Traffic Engineering-III (UG) - Class Note

28-03-2022
Capacity and Level of Service
Prof. Bhargab Maitra

Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
India
IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering
Basic Concepts
IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering 2
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Introduction
• How much a transportation facility can accommodate?
A relevant question for design of traffic facility
 Capacity analysis is a quantitative assessment of

ability of a traffic facility to handle vehicles or
people
• What is the performance level of the system at various

operating conditions? or how good is the operation of a
traffic facility?
 Level of Service analysis tries to answer this

question which is essentially a qualitative analysis
Introduction
• Traffic stream is composed of variety of travel modes:
 Motorized vehicles: cars, light and heavy trucks, recreational
vehicles(RVs), buses, and motorcycles
Pedestrians  Bicycles
• These modes operate on variety of roadway system elements:
 Points: intersections
 Segments: lengths between intersections
 Facilities: aggregations of points and segments
 Corridors: parallel freeway and arterial facilities
 At larger geographic scales, areas and systems
 IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering
Engineering| Module D 6
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Introduction
• Traffic facilities can be divided into
 Uninterrupted facilities: freeways (basic freeways, weaving
sections and ramps), multi-lane and two-lane highways
 Interrupted facilities: unsignalized and signalized
intersections, arterials or corridors
 Other facilities: pedestrian pathways, bicycle tracks, bus-
transit system, rail-transit system, etc.
• Basedon the traffic facility and travel mode, capacity

and LOS analysis differs
• Present module mainly focusses on motorized vehicles
Capacity
• Capacity represents the maximum sustainable hourly flow rate at which
persons or vehicles reasonably can be expected to traverse a point or a
uniform segment of a lane or roadway during a given time period under
prevailing roadway, environmental, traffic, and control conditions (HCM
2016)
• Reasonable expectancy is the basis for defining capacity
• Stated capacity is the flow rate that can be achieved
repeatedly for peak periods of sufficient demand, as
opposed to being the absolute maximum flow rate
that might be observed
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Capacity
Defined as a Maximum Hourly Rate
• Typically,
the peak 15 minutes of flow during
the analysis hour is considered
• Peak 15-minute flow rate accommodates nearly

all the variations in flow during the hour
IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 7
Capacity
Expressed in terms of Persons or Vehicles
• Capacity may be expressed in terms of persons or vehicles
• Assumes that there is no influence from downstream traffic operation,
such as queue backing into the analysis point
• Person capacity is commonly used to evaluate public transit services,

high-occupancy-vehicle lanes, and pedestrian facilities
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Capacity
Defined for a Point or Uniform Section
• The uniformity of the section being analysed is an important consideration
Defined for Prevailing Conditions
• Segments with different prevailing conditions will have different capacities
• Prevailing conditions: Categorized as roadway, traffic,
control, operations, or environment
Capacity
Roadway Conditions
• Include geometric and other elements:
Lane
 Number of lanes width
 Type of system element and its land use

environment
 Lane widths
 Shoulder widths and lateral clearances
 Design speed
 Horizontal and vertical alignments
 Availability of exclusive turn lanes at intersections
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Capacity
Traffic Conditions
• Vehicle type: Heavy vehicles and passenger

cars
• Lane or directional distribution: Lane
distribution is considered for multi-lane
facilities; directional distribution is critical
for two-lane highways
• Driver population: Based on the familiarity

of usage of roadway, motorists display
different characteristics
Capacity
Control Conditions
• The most critical type of control is the traffic
signal. The type of control in use, signal phasing,
allocation of green time, cycle length, and the
relationship with adjacent control measures all
affect operations
• Other control conditions include STOP, YIELD,

restricted curb parking, turn restrictions etc.
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Capacity
Technology and Operations
• Technological strategies, commonly known as
intelligent transportation systems (ITS) strategies, aim
to increase the safety and performance of roadways
• ITS includes any technology that allows drivers and traffic control system
operators to gather and use real-time information to improve vehicle
navigation, roadway system control, or both
Environmental Conditions
•A facility's capacity can be temporarily reduced by
environmental conditions, such as heavy precipitation,
adverse lighting conditions, or slippery road surfaces
Capacity
Base Conditions
• Base conditions assume
 good weather
 good and dry pavement conditions
 users are familiar with the system element

 no impediments to traffic flow conditions (e.g., no
trucks in traffic stream, no narrow lanes)
• In most capacity analyses, prevailing conditions differ

from the base
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Quality and Level of Service

