Department of Civil & Construction Engineering

University of Nairobi

FCE 545
TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING IIIA

LEVEL OF SERVICE
ANALYSIS
 Introduction
• Level of service analysis objective
– quantify a roadway’s performance with regard to specified traffic
volumes
– to provide a practical method of quantifying the degree of traffic
congestion and being able to relate this to the overall traffic-
related performance of the roadway

Level of service - a qualitative measure describing traffic

operational conditions and their perception by drivers

6 levels of service ranging from A to F

 Level of service A - best operating conditions
 Level of service F – worst operating conditions
 Defining Level of Service (LoS)
Highway Capacity Manual (Transportation Research Board 1994)
defines level of service (LOS) for freeways (divided highways
with two or more lanes in each direction and full access control)
as follows:
 free-flow conditions (i.e., traffic operates at
LOS A free-flow speeds.)
 Individual users are virtually unaffected by the
presence of others in the traffic stream.
 Freedom to select desired speeds and to
manoeuvre within the traffic stream is
extremely high.
 The general level of comfort and convenience
provided to drivers is excellent.
Defining Level of Service (LoS)
LOS B  LOS B also allows speeds at or near free-flow
speeds, but the presence of other users in the
traffic stream begins to be noticeable.
 Freedom to select desired speeds is relatively
unaffected, but there is a slight decline in the
freedom to manoeuvre within the traffic
stream relative to LOS A.

 LOS C has speeds at or near free-flow speeds, but

LOS C the freedom to manoeuvre is noticeably restricted
(e.g., lane changes require careful attention on the
part of drivers).
 The general level of comfort and convenience
declines significantly at this level.
 Disruptions in the traffic stream, such as an incident
can result in significant queue formation and
vehicular delay. In contrast, the effects of incidents
at LOS A or LOS B are minimal, and cause only
minor delay in the immediate vicinity of the event.
Defining Level of Service (LoS)
 Speeds begin to decline slightly with increasing
LOS D
flow.
 Freedom to manoeuvre becomes more restricted
and drivers experience reductions in physical and
psychological comfort.
 Incidents can generate lengthy queues because
the higher density associated with this LOS
provides little space to absorb disruptions in the
traffic flow.

 Operating conditions at or near the roadway’s

LOS E capacity.
 Even minor disruptions to the traffic stream, such
as vehicles entering from a ramp or changing
lanes, can cause delays as other vehicles give
way to allow such manoeuvres.
 Manoeuvrability is extremely limited, and drivers
experience considerable physical and
psychological discomfort.
Defining Level of Service (LoS)
LOS F  LOS F describes a breakdown in vehicular flow.
 Queues form quickly behind points in the roadway
where the arrival flow rate temporarily exceeds the
departure rate, as determined by the roadway's
capacity. Such points occur at minor incidents and
on-and off-ramps where incoming traffic results in
capacity being exceeded. Vehicles often proceed at
reasonable speeds and then are required to stop in
a cyclic fashion. The cyclic formation and
dissipation of queues is a key characterization
of LOS F.
 Basic Elements of LoS Analysis
Hourly volume: - actual traffic volume on a roadway in vehicles
per hour, given the symbol V.
Peak-Hour Factor: - accounts for the non-uniformity of traffic
flow over the peak hour.
• Denoted as PHF
• Ratio of the hourly volume (V) to the maximum 15-min rate
of flow (V15) expanded to an hourly volume

Eqn 7.1

The further the PHF is from unity, the more non uniform
the traffic flow during the hour
 Basic Elements of LoS Analysis
Service Flow: - actual rate of flow for the peak 15-min period
expanded to an hourly volume and expressed in vehicles per
hour. Service flow is denoted SF.

