PTOE case studies
PTOE · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Professional Traffic Operations Engineer® (PTOE) is a certification administered by the Transportation Professional Certification Board, Inc. TPCB describes it as "a powerful demonstration of requisite knowledge, skill and ability in the specialized application of traffic operations engineering." It is aimed at engineers whose work focuses on the operation of traffic - the day-to-day performance of roads, signals, and networks - rather than on planning or design alone. The PTOE case studies are 5 cases and about 2,752 words.
1Signalized Intersection with Pedestrian-Actuated Left Turns
A four-legged urban intersection operates under fully actuated control (8-phase, NEMA-style). The northbound left turn is protected-permissive with a 3-section head plus a protected left-turn arrow.
665 words, about 3 min2Freeway Merge Metering with Ramp Queue Spillback
A freeway on-ramp is metered with a single-lane ramp meter operating at a 4 s green, 1 s yellow, and 20 s red (cycle 25 s). The mainline is at 2,100 veh/h per lane during the peak, near capacity.
567 words, about 3 min3Work Zone Lane Closure on a Two-Lane Rural Highway
A two-lane rural highway (one lane each direction) is scheduled for a pavement rehabilitation project. The contractor proposes a flagging operation with a single lane closed for 1.2 km, alternating one-way traffic.
571 words, about 3 min4Coordinated Arterial with Progression Band Failure
A 2.4 km arterial with six signalized intersections is coordinated with a 90 s cycle and a 60 s green band (progression band) at 50 km/h. The offsets were set for the original 50 km/h progression.
454 words, about 2 min5Roundabout Versus Signalized Intersection Under High Pedestrian Demand
A suburban intersection of two arterials (one 4-lane, one 2-lane) is being evaluated for conversion to a roundabout. Peak-hour volumes are 1,800 veh/h on the major approach and 900 veh/h on the minor approach.
495 words, about 2 min