Liiklusliike

Liiklusliike is a term used in Estonian transportation science to describe the movement dynamics of traffic within a road network. It covers how vehicles, pedestrians and other travelers traverse streets, how fast they move, and how densely they occupy space at given moments. The concept is central to understanding and predicting how traffic behaves under different conditions, such as peak hours, incidents, or construction.

A basic framework for liiklusliike includes three interrelated quantities: flow, density and speed. Flow refers to the number of vehicles passing a point per unit of time, density is how many vehicles occupy a given length of road, and speed is how fast the vehicles travel. In typical studies these variables are linked by the fundamental relationship that flow equals density multiplied by speed. This relationship can be explored through macroscopic models, which view traffic as a continuous medium, or microscopic models, which simulate individual vehicle interactions.

Practical applications of liiklusliike knowledge include traffic signal optimization, capacity assessments, roundabout design, speed limit policies and congestion management strategies. By analyzing how changes in infrastructure or regulations influence flow, planners aim to reduce delays, improve safety and encourage efficient multimodal travel. Data for these analyses come from road sensors, cameras, GPS traces and travel surveys, which help calibrate models and validate predictions.

See also transportation engineering, traffic flow theory, traffic management, urban planning. Further reading often centers on macroscopic and microscopic models of traffic, fundamental diagrams, and methods for improving urban mobility.