• Quality of servicedescribes how well a transportation facility or service
operates from the traveller's perspective
• Level of service (LOS) is a quantitative stratification of a performance

measure or measures representing quality of service
• LOS concept facilitates the presentation of results through the use of

a familiar A (best) to F (worst) scale
• LOS for a given mode on a given transportation system

element is defined by one or more service measures
Quality of Service
• Quality of service can be assessed by
 directly observing factors perceivable by and important to travellers
(e.g., speed or delay)
 tracking complaints and compliments about roadway conditions
 surveying travellers
 forecasting traveller satisfaction by using models
derived from past traveller surveys
 observing services not directly perceived by
travellers (average incident clearance time) that
affect what they can perceive (speed, arrival time at
work)
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Quality of Service
Factors Affecting Quality of Service
• Travel time, speed, and delay
• Number of stops incurred
• Travel time reliability
• Manoeuvrability (e.g., ease of lane changing, percent
time-spent-following other vehicles)
• Comfort (e.g., bicycle and pedestrian interaction with

and separation from traffic, transit vehicle crowding
pavement quality)
Quality of Service
• Convenience (e.g., directness of route, frequency of transit service)
• Safety (actual or perceived)
• User cost
• Availability of facilities and services
• Facility aesthetics and
• Information availability (e.g., highway wayfinding
signage, transit route and schedule information)
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Level of Service
• LOSis a quantitative stratification of a performance
measure or measures representing quality of service
• Measures used to determine LOS for transportation

system elements are called service measures
• The HCM defines six levels of service, ranging from A

to F, for each service measure or combination of
service measures
• LOS A represents the best operating conditions from
the traveller's perspective and LOS F the worst
Level of Service
• LOS F defines operations that have either broken down (i.e., demand
exceeds capacity) or have reached a point that most users would consider
unsatisfactory, for a specified service measure value (or combination of
service measure values)
• For cost, environmental impact, and other reasons, roadways are typically
designed not to provide LOS A conditions during peak periods but instead
to provide some lower LOS that balances individual
travellers' desires against society's desires and
financial resources
• During low-volume periods, system element may

operate at LOS A
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Level of Service
• LOS is a step function 100
90 LOS F
• An increase in average control delay of 12 s at a
Traffic Signal Control Delay (s)

80
70 LOS E
traffic signal, for example, may result in no change 60
50
in LOS, a drop of one level, or even a drop of two 40
LOS D
levels, depending on the starting value of delay 30

20
LOS C
12s
12s
LOS B 12s
10
• Change in LOS indicates that roadway 0

LOS A
performance has transitioned from one range of

traveller-perceivable conditions to another range
• LOS is reported separately for each mode for a

given system element
Level of Service
Service Measures
• Each mode's travellers have different perspectives and could
experience different conditions while travelling along a given roadway,
so service measures are also different for different modes and facilities
 Urban street facility and segment

o Motorized vehicle – Through-vehicle travel speed
o Pedestrian – Pedestrian LOS combines
pedestrians' experiences walking along street
links between signalized intersections, crossing
side streets at signalized intersections,
crossing street between traffic signals
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Level of Service
o Bicycle – Bicycle LOS combines quality of bicycling along the street
between traffic signals and quality of passing through signalized
intersections
o Transit – Transit LOS combines traveller perceptions of walking to a

transit stop, waiting for a transit vehicle, and riding on the vehicle
Basic Freeway and Multilane Highway

Segments As per HCM (2016)
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Introduction
• Basic freeway and multilane highway segments are analyzed as
uninterrupted flow facilities
 Basic freeways are access-controlled facilities: Grade-separated

cross streets and ramp movements to access the facility
 Multilane highways: Uninterrupted flow exists when

there are no traffic control devices that interrupt
traffic and where no platoons are formed by
upstream traffic signals
Introduction
• Segments included for Capacity and level of service (LOS) analysis
 Outside the influence of merging, diverging, and weaving manoeuvres
 Outside the influence of signalized intersections (for Multilane

highways)
• All analyses are applied to segments with uniform

characteristics
 Same geometric and traffic characteristics
 Constant demand flow rate
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Introduction
• Because of the similar operational characteristics of basic freeway and
multilane highway segments, they are analyzed with the same
methodology
 Common form of the speed-flow relationship and the effects attributed

