aspects of transportation. The Institution offers a post graduate diploma in Transportation Engineering which has been brought up to date to deal with the modern situation. The Professional and Public Image of the Institution fully conveyed to many professionals, the public, politicians and the medle, the significant involvement of Its mambers in the practice of transportation engineering and the contribution they make to the netlonal transportation scene, es well a8 to highways. Furthermore, in recent years, the output of graduates with transportation qualifications from universities and polytechnics has increased considerably, but not all are aware of the Institution's role in the field with the result that they are gravitating towards non-engineering bodies with a consequent loss in the adequacy of their understanding of the need for professional practical engineering answers to transportation problems. This situation as far as engineers are concerned results in a professional vacuum for some of those engaged upon transportation engineering.The Institution can respond to these circumstances and maintain the UK lead in this new discipline as opposed to some of the other less sophisticated techniques of other countries. In seeking to highlight the Institution's dominant role In transportation engineering, professional standards must be maintained In ell our fields of influence and not to dilute membership by including non-profeaslonets. The meetings, articles, workshops, visits and study tours have all met with success but it is vital that the profession and public at large is swanethat the Institution caters for not only highway engineersbut also transportation engineers. In short the developmentshave resulted in very successful activities within the Title Institution, but its professional image still inadequately reflects their wide spectrum _ Finally having resolved to make it known and high standards. mone broadly how far the Institution is The Institution has not yet successinvolved in highway engineering and APRIl19n transportation engineering it has to recognise that current international terminology includes highways as a sector within transportation. Should not the Institution indicate to aII that our activities deal with not only highways' design and construction but also relevant transportation matters7 In short that we are in the field associated with highways and pianning for transport right fro m the beginning and able to contribute to the evaluation and resultant implementation of the most appropriate mode of movement which does-not mean competition with other modes but giving each mode its rightful opportunity to be part of the transport scene. The Nex:t Step Council and all eighteen branch Committees have debated both the need for a change in the title and what that title should be and there is a large measure of support for the inclusion of the word TRANSPORTATION in the name. The two alternatives are: The Institution of Transportation and Highway Engineers and The Institution of Highway and Transportation Engineers It is the intention of Council to consult the membership on the proposal shortly and.' hope 8 large number of members will respond. THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTION T.D. Wilson President OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS 35 New plant, equipment and materials I. I. ; FENCING SYSTEM With the tremendous increase in building work now being' undertaken by British companies abroad, BSpeclally in the Middle East, the demand for secure and easily erected site perimeter or compoUnd fencing has greatly increased. Contractors are finding that suitable fencing materials are either expensive or very difficult to obtain locally. Consequently Jetty (UK) ltd .• 123 Talbot Road. Black pool. have introduced a patented panel system fence called Owikfence manufactured entirely from galvanised steel. The system is very economical because it is re-usable and can be quickly erected and dismantled by unskilled labour. Both l: Right & centre left:The patented panel svstem in galvanised steel from Jettv (UK) Ltd. of Blackpool third a maximum lift of 5.29m, a closed height of 2.88m and a full free lift of 1.81m. The smallest has a lift height of 4.38m, a closed height of 2.57m level with the top of the driver's cab - with a full free lift of 1.51m. An advantage of the low closed height of the masts to the construction industry, claim the makers, is the reduced likelihood of road transportation between sites being hindered by overhead obstructions. To reduce risk of overloading, a, patented visual indicator is incorporated on the mast side which, at a glance, indicates safe working loads appropriate to the mast extension. The design of the system is that it gives maximum visibility through the mast when it is fully extended, a particular advantage- when operating on rough terrain and vital when approaching a stacking position. L I The lamps combine stability with an aesthetically pleasing appearance and the moulded plastic casing provides maximum protection for the polycarbonate lens. Each lamp case is secured by a single > ROAD DANGER LAMPS posts and panels are lightweight and can be palletised, thus making transport relatively inexpensive whether by container or conventional sea freight. THREE STAGE MASTS A range of three stage masts gIVIng the benefits of high maximum lift heights, full free lift and a low closed height on a construction rough terrain fork lift truck has been introduced by Bonser Engineering Ltd., Glltbrook, Nottlnghamshire. Available with the Bonser RT 25OOK,two and four wheel drive trucks and the company', LS45 and 55 rough terrain trucks, the three stage masts are available in four sizes. The largest has e maximum lift height of 7.58m enabling floors of buildings above ground level to be reached; closed height is 3.64m and the mast has a full free lift of 2.57m. Next in the range has a lift height of 6.21m, closed height of 3.18m and a fu II free lift of 2.12m; the . 36 THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER Now available from T1ldawn Electronics ltd, Arden Forest Industrial Estate, Tything Road. Alcester, Warwick. shire. is the Hazard Blitz range of high powered road danger lamps. Suitable for use on major roads and motorways the Hazard Blitz incorporates circuitry suitable for providing strobe-lighting - a high powered flashing light visible for long distances In severe weather conditions. The Hazard Blitz high-powered road danger lamp from Tildawn Electronics Ltd centre bolt and the "clip-together" design of the two casing halves ensures firm fitting of the body together with. good weatherproofing properties and resistance to damage or vandalism. The Bonser RT 2500K construction rough terrain "ork lift truck incorporating the three stage mast option APRIL 19n i / .1 . , f\.. ,/~ 'J. ( ... II, • I" "i- .~l '. r; I' , BP Bitumei1- vvheredelivery service really counts. At BP Oil we have built our reputation on a reliable delivery service that covers the whole of England and Wales. Whether you're interested . in Penetration Grades or Cutback Grades, whether you're a quarry manager, plant supervisor, highway engineer or local council surveyor, BP is the name to remember. I l_ We back our delivery service with a first class Techincal Advisory Service. Write to BP Bitumen, Room 0530 BP House, Victoria Street, London SW1E 5NJ, or ring Mark McKenna on 01-8212386. 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