Abstract:
The goal of the study on which this paper is based was to develop a calibrated and validated level of service methodology for off-road, shared-user trails. The level of service scale currently used in the Highway Capacity Manual, 2000 (HCM 2000) has basic calculations for pedestrians and bicycle shared facilities, but there is no way to use the procedure for other categories of user-groups such as runners, in-line skaters, and even the unique subcategory of child bike users. In addition, the current HCM 2000 procedure can only be used to evaluate path widths of either 8 ft (2 lanes) or 10 ft (3 lanes). During this study, field data were collected in 10 cities across the United States on 15 trails. A large database of user characteristics has been compiled from the data collection effort that will be utilized to calibrate a model that can predict the numbers of meetings and passings along the trail. New level of service criteria will be developed for shared use paths that can be utilized for most trail widths. The new model will allow transportation professionals to evaluate the current level of service on existing trails or help designers make informed decisions. This research is currently in progress and a preliminary model that predicts meetings and passings has been developed. This model will need to be further calibrated and validated.