to the number of lanes, lane width, lateral clearance, and the presence
of heavy vehicles
• The capacity and level of service analysis as

discussed here for freeway and multilane highway
segments are as per Highway Capacity Manual, 2016
Flow Characteristics
• Speeds and capacities on multilane highways are lower than those on
basic freeway segments with similar cross sections
 Speeds on multilane highways tend to be lower: Presence of side
frictions from uncontrolled driveways and intersections, as well as from
opposing flows on undivided cross sections
 Basic geometry of multilane highways tends to be

more constrained and consistent with lower speed
expectations
 Isolated signalized intersections can exist along

multilane highways
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Capacity under Base Conditions

• Base conditions under which full capacity is achieved include:
 Good weather and visibility  No incidents or accidents
 No heavy vehicles in the traffic stream  No work zone activity
 No pavement deterioration serious enough to affect operations
 Driver population-mostly regular users familiar with facility
 12-ft lane widths and adequate lateral clearances (different for freeway
and multilane highways)
• Capacityvaries stochastically, and any given location
could have a larger or smaller value than base capacity
• In HCM, capacity is max. flow rate for 15-min interval

Capacity under Base Conditions

• Capacities represent an average flow rate across all lanes. Individual lanes
could have higher stable flows
Table 4.1: Base Capacity Values for Basic Freeway Segments & Multilane Highway Segments
FFS Capacity of Capacity of
(mi/h) Basic Freeway Segments Multilane Highway Segments
(pc/h/ln) (pc/h/ln)
75 2400 NA
70 2400 𝟐𝟑𝟎𝟎∗
65 2350 𝟐𝟑𝟎𝟎∗
60 2300 2200
55 2250 2100
50 NA 2000
45 NA 1900
Notes: 1.NA = Not available
2. *Capacities for multilane highways with 65 & 70 mi/h FFS are
extrapolated and not based on base data
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Speed-Flow Relationship
• Characteristics such as lane width, lateral clearance, median type, and (for
multilane highways) access point density will affect FFS of the facility
• Under base conditions, speed-flow curves for uninterrupted flow on basic

freeway and multilane highway segments follow a common form:
Constant speed range: Speed remains constant over a range of flow

rates from zero to a breakpoint value BP. Over this range, the speed is
equal to FFS
 Decreasing speed range: From BP to capacity,
speed decreases from FFS in a generally parabolic
relationship
 Capacity: In all cases, capacity occurs when the traffic stream density
D is 45 pc/mi/ln
Source: HCM, 2016
General form of speed-flow curves on basic freeway

and multilane highway segments
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• The general analytic form of the speed-flow relationship is given by HCM
(2016)
𝑺 = 𝑭𝑭𝑺𝒂𝒅𝒋 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝒗𝒑 ≤ 𝑩𝑷 …………. 4.1 (a)
𝒄𝒂𝒅𝒋
𝑭𝑭𝑺𝒂𝒅𝒋 − (𝑭𝑭𝑺𝒂𝒅𝒋 − 𝑫 )(𝒗𝒑 − 𝑩𝑷)𝒂
𝒄
𝑺= 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝑩𝑷 < 𝒗𝒑 < 𝒄
(𝒄𝒂𝒅𝒋 − 𝑩𝑷)𝒂 …..4.1 (b)
Where S = mean speed of traffic stream under base
conditions (mi/h)
𝒗𝒑= adjusted demand flow rate (pc/hr/ln)
Other variables are as given below
Table 4.2: Speed-Flow Curve Parameters as per HCM (2016)
Para- Definition and Basic Freeway Multi-lane Highway
meter Units Segments Segments
FFS Base segment Measured or predicted Measured or predicted
free-flow speed
(mi/h)
𝑭𝑭𝑺𝒂𝒅𝒋 Adjusted free-flow 𝑭𝑭𝑺𝒂𝒅𝒋= 𝑭𝑭𝑺 × 𝑺𝑨𝑭 No adjustments
speed (mi/h)
SAF Speed adjustment Locally 1.00
factor calibrated/estimated
SAF = 1.00 for base
conditions
c Base segment 𝒄 = 𝟐𝟐𝟎𝟎 + 𝟏𝟎 𝑭𝑭𝑺 − 𝟓𝟎 𝒄 = 𝟏𝟗𝟎𝟎 + 𝟐𝟎 𝑭𝑭𝑺 − 𝟒𝟓
capacity (pc/h/ln) 𝒄 ≤ 𝟐𝟒𝟎𝟎 𝒄 ≤ 𝟐𝟑𝟎𝟎
𝟓𝟓 ≤ 𝑭𝑭𝑺 ≤ 𝟕𝟓 𝟒𝟓 ≤ 𝑭𝑭𝑺 ≤ 𝟕𝟎
𝒄𝒂𝒅𝒋 Adjusted segment 𝒄𝒂𝒅𝒋 = 𝒄 × 𝑪𝑨𝑭 No adjustments
capacity (pc/h/ln)
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Parameter Definition and Units Basic Freeway Segments Multi-lane Highway
Segments
CAF Capacity adjustment Locally calibrated/estimated 1.00
factor (decimal) CAF = 1.00 for base conditions
𝑫𝒄 Density at capacity 45 45
(pc/mi/ln)
BP Break point (pc/h/ln) 𝑩𝑷𝒂𝒅𝒋 1400
= [𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 + 𝟒𝟎 × 𝟕𝟓 −𝑭𝑭𝑺𝒂𝒅𝒋 ] × 𝑪𝑨𝑭𝟐
a Exponential calibration 2.00 1.31
parameter (decimal)
• CAF and SAF are calibration parameters to adjust for

