Abstract
Inspired by developments in urban planning, the concept of “shared space” has recently emerged as a way of creating a better public realm. This is achieved through a range of streetscape treatments aimed at asserting the function of streets as places by facilitating pedestrian movement and lowering vehicle traffic volumes and speeds. The characteristics of streets with elements of shared space point to the conjecture that traffic conditions and road user perceptions may be different to those on streets designed according to more conventional principles, and this is likely to have an impact on the quality of service. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to perform an analysis in relation to level of service (LOS) and to investigate how this may change as a result of the implementation of street layouts with elements of shared space. Using video data from the Exhibition Road site in London during periods before and after its conversion from a conventional dual carriageway to a layout featuring several elements of shared space, changes in relation to LOS for both vehicle traffic and pedestrians are investigated, by applying the corresponding methods from the 2010 Highway Capacity Manual. The results suggest that streets with elements of shared space provide a much improved pedestrian experience, as expressed by higher LOS ratings, but without compromising the quality of vehicle traffic flow, which, in fact, also sees slight improvements.
Highlights
The level of service (LOS) method, according to HCM 2010 [10] and HCM 2016 [9], is designed to translate complex road performance and experience factors into a single indicator that reflects the quality of service perceived by road users
The results of the vehicle LOS (VLOS) evaluation in the Exhibition Road site before and after redevelopment to a design with elements of shared space are shown in Table 3, in which part (a) reports the evaluation of the intersection and part (b) that of the segment
Looking at part (a) of Table 3, it can be observed that the quality of service for vehicle traffic at the junction of Exhibition Road with Cromwell Road pre-redevelopment for each of the morning, midday, and evening observation periods had VLOS ratings of A, B, and B, respectively, and that post-redevelopment this has improved to A in all three periods, with intersection control delays dropping to well below 10 s
Summary
The LOS method, according to HCM 2010 [10] and HCM 2016 [9], is designed to translate complex road performance and experience factors into a single indicator that reflects the quality of service perceived by road users. The LOS method is used by operational agencies to assess whether the performance of road facilities is satisfactory and whether changes in the future would tend to be supported by the general public It provides guidance for transport engineers and planners to predict facility operating conditions from a planning level. The respective VLOS method was initially presented in the 2nd edition of the Highway Capacity Manual in 1965 [16] and has seen several revisions since until the current 6th edition (HCM 2016) [9] It considers the speed, traffic density, travel time, and delays for vehicle traffic to provide an overall indicator of how drivers perceive the traffic condition and road environment. It has been extensively applied in numerous case studies in the U.S.A. and internationally, and has formed the basis of the respective manuals of many other countries (e.g., Germany [17])
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