Level of Service for Parking Facilities

As the number of motor vehicles increasing rapidly, urban parking has become an intolerable problem in major cities in China. Parking facility service evaluations play an important role in urban transportation planning and operation. This paper introduces an LOS （level of service） concept based on a comprehensive parking study in Beijing, China. The LOS methodology is developed by an integrated evaluation model that reflects the user＇s perception of the quality of service. The method combines four important service variables, namely the ratio of peak-hour demand to capacity, average parking space occupying rate, parking cost, and circulation time, into one single index to quantitatively evaluate a parking facility＇s performance. The case studies at the end of the paper demonstrate the applicability of the method.

Examining the Level of Service in the Context of Recreational Carrying Capacity in the Erzurum Urban Forest,Turkey

Urban forests are confronted with high using pressure because of the increasing demand for recreation and accessibility of these settings. For that purpose, defining and managing recreational carrying capacity is considered as significant in ensuring ecological value’s and recreational satisfaction’s continuity. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the carrying capacity of Erzurum Urban Forest with respect to Level of Service (LOS) as a new management technique that focuses on service quality and visitor satisfaction. The data were obtained by self-administered questionnaire conducted with 166 visitors on weekends and holidays during summer season of the year 2014. Data were analyzed by dimensions/indicators of recreational satisfaction and socio-demographic characteristics with intent to identify tolerance range of visitors. The contribution and relative importance of each of the indicators to the overall satisfaction were analyzed by using Ordinal Logistic Model (OLM). The results indicated that the four indicators were at the greatest degree;“distance from picnic spot to toilets” and “quantity of children’s playground facilities” were decease of overall satisfaction while “distance from picnic spot to parking” and “level of shade at picnic spot” had a positive contribution to the overall satisfaction. The outputs from these analyses were used to calculate LOS. It was revealed that the level of service (0.40) in Erzurum Urban Forest was below the moderate level. Planning and managing strategies for optimizing the LOS were developed and discussed by considering these results.

Evaluating the Feasibility of Road Diets for Advancing Urban Mobility in Newark, DE

Road Diets are far from a new technique for designers to apply to roadways. Yet after over 50 years of implementation and countless studies into their effectiveness, it is only relatively recently that the process is gaining widespread recognition and implementation. Each year, more states and countries are examining potential road diets and putting them into place. Still, there remains great skepticism and opposition in many corners. In addition, cities and states may be drawing from many of the same sources in how to go about the process of a road diet and evaluate them, yet their methodology, goals, and even terminology can vary from region to region. This study analyzes the implementation of a road diet along a one-way arterial road, in Newark, Delaware. The primary aim of this analysis is to evaluate the feasibility of introducing a dedicated bicycle infrastructure to enhance local accessibility and to quantify its potential impacts on traffic flow, parking availability, and loading logistics within the vicinity. While the reduction of one lane could be perceived as a constraint on traffic management, the investigation revealed that E Main Street, the roadway analyzed, for the most part, can adequately accommodate its traffic load with a single lane. Detailed findings underscore the notable enhancement in level of service and subsequent reduction in delay times across most surveyed approaches.

A Sample of Semi-Actuated Traffic Control versus Fixed-Time Traffic Control

Fixed-time control of traffic signals pursues the regulation of phases based on historical data of traffic demand, in this way, neglecting of the random arrival rates of traffic flow on different intersection streams causes increasing of the stops and delays and fuel consumption at the same time. Coordinated semi-actuated control due to ability to respond traffic demands on both main and secondary directions, based on road detector registration saves the coordinated features, serving the unused time to the main road, while the secondary clears early. In this paper, the authors analyzed and explained comparatively the results of LOS （level of service） parameters of the current state of control （fixed-time） with the proposed control （semi-actuated coordinated） of the artery of length 2,348 km consisted of four signalized T intersections. Highway Capacity Manual and Synchro/Sim Traffic software are used for analysis and optimization of parameters in this paper.

Congestion Pricing of Urban Street Segments along with MRT Route—The Case Study of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, already has a congestion problem to handle the ever-growing demand for traffic. The usage of private cars cannot be stopped by charging and the town is not encouraged by quality public transport. It is impossible to enforce congestion prices here in line with traditional cordon pricing systems since the region uses unusual land patterns. However, the current project Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line 6, which will be built by 2021, provides the prospect of congestion pricing. A price and optimum approach were established for this article. The congestion price is only payable for the segments and is accessible for private cars under this system. Two urban street segments along the MRT route were selected for the study and congestion toll for a private car is estimated for each segment separately. The sum of the toll in monetary terms is determined using certain associated parameters from the discrepancy from the actual Level of Service (LOS) travel time and traffic flow to the desired LOS. The outcome has shown that the price per passenger car is $0.3 - $0.44. The price is flexible, which means it will vary based on traffic volume. The findings for politicians to enforce congestion pricing are viewed as recommendations.

Gaussian mixture models for clustering and classifying traffic flow in real-time for traffic operation and management

Based on Gaussian mixture models（GMM）, speed, flow and occupancy are used together in the cluster analysis of traffic flow data. Compared with other clustering and sorting techniques, as a structural model, the GMM is suitable for various kinds of traffic flow parameters. Gap statistics and domain knowledge of traffic flow are used to determine a proper number of clusters. The expectation-maximization （E-M） algorithm is used to estimate parameters of the GMM model. The clustered traffic flow pattems are then analyzed statistically and utilized for designing maximum likelihood classifiers for grouping real-time traffic flow data when new observations become available. Clustering analysis and pattern recognition can also be used to cluster and classify dynamic traffic flow patterns for freeway on-ramp and off-ramp weaving sections as well as for other facilities or things involving the concept of level of service, such as airports, parking lots, intersections, interrupted-flow pedestrian facilities, etc.