local conditions. They are provided only for basic
freeway segments, since no empirical research exists
for equivalent capacity-reducing effects on multilane
highways
Basic Freeway Segments Multilane Highway Segments
Source: HCM, 2016
• Curves developed for FFS values between 55 & 75 mi/h for

freeways, between 45 & 70 mi/h for multilane highways
• For freeways, BP varies with FFS: as BP  FFS 
• For multilane highways, BP is a constant: 1,400 pc/h/ln
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Level of Service
• Basic freeway or multilane highway segment can be characterized by
three performance measures:
 Density in passenger cars per mile per lane
Indication of how
 Space mean speed in miles per hour, and well traffic is being
accommodated
 Ratio of demand flow rate to capacity (v/c)
• Although speed is a major concern of drivers related to

service quality, describing LOS on the basis of speed
would be difficult, since it remains constant up to high
flow rates
Level of Service
 1,000 to 1,800 pc/h/ln for basic freeway segments depending on the FFS
and 1,400pc/h/ln for multilane highway segments
• Also, v/c ratio is not directly perceivable to road users (except at capacity)
• Density describes a motorist's proximity to other vehicles and is related to
a motorist's freedom to manoeuvre within the traffic stream
• Unlikespeed, density is sensitive to flow rates

throughout the range of flows
• Therefore, density is taken as the service measure for

defining LOS
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Level of Service
LOS Description
LOS A
 Free-flow operations
 FFS prevails and vehicles are almost completely unimpeded
in their ability to manoeuvre within the traffic stream
 Effects of incidents or point breakdowns are easily absorbed
LOS B
 Reasonably free flow operations, FFS is maintained
 Ability to manoeuvre is slightly restricted; physical &
psychological comfort to drivers is still high
 Effects of minor incidents are still easily absorbed
Level of Service
LOS C
 Flow with speeds near FFS
 Freedom to manoeuvre is noticeably restricted, and
lane changes require more care and vigilance on
the part of the driver
 Minor incidents may still be absorbed, but the local

deterioration in service quality will be significant
 Queues may be expected to form behind any

significant blockages
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Level of Service
LOS D
 Speeds begin to decline with increasing flows,
with density increasing more quickly
 Freedom to manoeuvre is seriously limited, and
drivers experience reduced physical and
psychological comfort levels
 Even minor incidents can create queuing,
because traffic stream has little space to absorb
disruptions
Level of Service
LOS E
 Operation at or near capacity
 Operations are highly volatile as there are virtually no usable gaps in
traffic stream, leaving little room to manoeuvre
 Any disruption to traffic stream such as vehicles entering from ramp or

access point or vehicle changing lanes, can establish disruption wave
that propagates throughout upstream traffic stream
 Towards upper boundary, traffic stream has no

