LEVEL OF

SERVICE
LOS
 lEVEL OF SERVICE
The level of service represents a qualitative ranking of the traffic
operational conditions experienced by users of a facility under
specified roadway, traffic, and traffic control (if present) conditions
➔ Speed
➔ Flow can be measured or calculated for any transportation facility.

➔ Density
Motorists tend to evaluate their received quality of service in terms of factors such as
speed and travel time, freedom to maneuver, traffic interruptions, and comfort and
convenience. Thus, it is important to select a measure that encompasses some or all of
these factors. The performance measure that is selected for level-of-service (LOS) analysis
for a particular transportation facility is referred to as the service measure
 Six Levels Of Service
Level of service A.- LOS A represents free-flow conditions
Level of service B. LOS B - also allows speeds at or near free-flow
speeds, but the presence of other users in the traffic stream begins to be noticeable.
Level of service C. LOS C- has speeds at or near free-flow speeds,
but the freedom to maneuver is noticeably restricted (lane changes require careful
attention on the part of drivers).
Level of service D. LOS D-represents the conditions where speeds
begin to decline slightly with increasing flow
Level of service E. LOS E -Represents operating conditions at or near
the roadway’s capacity.
Level of service F. LOS F-
describes a breakdown in vehicular flow. Queues
form quickly behind points in the roadway where
the arrival flow rate temporarily exceeds the
departure rate,
 LEVEL-OF-SERVICE DETERMINATION
(Uninterupted flow)
➔ Base Conditions and Capacity -
For example, studies have identified a base lane width of 12 ft. That is, lane widths in
excess of 12 ft will not result in increased capacity; however, lane widths less than 12 ft will
result in a reduction in capacity

➔ Determining Free-Flow Speed ((FFS))- as the speed of

traffic as the traffic density approaches zero.
➔ Determining Analysis Flow Rate-
One of the fundamental inputs to a traffic analysis is the actual traffic volume on the roadway, in
vehicles per hour

➔ Calculating Service Measure(s) and Determining LOS

 Basic Freeway Segment
A basic freeway segment is
defined as a section of a divided
roadway having two or more
lanes in each direction, full
access control, and traffic that is
unaffected by merging or
diverging movements near
ramps.
 Base Conditions and Capacity
The base conditions for a basic freeway segment are defined as [Transportation Research
Board 2010]
 Service Measure
➔ The service measure for basic freeway segments is density

➔ is typically measured in terms of passenger cars per mile per lane

(pc/mi/ln) and therefore provides a good measure of the relative
mobility of individual vehicles in the traffic stream.

➔ A low traffic stream density gives individual vehicles the ability to

change lanes and speeds with relative ease, while a high density makes
it very difficult for individual vehicles to maneuver within the traffic
stream. Thus, traffic density is the primary determinant of freeway
level of service.
Queuing
Analysis
Stochastic Analysis
“ Queue” - A queue is formed when arrivals wait for a service or an
opportunity such as the arrival of an accepted gap in a main traffic stream,

the collection of tolls at a tollbooth or of parking fees at a parking garage.

 Over Saturated V.S Undersaturated

Over Saturated Under Saturated

Are those which the arrival rate is Are those in which the arrival rate is
greater than the service rate. less than the service rate
Multiple Channel Queue

Single Channel Queue

Analysis of
Queue
➔ Deterministic Analysis of Queues - The deterministic
analysis assumes that all the traffic characteristics of the
queue are deterministic and demand volumes and
capacities are known.

Two common traffic conditions:

1. When an incident occurs on a highway resulting in a significant reduction on the

capacity of the highway.

2. Significant increase in demand flow exceeding the capacity of a section of highway.

★ Stochastic Analysis of Queues- to analyze queues considers the fact
that certain traffic characteristics such as arrival rates are not always
deterministic.

Stochastic- having a random probability distribution that may be

analyzed statistically but may not be predicted precisely.

★
 Under-Saturated Infinite Queues (Single Channel Queues Analysis)

★ Under-Saturated infinite queues when both arrivals and service times are
exponentially distributed and there is one channel.

★ A schematic of a single-channel queue in which the rate of arrival is q

veh/h and the service rate is Q veh/h. For an undersaturated queue, Q
> q, assuming that both the rate of arrivals and the rate of service are
random.
M/M/1-departure times in addition to exponentially distributed arrival times (an M/M/1 queue) is
applicable in some traffic applications. For example, exponentially distributed departure patterns
might be a reasonable assumption at a toll booth, where some arriving drivers have the correct
toll and can be processed quickly, and others do not have the correct toll, producing a distribution
of departures about some mean departure rate.
Example Problems
Example 1

An off-ramp traffic must stop at a single

toll booth at the entrance of highway 78.
The arrival rate at the tollbooth is 80
vehicles per hour. If the service rate is 86
vehicles per hr. Determine the number of
vehicles waiting to be served.
Example 2:

Vehicles arrive at the entrance booth of

MGM Hotel in Las Vegas to see the boxing
match of Manny Pacquiao at the rate of 4
vehicles per min. It took the attendant 30
seconds to process the parking tickets.
Determine the rate in which the vehicles
move after getting their tickets in
vehicle/min.
 Example 3:

Vehicles arrived at the entrance of San

Juanico Bridge in Tacloban at a rate of 180
vehicles per hour. Vehicles will have to pay a
toll fee upon entering the bridge. It would
take 15 sec. Per vehicle for the attendant to
issue a trip ticket. Compute the traffic
intensity at the bridge.
 Example 4

Vehicles arrive at a stop sign at the corner of P.

Del Rosario St. and Osmena Blvd. at an average
rate of 250 vehicles per hour. Average waiting
time at the stop sign is 12 sec., per vehicle. If
both arrivals and departures are exponentially
distributed, what is the average length of
queues?.
Example 5:

On a given day, 425 vehicles per hour

arrive at a toll booth located at the end
pf an off-ramp of the South Super
Highway. If the vehicles can be services
by only a single channel at the service
rate of 625 vehicles per hour, determine
the average number of vehicles in the
system.
Example 6:

Passenger cars arrive at the stop sign at an

average rate of 280 per hour. Average waiting
time at the stop sign is 12 sec. If the
exponentially distributed, what would be the
average delay per vehicle in minutes. Assume
both arrival and departure rates are
exponentially distributed.
★ When rate of arrivals follows a Poisson
Distribution and the rate of service can be
assumed to be exponentially distributed.
M/D/1 Queuing -The assumption of exponentially distributed
times between the arrivals of successive vehicles (Poisson
arrivals) will, in some cases, give a more realistic
representation of traffic flow than the assumption of uniformly
distributed arrival times
★ When both arrival and service rates are
assumed to be exponentially
distributed.
Example 1

A stop sign is installed in one of the road

intersections. Rate of arrival at a stop sign
is 300 veh/hr. and the average waiting time
at the stop sign is 10 sec. per vehicle. If
both arrivals are exponentially distributed,
determine the average queue length.
Example 2:

Vehicles arrive at a stop sign at the corner

of D. Jakosalem and P. Del Rosario Streets
at the rate of 200 vehicles per hour. The
waiting time for each vehicle at the stop
sign is 12 sec. If both arrivals and
departures are exponentially distributed,
what is the average delay per vehicle in
seconds.
Example 3

Consider the entrance to the Ocean Park

where there is a single gate which all vehicles
must stop. If the arrival rate of the vehicle is
3 veh. per minute and the average departure
rate is 4 vehicles per minute, determine the
average waiting time in the queue in minutes
per vehicle.
Thank You!