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Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-05-138
Date: July 2006

Shared-Use Path Level of Service Calculator

A User's Guide

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APPENDIX B. FACTORS USED IN THE LOS MODEL

Table 11 provides a summary list of the key factors used in the Shared-Use Path LOS model. It also provides the shorthand name for each factor and a general description of how it functions in the model.

Table 11. Factors used in the shared-use path LOS model.

Factors found to affect bicyclists' LOS	Shorthand name	How the factor functions in the model
Overall user volume	One-way volume per hour	Used in the calculations of meetings, active passes, and delayed passes
Peak-hour factor	PHF	Accounts for flow peaking that was found to be common within hourly counts. Boosts base volume by 17.6 percent
Percentage of volume assigned to each of the five user types	Mode split	Used in the calculations of active passes, number of meetings, and number of delayed passes
User speed	Speed: average and standard deviation	Used in the calculations of meetings, active passes, and probability of delayed passes
Passing users traveling in the same direction	Active pass	Multiplied by 10 and added to meetings to create total events
Test bicyclist speed	Test bicyclist speed	Used in the calculations of meetings, active passes, and probability of delayed passes
Meeting users traveling in opposite direction	Meetings	Added to 10 x active passes to create total events
Meetings and active passes	Events	Total number of events and width determine LOS; calibrated to user perception survey grades
Path width	Width	Limits or enables passes, determines impact of potential blockages, defines operational characteristics, and is calibrated to user perception survey grades
Other users block active passing event	Delayed pass	Total number of delayed passes, from 0 to 180, correlates to a reduction of baseline LOS score of 0 to 1.5
Presence of a striped centerline	Centerline	Correlates to a .28 reduction in baseline LOS score

FHWA-HRT-05-138

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Page Owner: Office of Research, Development, and Technology, Office of Safety, RDT

Topics: research, safety, operations, human factors, pedestrian & bicycle safety
Keywords: research, safety, path, trail, bicycle, shared-use, LOS, width, pedestrian, in-line skater
TRT Terms: Pedestrian facilities design--United States, Pedestrian areas--United States--Planning, Cycling paths--United States--Planning, Traffic surveys--United States, Calculators, Level of service, Pedestrians
Scheduled Update: Archive - No Update needed

This page last modified on 03/08/2016