Complete Regional Transportation Plan 2012 - Cape Cod ...

2.2.5 LEVEL OF SERVICELevel of Service is determined by dividing the volume of the roadway by its capacity. Theresulting figure represents at what percentage of capacity a roadway is operating.Various ranges of the volume-to-capacity ratio are categorized into letter scores. Level ofService A is the best, while level of Service F is the worst (see following table).TABLE 6 - LEVEL OF SERVICE DEFINITIONSLevel ofServiceVolume-to-Capacity RatioA 0.00 – 0.60B 0.61 – 0.70C 0.71 – 0.80D 0.81 – 0.90E 0.91 – 1.00InterpretationLow volumes; primarily free-flowing operations. Density islow, and vehicles can freely maneuver within the trafficstream. Drivers can maintain their desired speeds with littleor no delay.Stable flow with potential for some restriction of operatingspeeds due to traffic conditions. Maneuvering is only slightlyrestricted. The stopped delays are not bothersome, anddrivers are not subject to appreciable tension.Stable operations; however, the ability to maneuver is morerestricted by the increase in traffic volumes. Relativelysatisfactory operating speeds prevail, but adverse signalcoordination or longer queues cause delays.Approaching unstable traffic flow, where small increases involume could cause substantial delays. Most drivers arerestricted in their ability to maneuver and in their selectionof travel speeds. Comfort and convenience are low buttolerable.Operations characterized by significant approach delays andaverage travel speeds of one-half to one-third the free flowspeed. Flow is unstable and potential for stoppages of briefduration.F 1.01+Forced-flow operations with high approach delays at criticalsignalized intersections. Speeds are reduced substantially,and stoppages may occur for short or long periods of timebecause of downstream congestion.Source: Highway Capacity ManualThe Cape Cod Travel Demand Model can be used to estimate the level of service of CapeCod’s major roadways. Currently, this model is still under development. Preliminaryresults of the model are shown in the following two figures. The first figure showsCape Cod Regional Transportation Plan | August 2011Chapter 2.2: RoadwaysPage 77