The systematic study of passenger demand patterns in a building to determine the optimal number, speed, capacity, and control strategy for an elevator installation or upgrade.
Full Definition
Traffic analysis quantifies the vertical transportation demand of a building to ensure the elevator system can meet peak period requirements without excessive waiting or travelling times. The principal metrics calculated are: Handling Capacity (HC%) — the percentage of building population that can be transported in a 5-minute peak period; Average Waiting Time (AWT) — the average interval between a hall call and car arrival; Average Journey Time (AJT) — total trip time from lobby to destination floor; and Round Trip Time (RTT) — the time for one car to complete a full cycle. CIBSE Guide D and EN ISO 8100-32 provide the traffic analysis methodology. Typical design targets for office buildings: HC% ≥ 12–15% of population, AWT ≤ 30 s. Software tools (e.g. Elevate, ELEVATE by Peters Research) simulate multi-car group behaviour under random and structured arrival rates.
