Complete Enough for Complete Streets?

Abstract

An increasing number of jurisdictions across the United States are exploring level of service (LOS) for multiple travel modes, in part as a result of the release of the Highway Capacity Manual 2010 (HCM 2010), as well as an increased focus on complete streets policies. One of the most important questions being asked by these jurisdictions is whether new multimodal LOS methods are sensitive enough to inform transportation investments, mitigate impacts, and prioritize future projects. For this paper, transportation professionals (public, private, and academic) were surveyed about the inputs believed to have the greatest effect on pedestrian, bicycle, transit, and auto LOS or the inputs thought to have the greatest likelihood of being changed (e.g., to mitigate an impact or to improve existing conditions). Sensitivity testing was then performed at locations in four cities to measure how the HCM 2010 multimodal LOS scores responded as these inputs were incrementally increased or decreased. Although many inputs performed as expected, the testing also found model responses that were of a questionable direction or magnitude. The results of this study are informative for agencies that are considering adopting the HCM 2010 multimodal LOS for mitigation, resource allocation, and strategic decision making. The results also provide a starting point for additional research needed to enhance multimodal LOS methods.

Power of User Perception on Pedestrian Quality of Service

“…By means of linear regression, probabilistic or any other models, the proxy to the indicator is explained by means of a series of measurable predictors. Geometric attributes include, for example pedestrian infrastructure width or buffer width, and operation related attributes such as vehicular flow, speed limit, and vehicle conflicts ( 5–7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 19, 21, 23–42 ). User perceptions are not commonly used as independent variables.…”

Forecasting the Quality of Service of Bogota’s Sidewalks from Pedestrian Perceptions: An Ordered Probit MIMIC Approach

“…Some use a Delphi method or multi criteria decision approaches ( 9 , 10 – 12 ) to understand or forecast the different PPSI. Others use a scoring system to calculate the different PPSI on a sidewalk ( 6 , 7 , 13 – 20 ). Others still, propose a linear relation between the PPSI and the explanatory variables generating an equation to calculate the PPSI through OLS models ( 1 , 4 , 5 , 21 – 26 ).…”

“…For example, the discomfort pedestrians feel when interacting with other pedestrians has a negative impact on pedestrian perception of QoS ( 16 , 20 , 21 , 34 , 36 ). Similarly, the effects on pedestrians of motor vehicles (externalities) such as the flow of heavy goods vehicles (HGV), vehicular speed, and vehicular flow also affect the PPSI negatively and the pedestrian perception of their QoS ( 6 – 10 , 13 , 16 – 18 , 25 , 27 – 34 ).…”