INTERSECTION LEVEL-OF-SERVICE CRITERIA

The ability of a transportation system to transmit the transportation demand is characterized as its level-of-service (LOS).
Level-of-service is a rating system from “A”, representing the best operation, to “F”, representing the worst operation.
Typically, level-of-service “D” is considered the minimum acceptable operation. The appropriate reference for level-of-
service operation is the Highway Capacity Manual, published by the Transportation Research Board.

This manual considers the average delay per vehicle as the measure to determine the level-of-service for both signalized
and unsignalized intersections. For signalized intersections and for multi-way stop intersections, the delay and level-of-
service are calculated for the intersection, each approach, and each turning movement. For unsignalized intersections
the level-of-service is defined for each minor movement for two-way stop controls, and is not defined for the major street
approaches or for the intersection as a whole. Figure 1 provides a diagram and Table 1 lists the level-of-service criteria
for both signalized and unsignalized intersections as stated in the Highway Capacity Manual.

Figure 1: Level-of-Service Criteria for Intersections

LEVEL-OF-SERVICE
120

110

100 F
90
F
MEAN DELAY (seconds per vehicle)

80

70
E
60

50

E D
40

30 D C
20 C
B B
10
A A
0
UNSIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS

Table 1: Level-of-Service Criteria for Intersections

AVERAGE DELAY (seconds per vehicle)

LEVEL-OF-SERVICE
UNSIGNALIZED SIGNALIZED
A ≤ 10 ≤ 10
B > 10 to 15 > 10 to 20
C > 15 to 25 > 20 to 35
D > 25 to 35 > 35 to 55
E > 35 to 50 > 55 to 80
F > 50 > 80