ability to dissipate even the most minor disruption,
any incident can produce serious breakdown &
substantial queuing
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Level of Service
 Physical and psychological comfort afforded
to drivers is poor
LOS F
 Unstable flow
 Such conditions exist within queues forming
behind bottlenecks
 Breakdowns occur for a number of reasons:
o Traffic incidents can temporarily reduce capacity
of a short segment, so that no. of vehicles arriving
at a point is greater than no. of vehicles that can
move through it
Level of Service
o Points of recurring congestion, such as merge or weaving segments
and lane drops, experience very high demand in which no. of vehicles
arriving is greater than no. of vehicles that can be discharged
 In all cases, breakdown occurs when ratio of existing demand to actual
capacity, or of forecast demand to estimated capacity, exceeds 1.00
 LOS F operations within a queue are the result of a breakdown or

bottleneck at a downstream point
o Breakdown point is labelled as LOS F, though actual
operations at breakdown point and immediately
downstream may actually reflect LOS E conditions
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Level of Service
LOS Criteria
Table 4.3: LOS Criteria for Basic Freeways & Multilane Highway Segments
LOS Density (pc/mi/ln)
A ≤ 11
B > 11 – 18
C > 18 – 26
D > 26 – 35
E > 35 – 45
F Demand exceeds capacity or
Density > 45
(Source: Exhibit 12-15 of HCM, 2016)
Level of Service
• Specification of maximum densities for LOS A to F is based on the
collective professional judgment of members of Transportation Research
Board's Committee on Highway Capacity and Quality of Service
• Upper value shown for LOS E (45 pc/mi/In) is the maximum density at
which sustained flows at capacity are expected to occur: at density of 45
pc/mi/ln, flow is at capacity, and v/c ratio is 1.00
• Traffic
characteristics are such that maximum flow
rates at any given LOS are lower on multilane
highways than on similar basic freeway segments
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Level of Service
Basic Freeway Segments Multilane Highway Segments
(Source: HCM, 2016)

• On a speed-flow plot, density is a line of constant slope
starting at the origin and LOS boundaries were defined
to produce reasonable ranges for each LOS letter
Introduction to Indo HCM, 2017
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Introduction
• Manualslike HCM of USA (2016), Chinese manual (2005) or Indonesian
HCM (1999) etc. were developed based on the traffic conditions present in
the respective countries
• Traffic on Indian roads is composed of slow and fast moving vehicles with
substantial differences in their static and dynamic characteristics
including their size and engine power
• Wide range of motorized and non-motorized traffic

(NMT) uses same roadway space resulting in
heterogeneous traffic: To account for these differences,
Indo HCM (2017) has been developed
Introduction
• Interurban highwaysin India include single lane roads,
intermediate lane roads, two lane roads, multi-lane
highways and expressways
• Singlelane, intermediate lane and two lane roads are

undivided, facilitating two-way movement of traffic
• Multi-lane
highways and expressways have divided
carriageways with two or more lanes in each direction
• Traffic operations on undivided and divided highways

are vastly different: Capacity and LOS analysis of
undivided roads and multilane divided highways have
been dealt separately
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Capacity and LOS Estimation

• Inter-urban undivided roads have two-way traffic movement which
influences the capacity of the road
• Two-lane carriageway width is generally considered as 7.0 m, intermediate
carriageway width as 5.5 m, and single lane carriageway width as 3.75 m
Base Conditions (Single, Intermediate and Two-lane

Roads)
• In addition to the prescribed carriageway width,
minimum of 1.0 m soft shoulder on both sides should
be present
• Section should be straight and level

• No influence by interruptions such as intersections, steep gradients and
curvatures as well as any other adjoining roads
• Nophysical barrier on at least 500 m section such as speed breakers,
rumble strips, as it may affect traffic stream
• Section to be free from any form of roadside friction activities
• Section should be free from any form of work activity for at least 1 km on
either side
• No incidents or crashes at the time of observation for at
least 1 km on either side
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Base Conditions (Multilane Highways)
• Plain and level terrain
• No horizontal curve or vertical gradient
• Traffic lanes 3.5 m wide
• Paved shoulders of minimum 1.5 m followed by unpaved shoulders
• Minimum median width is 2.5 m
• IRI less than 2.7 m/km
• No direct access points
• No side friction
• No accidents at the time of investigation

