Career in Traffic Engineering

Engineering is a vast career stream filled with exciting and thriving prospects. These careers are demandingly creative as well as globally recognized. One such specialized branch is Traffic Engineering which has sprouted from the field of Civil and Transportation Engineering. This field is still emerging as a full-fledged career and hence is filled with plentiful interesting career opportunities to choose from. Let’s delve deeper into the field of Traffic Engineering, what it entails as well as the career prospects you can explore:

What is Traffic Engineering?

Traffic Engineering utilises principles of Engineering to ensure a secure and efficient movement of people and materials on several modes of transport and road networks. It is concerned with the functional elements of transportation systems and involves the designing of traffic control device installations as well as effective signals, signboards and markings for roads. The field is concerned with traffic safety and analyses locations that possess high crash rates and then innovate measures to minimize accidents or crashes. Traffic Engineering is connected with various other specializations such as,

• Pavement Engineering
• Highway Engineering
• Urban Planning
• Bicycle Transport Engineering

Traffic engineering from AKANSHA GURELE

History of Traffic Engineering

The career of Traffic Engineering, obviously, grew because of the increasing number of roads and the need for land transportation. In 1806, US Congress was responsible for creating the first-ever road known as the Cumberland Road. That became the way to grow more and more roads around the country. As the population grew so did the traffic. Hence, there was a need for traffic rules and creating more advanced methods of land transportation. Electrical traffic lights were introduced in the US in 1928 to automate traffic control. Since traffic got more complex, traffic engineers were needed in more quantity and that need has only grown with time.

What does a Traffic Engineer do?

Traffic engineers study the movements of cars and improve transportation networks to create an efficient pathway. The roles are diverse and involve both office work and fieldwork. Here are the key responsibilities of a Traffic Engineer:

• Road Safety Protocols, traffic lights and signalling.
• Working with maintenance personnel.
• Transport planning and road planning.
• Working with behavioural scientists to analyse and predict driver behaviors.
• Metro rail planning.

As vehicles are being more advanced and futuristic, even traffic engineers are constantly evolving to ensure the safety of the people and goods that travel in different vehicles.

Reasons why you should choose a career in Traffic Engineering

There are many reasons why you should be a traffic engineer. This field has a lot to offer. Some of the biggest reasons why you should choose a career in this field are given below:

The field is always in demand

No matter what, roads will always be built and there needs to be people to optimize the traffic, build better roads that last longer, and reach different terrains through roads. Despite being one of the oldest engineering professions, it will always stay relevant. Hence, the field will always stay in demand till humanity sustains. 

A lot of Scope

Unlike other engineering disciplines, traffic engineering is not overcrowded and is extremely profitable. Being a traffic engineer, you will be able to explore different countries and states while working with some of the greatest minds in the field.

It’s Innovating Everyday

Different countries in the world have different technology in the field of traffic engineering. That keeps improving with time because good traffic management helps manage daily works better. You will get to experience different and new methods of working in your fields as it will never get boring.

Traffic Engineering Courses

There are numerous courses offered in Traffic Engineering, Automobile Engineering, Transportation Engineering, amongst others. Here are the top Traffic Engineering courses you can explore to pursue a career in this field:

• Bachelor of Civil Engineering in Transport Constructions
• Bachelor of Engineering Sciences in Transport Engineering
• Masters in Railway Engineering
• Master of Transport and Traffic
• Master of Electromechanical Engineering Technology
• Master in Innovative Road and Bridge Engineering
• Masters in Smart City Management

Top Traffic Engineering Universities in the World

Studying at top traffic engineering universities in the world will undoubtedly help you build a stronger portfolio. The employers will pay close attention to your university and based on that, they will determine whether you’re employable or not. So. here are the top traffic engineering universities in the world.

QS Ranking 2023	Name of the University	Country
#1201-1400	California State University	USA
1001	Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia	Malaysia
#40	Hong Kong University of Science and Technology	China
#331-440	The University of New Orleans	USA
70	University of Leeds	UK
81	University of Auckland	New Zealand
#331-400	Southern Illinois University Edwardsville	USA

Top Traffic Engineering Colleges in India

Here are the top colleges to study Traffic and Transportation Engineering in India:

• Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
• Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Bombay
• Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
• Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara
• RV College of Engineering, Bangalore
• Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
• College of Engineering, Trivandrum

Admission Process for Traffic Engineering

The admission process for traffic engineering woill vary from one university to another. Even though the admission process is quite easier for Indian universities, things will get complicated if you have plans to puruse your higher education abroad.

Eligibility Criteria 

You need to fulfil the eligibility criteria to ensure you’re allowed to study traffic engineering at a foreign university. When you’re pursuing your degree from a highly-reputed university, you can receive great job offers. 

