Bicycle level of service for arterials

This paper documents a study sponsored by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to create a model that predicts how bicyclists perceive the arterial roadway environment. It builds on the highly successful adopted segment and intersection bicycling level of service (LOS) models. Data for the new bicycle LOS for arterials model were obtained from FDOT's innovative Ride for Science field data collection event and video simulations. The data consisted of participants' perceptions of how well roadways met their needs as they rode selected arterial roadways or viewed simulations of those and other roadways. The bicycle LOS for arterials model is based on Pearson correlation analyses, stepwise regression, and PROBIT modeling of approximately 700 combined real-time perceptions (observations) from bicyclists riding a course along arterial roadways. An additional 700 combined perceptions obtained from the participants viewing a video simulation (discussed in another paper) were used to refine the model for arterial roadways. The study participants represented a cross section of individuals by age, gender, riding experience, and residency. The bicycle LOS for arterials model provides a measure of the bicyclist's perspective on how well an arterial roadway's geometric and operational characteristics meets his or her needs. Although further hypothesis testing may be conducted in a future study, this model is highly reliable, has a high correlation coefficient (R-2 =.74) with the average observations, and is transferable to the vast majority of metropolitan areas in the United States.