Evaluation of road projects in less developed countries often requires an assessment of the future level of congestion on existing and alternative roads, and its impact on travel times and user costs. The methods used for this assessment are often adapted from capacity analysis procedures developed in more motorised countries, and may not fully reflect local road and traffic estimates of highway capacity and congestion in different countries, and specific studies which have been undertaken to provide better local relationships. The discussion is limited to uninterrupted flow conditions, and does not address urban capacity issues. The paper concludes with a discussion of capacity analysis issues which are important of capacity analysis issues which are important for countries with lower motorisation and mixed traffic composition, but which are not fully considered in conventional capacity analysis methods. (A)
Abstract