The capacity of highways between intersections

Abstract

The capacity of a highway may be described as its ability to accommodate traffic, but the term has been interpreted in many ways by different authorities. Capacity has been defined as the flow which produces a minimum acceptable journey speed and also as the maximum traffic volume for comfortable free-flow conditions. Both these are practical capacities while the Highway Capacity Manual¹ defines capacity as the maximum number of vehicles which has reasonable expectation of passing over a given section of a lane or roadway in one or both directions during a given time period under prevailing roadway and traffic conditions.