Stream Equivalency Factor (𝑺𝒆 )
• PCU value of a vehicle type is found to be sensitive to traffic and roadway
conditions: a single set of PCU cannot be recommended for all types of
traffic conditions
• A small change in traffic volume or composition may change PCU factors

substantially, especially for large size vehicles: SEF is introduced
• SEF is defined as the ratio of flow in PCUs per hour to

the flow in vehicles per hour
𝑭𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒏 𝑷𝑪𝑼/𝒉
𝑺𝒆 =
𝑭𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒏 𝒗𝒆𝒉/𝒉 ……..(4.32)
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Two Lane and Intermediate Lane Roads Single Lane Road

(Source: Indo HCM, 2017)
• As Se represents the overall equivalency factor of the
entire traffic stream, it depends on the traffic volume
and composition

Single Lane Roads
𝟕. 𝟕𝟐
𝑺𝒆 = 𝟏 + 𝟎. 𝟎𝟏 × 𝑷𝑩𝑪 − 𝟎. 𝟑𝟖 × 𝑷𝟐𝑾 − 𝟎. 𝟐𝟗 × 𝑷𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑶 + 𝟎. 𝟐𝟑𝟏 × 𝑷𝑳𝑪𝑽 + 𝟏. 𝟏𝟖 × 𝑷𝑩𝑼𝑺 + 𝟎. 𝟕𝟕𝟎 × 𝑷𝑻𝑨𝑻 + 𝟐. 𝟐𝟔 × 𝑷𝑻𝑻 −
𝑵
Intermediate and Two Lane Roads

𝑺𝒆
= 𝟏 + 𝟎. 𝟏𝟓𝟎 × 𝑷𝑩𝑪 − 𝟎. 𝟕𝟎𝟐 × 𝑷𝟐𝑾 + 𝟎. 𝟐𝟎𝟒 × 𝑷𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑶 + 𝟏. 𝟕𝟕𝟎 × 𝑷𝑳𝑪𝑽
𝟏. 𝟐𝟑𝟗
+ 𝟓. 𝟎𝟕𝟓 × 𝑷𝑩𝑼𝑺 + 𝟑. 𝟓𝟓𝟎 × 𝑷𝑻𝑨𝑻 + 𝟒. 𝟓𝟗𝟖 × 𝑷𝑻𝑻 +𝟓. 𝟒𝟏𝟒 × 𝑷𝑴𝑨𝑻 −
𝑵
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Four lane divided highway segments

𝑺𝒆 =𝟏+0.𝟔∗ 𝑷𝑩𝑪 −𝟏.𝟓∗ 𝑷𝟐𝑾 +𝟏.𝟐∗ 𝑷𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑶 +𝟐.𝟔∗ 𝑷𝑳𝑪𝑽 +𝟒.𝟖∗ 𝑷𝑩𝑼𝑺 +𝟑.𝟔 𝑷𝑻𝑨𝑻 +𝟓𝟗.𝟖/𝑵+𝟔.𝟒∗ 𝑷𝑴𝑨𝑻
Six lane divided highway segments

𝑺𝒆 =𝟏+0.𝟕∗ 𝑷𝑩𝑪 −𝟐.𝟏∗ 𝑷𝟐𝑾 +𝟏.𝟐∗ 𝑷𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑶 +𝟑.𝟑∗ 𝑷𝑳𝑪𝑽 +𝟓.𝟎∗ 𝑷𝑩𝑼𝑺 +𝟒.𝟖 𝑷𝑻𝑨𝑻 +𝟔𝟒.𝟕/𝑵+𝟕.𝟓∗
𝑷𝑴𝑨𝑻
where, 𝑷𝑩𝑪 =proportion of big cars in traffic stream
𝑷𝟐𝑾 = Proportion of two wheelers
𝑷𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑶 = Proportion of auto rickshaws

𝑷𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑶 = Proportion of auto rickshaws
𝑷𝑳𝑪𝑽 = Proportion of light commercial vehicles
𝑷𝑻𝑨𝑻 = Proportion of two/three axle trucks
𝑷𝑻𝑻 = Proportion of tractor-trailers
𝑷𝑴𝑨𝑻 = Proportion of multi-axle vehicles
N = Total flow in vehicles per hour
29
28-03-2022