Undergraduate Traffic Engineering Courses	Post Graduate Traffic Engineering Courses
10+2 examination is a mandatory requirement	Relevant Bachelor’s degree
The candidate’s score must be more than 50%	The score of the bachelor’s degree needs to be more than 50%

Application Process

The application process for studying at Perth university isn’t hard. All you need to do is contact or visit our website of Leverage Edu. We are always here to help you choose your dream university. It doesn’t matter what course you want, we will go through your documents and determine your chances of getting into the university.

Depending on the university, there might be two or three intakes. Here’s a quick list you need to consider:

• Choose the university in Perth where you want to study
• Contact Leverage Edu and check the requirements. 
• Complete the application process and submit essential documents. 
• Pay the tuition fees upon receiving the offer letter from the university. 
• Apply for a student visa.

Documents Required 

There are a couple of documents you need to submit while studying in Perth. The list includes

1. CV/ Resume 
2. Letter of Recommendation
3. Letter of Intent 
4. Statement of Purpose 
5. 10th mark sheet 
6. 12th mark sheet 
7. UG certificates (if applicable)
8. Passport 
9. Visa 

Scope of Traffic Engineering

Due to the massive increase in Vehicular population each year in India, there is a need to maintain and achieve a rapid flow of traffic efficiently reducing the risk of damage. The various jobs in Traffic Engineering work together to control the traffic on roads and fine the rule-breakers to maintain peace. The average salary of a Traffic Engineer in India is around 10.9 Lakhs INR to 15.5 Lakhs INR.

Thriving Career Opportunities to Choose From

Traffic Engineering is a relatively new and emerging career. So, here we have listed down the varied job prospects that you can discover in this field after complete a degree in either Civil Engineering or a specialised program in Traffic Engineering:

Highway Engineer

The role of a Highway Engineer is to ensure a smooth flow of traffic and plans the infrastructure of various highways that connect different regions and areas. They assure that roads are built efficiently and meet the requirements of the traffic flow of the particular region. Highway Engineers utilise the principles of physics and vehicle dynamics along with road user psychology. They are asked to draft a Traffic Control Plan (TCP) in which the requirements of signages and equipment for building a road is specified.

Read more about Highway Engineering here!

Railroad Engineer

A Railroad Engineer is responsible for designing and redesigning of railroads across the country. They ascertain that the traffic flow is smooth and the rail traffic is diverted into necessary directions and bring in the required changes to increase the efficiency of a rail network and its route. Further, they also build new routes and redesign the existing ones to ensure a steady system of road networks in a country.

Check Out: Details of the Top Railway Exams in India

Port Engineer

Also referred to as Harbour Engineer, a Port Engineer is responsible for creating sea routes and managing various canals, their maintenance and how to manage traffic on various ports. Sea routes are still used by various countries for importing and exporting goods. Port Engineers manage, design and construct ports and administer sea traffic. They are responsible for an efficient flow of sea traffic various large and small ships that come to a port to load and unload various goods. 

Airport Engineer

Airport engineers are responsible for building airports and airfields in various regions, they are also responsible for managing air traffic, analyse wind direction and supervise air safety. With the increase in the traffic flow at airports and the development of air routes have opened a lot of career opportunities for engineers who are interested in airport management and have the specific qualifications for the same.

Traffic Technicians

A Traffic Technician acts as an assistant to a senior traffic engineer and is responsible for collecting data and look at various areas that are affected by traffic congestion. They also help in supervising and keeping a record of road safety at various highways and take necessary actions to reduce the risk of accidents. 

Transportation Innovation Analyst

The role of a Transportation Innovation Analyst is to develop and implement transportation strategies in order to ascertain an efficient flow of goods and develop business relationships between various companies. A Transport Analyst also coordinates the supply of various goods either to the retailers or wholesalers. Multinational Companies mainly hire Transportation Innovation Analysts for handling supply chain management, operations and transportation projects.

System Engineer

A System Engineer is responsible for installing and supervising operating systems and physical infrastructure and makes sure that various equipment are installed in place and are tested thoroughly. They also work with software applications that are responsible for installing and supervising an infrastructure. 

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Average Salary of a Traffic Engineer

The salary strcuture of a traffic engineer is super lucrative. You just need to ensure your academic marks are great. Apart from that, you also need to make sure you’re developing esssential employment skills so that you can get a high-paying job easily.

Country	Average Salary
USA	USD 85,000 (INR 70 Lakhs)
UK	GBP 51,000 (INR 51 Lakhs)
Canada	CAD 83,000 (INR 50 Lakhs)
Australia	AUD 97,000 (INR 53 Lakhs)
India	INR 14 Lakhs

If you want to get into a high-ranked university, you’ll need more than just good grades; you’ll also need flawless application because the competition is fierce. You may enlist the assistance of Leverage Edu specialists to assist you with the application process so that you can realise your goals. Call us immediately at 1800 57 2000 for a free 30-minute counselling session.