Application of New Pedestrian Level of Service Measures - sacog

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Application of New Pedestrian Level of Service Measures SACOG level. Doing so assumes 1) that all roads operating at an automobile LOS A, B, or C are safe for pedestrian travel or 2) that all high‐volume roads unsuitable for pedestrian travel will score an automobile LOS D, E, or F. Buffer vs. Barrier The PPM model considers any separation (3.5 ft or more) between the roadway and the pedestrian facility to be a sufficient buffer. The MMLOS model defines a buffer more like a barrier: a permanent or large structure that effectively blocks vehicular traffic from entering the pedestrian right of way. Examples of a barrier would be on‐street parking or continuous street trees. Consideration of Signal Spacing The MMLOS model takes into account block length when determining LOS. The PPM model does not. All else equal, the PPM model would score a well‐connected downtown street network and a sprawling business park the same, even though a downtown street with many connected destinations would likely be much more appealing to pedestrians. Level of Service vs. Walkability Because both the MMLOS and PPM models are LOS models, they do not take into account surrounding land uses nor do they assess the “usefulness” of pedestrian facilities. Exemplary pedestrian facilities will not be useful unless the surrounding land uses support businesses and services that attract and generate pedestrian traffic. For example, suburban neighborhoods often have nice pedestrian facilities, but the residential surroundings generate few trips other than fitness walking. Similarly, pedestrian facilities in areas that are extremely auto‐dependent would score well in these models but not necessarily be useful for pedestrians. One potential source for including a walkability measure in a future analysis is walkscore.com (described above in Section 3. Literature Review of Existing Analysis Tools). This website calculates a score (0‐100) of the walkability of an area based on proximity to amenities, intersection density, and average block length. The amenities considered include grocery stores, restaurants/bars, shopping, coffee, banks, parks, schools, libraries/book stores, and entertainment venues. Appendix F contains the walkscore.com methodology. Walkscore.com does not take into account any of the infrastructure considerations that are at the heart of the MMLOS and PPM models, but it does provide an interesting perspective on the usefulness of an area’s pedestrian facilities. Though not strictly part of this analysis, we evaluated the case study areas using the walkscore.com methodology. The Woodland case study area averaged a Walk Score in the mid‐80s, while the Roseville case study area averaged in the mid‐70s. This is a simple measure that could add a reality check to the LOS models, which are solely based on the quality of the pedestrian facilities, not the usefulness. Issue Date: June 2011 30
Application of New Pedestrian Level of Service Measures SACOG Replication in Other Study Areas In part, this Pedestrian Level of Service Analysis was a way to test pedestrian LOS models so that other agencies can perform their own analyses at other locations. Both the MMLOS and PPM models are suitable for evaluating pedestrian LOS. However, as it has been noted, the MMLOS model is extremely technical and is better suited for individual project analyses, rather than neighborhood walkability assessments. The point‐based system in the PPM model is better suited for analyses by advocacy and planning groups, especially considering the amount of customization possible simply by tweaking the point system. Opportunities for Future SACOG Analysis and Use SACOG hopes to incorporate some of the major determinants of pedestrian LOS into its modeling software for use in future planning analyses. Issue Date: June 2011 31
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Application of New Pedestrian Level of Service Measures - sacog

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