or

In determining level of service, service flow (not peak-hour

volume) will be used.
These definitions apply to all basic roadway types: freeways, multilane
highways, and two-lane highways. A number of additional terms within
specific roadway types must be introduced before a roadway level of service
analysis can be undertaken.
 Basic Freeway Segments
 Basic freeway segment - a section of a divided roadway having two or
more lanes in one direction, full access control, and traffic that is
unaffected by merging or diverging movements near ramps or lane
additions or lane deletions
 Capacity analysis for divided roadways focuses on the traffic in one
direction only
 Maximum service flow, MSF; - the highest service flow that can be
achieved while maintaining the specified level of service i, assuming ideal
roadway conditions. (units: passenger cars per hour per lane (pcphpl))
where
• MSF - maximum service flow rate per lane for
level of service i under ideal conditions in
pcphpl,
• (v/c) - maximum volume-to-capacity ratio
Eqn 7.4 associated with level of service i for a specified
number of freeway lanes
• cj - per-lane capacity under ideal conditions
for a freeway with a specified number of lanes.
Basic Freeway Segments
Basic Freeway Segments

Figure 7.3 Speed-

flow curves and level
of service criteria:
(a) four-lane
freeways,
(b) six-or-more-lane
freeways.
 Basic Freeway Segments
Service Flow Rates and Level of Service

Eqn 7.5
Where
SF - service flow rate (in veh/h) for level of service i under prevailing
conditions for /V lanes (in one direction)
fw - a factor to adjust for the effects of less than ideal lane widths and/or
lateral clearances
fHV - a factor to adjust for the effect of vehicles other than passenger cars in
the traffic stream
fp - a factor to adjust for the effect of non-ideal driver populations (e.g., drivers
who are not regular users).
Combining Eqs. 7.4 and 7.5

Eqn 7.6
Eqs. 7.4, 7.5, and 7.6 form the basis for freeway level of service analysis.
 Basic Freeway Segments
Lane Width and/or Lateral Clearance Adjustment
 Basic Freeway Segments
Heavy Vehicle Adjustment

Eqn 7.7

where
P’s - the proportions of heavy vehicles in the traffic stream and
E’s - the equivalency factors from Tables 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, and/or 7.6.
Driver Population Adjustment
Table 7.7 Adjustment Factor for Driver Population (for Freeways)
 Basic Freeway Segments
Freeway Traffic Analysis
A. six-lane freeway (three lanes in each direction) is on rolling terrain with a 70mph
(113 km/h) free-flow speed, 10-ft (3-m) lanes, with obstructions 2-ft (0.6 m) from
both the right and left edges of the travelled pavement. The traffic stream consists of
urban commuters. A directional weekday peak-hour volume of 2200 vehicles are
observed with 700 vehicles arriving in the most congested 15-min period. If the
traffic stream has 15% large trucks and buses and no recreational vehicles, determine
the level of service.
SOLN
Determine the level of service - compute the volume-to capacity ratio ( v / c ) of
the freeway and compare it with the maximum volume-to capacity ratios for
specified levels of service as given in Table 7.1.
 Basic Freeway Segments
Freeway Traffic Analysis

Eqn 7.6

from Eq. 7.3

 Basic Freeway Segments
Freeway Traffic Analysis

Eqn 7.7

Substituting, we find that

which gives LOS C from Table 7.1

Multilane Rural and Suburban Highways
Ideal conditions for multilane highways are defined as:
a. having level terrain (no grades greater than 2%),
b. 12-ft (3.6-m) lanes,
c. objects (e.g., utility poles or retaining walls) no closer than 6 ft
(1.8 m) from the edge of the travelled pavement (at the roadside or
median),
d. no direct access points along the roadway,
e. a divided highway,
f. passenger cars only in the traffic stream, and
g. a free-flow speed of 60 mph (97 km/h) or more.

Level of service estimation for multilane highways is best done by

using the speed-flow relationships shown in Fig. 7.5, which is a
graphical representation of the values given in Table 7.8..
Multilane Rural and Suburban Highways
For example,
a multilane highway
with a free-flow speed
of 55 mph (89 km/h)
and a service flow rate
of 800 pcphpl would be
operating at LOS B.