LOS Estimation Intermediate and Two Lane Roads
LOS NFPC V/C Service Volume for Two Recommended DSV Values for
Ratio Lane Roads (PCUs/day) Upgradation (PCUs/day)
A ≤ 0.15 ≤ 0.25 <7500 10500 PCUs/day @ LOS-B:
B 0.15-0.25 0.26-0.45 7500-13500 Suggested threshold value for
conversion from two-lane
C 0.26-0.40 0.46-0.60 13500-17500 bidirectional to Four Lane
D 0.41-0.55 0.61-0.75 17500-23000 Divided Roads to ensure
E 0.56-0.70 0.76-1 23000-30000 enhanced safety in traffic
operations
F >0.71 >1 >30000
Source: Table 2.9,
Single Lane Roads Indo HCM, 2017
LOS V/C Ratio LOS V/C Ratio
A ≤ 0.15 D 0.51-0.80
B 0.15-0.30 E 0.81-1.00
Source: Table 2.10,
C 0.31-0.50 F >1.00
Indo HCM, 2017

Four lane divided highways
LOS Density V/C Ratio Service Recommended DSV Value
(PCU/km/ Volumes for Upgradation (PCU/day)
direction) (PCUs/day)
A ≤ 18 0.00-0.20 ≤18000 22500 PCU/day @ LOS-B:
B 19-27 0.21-0.30 18001-27000 Suggested threshold flow
for conversion from four
C 28-45 0.31-0.50 27001-45000 lane to six lane divided
D 46-64 0.51-0.70 45001-63000 road to ensure enhanced
E 65-90 0.71-1.00 63001-90000 safety in traffic operations
F >90 >1.00 >90000
Source: Table 3.8, Indo HCM, 2017
30
28-03-2022

Six lane divided highways
LOS Density V/C Ratio Service Recommended DSV Value

(PCU/km/ Volumes for Upgradation (PCU/day)
direction) (PCUs/day)
A ≤ 27 0.00-0.20 ≤27000 34000 PCU/day @ LOS-B:
B 28-41 0.21-0.30 Suggested threshold flow
27001-41000
for conversion from six
C 42-68 0.31-0.50 41001-68000 lane to eight lane divided
D 69-95 0.51-0.70 68001-95000 road to ensure enhanced
E 96-136 0.71-1.00 95001-136000 safety in traffic operations
F >136 >1.00 >136000
Source: Table 3.9, Indo HCM, 2017
THANK YOU
31

Traffic Engineering-III (UG) - Class Note

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28-03-2022

Capacity and Level of Service

Prof. Bhargab Maitra

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering 2

 Capacity analysis is a quantitative assessment of

• What is the performance level of the system at various

 Level of Service analysis tries to answer this

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering 3

• Basedon the traffic facility and travel mode, capacity

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering 6

• Peak 15-minute flow rate accommodates nearly

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 7

• Person capacity is commonly used to evaluate public transit services,

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 8

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 9

 Type of system element and its land use

• Vehicle type: Heavy vehicles and passenger

• Driver population: Based on the familiarity

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 11

• Other control conditions include STOP, YIELD,

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 12

 users are familiar with the system element

• In most capacity analyses, prevailing conditions differ

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 14

Quality and Level of Service

• Level of service (LOS) is a quantitative stratification of a performance

• LOS concept facilitates the presentation of results through the use of

• LOS for a given mode on a given transportation system

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 15

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 16

• Comfort (e.g., bicycle and pedestrian interaction with

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 18

• Measures used to determine LOS for transportation

• The HCM defines six levels of service, ranging from A

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 19

• During low-volume periods, system element may

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 20

Traffic Signal Control Delay (s)

levels, depending on the starting value of delay 30

• Change in LOS indicates that roadway 0

performance has transitioned from one range of

• LOS is reported separately for each mode for a

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 21

 Urban street facility and segment

o Transit – Transit LOS combines traveller perceptions of walking to a

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 23

Basic Freeway and Multilane Highway

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 24

 Basic freeways are access-controlled facilities: Grade-separated

 Multilane highways: Uninterrupted flow exists when

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 25

 Outside the influence of signalized intersections (for Multilane

• All analyses are applied to segments with uniform

 Same geometric and traffic characteristics

 Constant demand flow rate

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 26

 Common form of the speed-flow relationship and the effects attributed

• The capacity and level of service analysis as

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 27

 Basic geometry of multilane highways tends to be

 Isolated signalized intersections can exist along

IIT Kharagpur | Traffic Engineering| Module D 28