The level of service estimation procedure will be to estimate the free-flow

speed and the service flow rate, and to use the intersection of a vertical
line from the flow with the corresponding free-flow curve to determine level of
service
Multilane Rural and Suburban Highways

where
• FFS is the estimated free-flow speed in mph,
• FFSl is the estimated free-flow speed in mph for ideal conditions,
• FM is an adjustment for median type – Table 7.10
• FLW is an adjustment for lane width - Table 7.11
• FLC is an adjustment for lateral clearance - Table 7.12
• FA is an adjustment for the number of access points along the road – Eqn 7.10
Eqn 7.9
Where
• TLC is the total lateral clearance in feet,
• LCR is the lateral clearance on the right side of the travelled lanes to
obstructions
• LCL is the lateral clearance on the left side of the travelled lanes to
obstructions.
Multilane Rural and Suburban Highways
Eqn 7.10

Service Flow Rate Determination

The service flow rate used in Fig. 7.5 is determined by making two
adjustments to the hourly traffic volume: one for the peak-hour factor and one
for heavy vehicles.

Eqn 7.11
Where,
vp is the service flow rate in passenger cars per hour per lane (pcphpl),
V is the hourly volume,
N is the number of lanes,
PHF is the peak-hour factor as defined in Eq. 7.1, and
fHV is the heavy vehicle adjustment as defined in Eq. 7.7.
Using vp from Eq. 7.11 and FFS from Eq. 7.8, level of service can be
determined
 Rural Two-Lane Highways
Traffic in both directions must be considered

Ideal Conditions for Two-lane Highways

1. Design speed greater than or equal to 60 mph (97 km/h)
2. Lane widths greater than or equal to 12 ft (3.6 m)
3. Clear shoulders wider than or equal to 6 ft (1.8 m)
4. No no-passing zones on the highway segment
5. All passenger cars in the traffic stream
6. A 50/50 directional split of traffic (e.g., 50% travelling northbound and 50%
travelling southbound)
7. No impediments to through traffic due to traffic control or turning vehicles
8. Level terrain

The capacity of a roadway under such conditions is 2800pcph, total, both

directions.
 Rural Two-Lane Highways
Determination of Service Flow for Two-lane Highways

Where
fd – adjustment factor for non-ideal directional distribution of traffic - Table 7.14

All other terms are as defined for freeways

(v/c) values are obtained from Table 7.15; and fw from Table 7.16

Determination of fHV is slightly different from that used in the freeway and
multilane highway cases in that trucks and buses are now considered
separately.

Equivalency factors for the general terrain types of level, rolling, and
mountainous are given in Table 7.17
CHECK WORKED EXAMPLES IN PDF NOTES
 Design Traffic Volumes
In the preceding sections of this chapter, consideration was given to the
determination of level of service, given some hourly volume. However, a
procedure for selecting an appropriate hourly volume is needed to compute
level of service and to determine the number of lanes that need to be provided
in a new roadway design to achieve some specified level of service.

Concerns in determination of hourly volume

1. Variability in traffic volumes by time of day (hourly), day of week (diurnal),

time of year (seasonal), and type of roadway.
2. Temporal variability in traffic flow, what hourly volume should be used for
design and/or analysis?
 Design Traffic Volumes

Examples of hourly variations for intercity and intracity routes.

Design Traffic Volumes
most common hourly volume used for
roadway design is the 30th highest
hourly volume of the year.

K-factor is used to convert average

annual daily traffic (AADT) to the 30th
highest hourly volume.
 Design Traffic Volumes

Where

DHV is the design hourly volume (typically, the 30th highest annual hourly
volume)
AADT is the roadway's average annual daily traffic.

For directional traffic flows, a factor is needed to reflect the proportion of peak-
hour traffic volume traveling in the peak direction. This factor is denoted as D
and is used to arrive at the directional design hour volume (DDHV)

all terms are as

previously defined

CHECK WORKED EXAMPLES IN PDF NOTES

THE END