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Lessons From LOS Reform: Defining and Measuring Success

This document discusses lessons learned from reforms to traditional measures of transportation system performance, specifically level of service (LOS). It presents case studies of different cities that have shifted away from LOS and instead focus on outcomes that better reflect community values like economic development, quality of life, social equity, and sustainability. The key lessons are that performance measures should align with broader goals, use available data, consider impacts citywide rather than just for individual projects, and prioritize quality over crowding for different modes. Congestion is better measured by vehicle miles traveled per capita rather than LOS. Parking requirements and impact fees also need reform to incentivize alternative transportation.

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Lessons From LOS Reform: Defining and Measuring Success

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Photo: SFMTA

Defining and Measuring Success:

Lessons from LOS Reform

Jeffrey Tumlin

@jeffreytumlin

Got Congestion?
Dallas Morning News http://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/20121125-plan-ahead-then-navigate-lbj-freeway-construction.ece

Want Growth?

Acknowledge your current

approach is failing

Old Speed Paradigm Roadway LOS

Source: Reid Ewing

Traffic Economics
LOS F!
Capacity

Traffic Volume

Waste

Use
2:00 AM

8:00 AM

Noon

5:00 PM

Midnight

Level of Service A

Level of Service F

Source: Neighborhoods.org

Whats important depends upon

perspective

Traffic engineer:

Economist:

F
10

Problem 1: Last One In

A D
D E

Problem 2: Analysis Scale too small

Not Moving

Problem 3: Vehicle Delay, Not Person Delay

150-400 sq ft

Moving

5,000 sq ft

1,500 sq ft

75 sq ft

20
Walk at 3
mph

Bike at
10 mph

Bus at 30 mph
with 40-60 pax

Single Occupant
Car at 30 mph

Single Occupant
Car at 60 mph

Adapted from infographic by Matthew Blackett/Spacing.ca with data from Victoria Transport Policy Institute

Problem 4: Other Modes are the Problem

Problem 5: Mitigations Shrink the Project?

Problem 6: Mitigations Move the Project?

Problem 7: Mitigations Widen the Road

Induced and Latent Demand

Congestion

More People
Drive

Widen
Roadway

Faster Driving

Overreliance on LOS is

Creating the Problems

It was intended to solve

How do we use Performance Measures?

Improving efficiency of system operations
Managing a given road or corridor
Prioritizing funding
Measuring impact of new development
Imposing development fees
Reporting to Congestion Management Agency
Reporting on achievement of various goals

What is transportation for?

Transportation is not an
end in itself
It is merely a means by
which we support
individual and collective
goals and objectives

Measure what matters

Why not Consider
Economic Development
Job creation
Real estate value increase
Retail sales

Quality of Life
Access to jobs
Access to shopping
Residential property value impact

Social Justice
Do benefits accrue equitably?
Are investments spread
equitably?

Ecological Sustainability
VMT per capita (=CO2, NOx,
runoff, etc.)
Land use/transportation
connection

Case Study: Mountain View CA

Case Study: North Bayshore

Mountain
View

1. Parking is your primary traffic

management tool
2. Stop using FAR and density control as
traffic management proxy.
3. Use parking to create business case for
TDM.
4. Share.
5. Future-proof.

Mode Share Targets

Goal:Achievethemodesharetargetsestablished
intheShorelineTransportationStudy

Createacomprehensivebicyclenetwork
Makewalkingpleasantandconvenient
Providearangeoftransportationoptions
EstablishastrongTMAandimplementTDMprograms

TDM Approach
1) Require all employers or property owners seeking
development entitlements to:

Implement a TDM program designed to achieve a 45% SOV mode

share
Join the TMA
Establish a property/employer specific vehicle trip cap based on a
45% SOV mode share
Monitor and report annually vehicle trips generated to ensure they
are below their trip cap

2) Institute a district wide vehicle trip cap:

Based on the vehicle capacity of the 3 entry points to North

Bayshore during the peak period
Monitor vehicle trips at entry points biannually to determine when
vehicle trips may be nearing the cap

3) Implement congestion pricing if goal not met

Complete Street Network

Case Study: North Bayshore

Regulate building character:
Height, setback, stepback
Materials and design
Form Based Code

Manage traffic directly:

Cap vehicle trips
Require TDM
Limit parking

Monetize Trip Reduction

Design for pedestrians and transit first
Change performance metrics and analysis guidelines

Parking Approach
No minimums
2.7 spaces per 1,000 maximum for office/R&D
No reserved parking
Specific requirements for carshare, carpool,
and clean vehicles
Parking supply must match trip reduction
commitment

Current Update
No minimums for residential
Required unbundling
Debate about maximums
Future Proofing:
Retrofitable: Floor-to-ceiling, level floors,
removable ramps
No requirement for parking areas to
accommodate humans

Google Dome

Case Study: Santa Monica

Process
Identify local values
Identify long list of performance measures
Refine into short list:
Assess todays conditions
Predict future conditions
Evaluate projects
Conduct EIRs
Create tools and gather data
Establish targets and thresholds
Report back to public and Council
Adopt impact fee
36

Start with Transportation Principles

Measure Success

Health

Management

Affordability

Streets

Economy

Quality

Equity

Public Space

Safety

Environment

Public Benefits

Creating a Shortlist
For each principle, a long list of potential measures and
tools for measuring
Next step: Short list:
Shortest list of measures that captures Santa Monica values
Minimize data collection costs
Maximize clarity

Some measures, like per capita Vehicle Miles Traveled,

capture many values: Greenhouse gases, congestion, air
quality, etc.

The Long List

Measure

Cost/Time
Consumption

Implementation

EIR

Project
Review

Corrid
or
Review

Repo
rt
Card

Travel
Model

Relative travel times by

mode

Medium

Can be modeled; see WeHo traffic model. Can also be collected

through data collection. Transit travel times can be automated in
GPS.

Person capacity walking,

bike, transit, auto, parking,
bike parking

Medium Heavy

This is a GIS/Excel type function that can be included if there is

survey data available. Can be modeled. This needs to be further
defined.

Transit LOS: productivity,

farebox return, delay,
reliability

Medium Heavy

This will take extensive model development if we want to get to this

level in the demand model. Direct ridership modeling would be
another option and would require less data/development time.
Transit LOS could also be developed and monitored separate from
the model in an Excel spreadsheet. BBB already does a basic
collection of this info, and full transit LOS data may be available in
upcoming GPS reporting from BBB. Seattle uses transit LOS in an
annual GIS report card map, focusing on transit speed and
frequency. SF uses transit LOS in their EIRs

MANAGEMENT

Neighborhood spill-over

Medium

Either traffic volumes or driver behavior (speed, etc)

Congestion

Light

The sustainability report card currently measures intersection LOS.

Congestion is also indirectly measured in the relative travel times by
mode and the person capacity analysis above. (There is community
resistance to using intersection LOS.) Adjust significance thresholds
if used for EIRs.

Vary targets by Context

Santa Monica: Application

Main Street
FUNCTION
Transit
Secondary

CONTEXT ZONE

Minimum

Desirable

Preferred

Measured

Nhood Commercial

-1

-0.5

-0.8

Auto
Secondary

Nhood Commercial

<1.2

<0.8

>0.6

0.75

Pedestrian
Primary

Nhood Commercial

Result: OK to slightly degrade auto QOS to improve transit and

pedestrian QOS. Signal prioritization OK, but not dedicated transit lane.
Goal: Bring all measures into balance

Tools and Data

GIS mapping
Transportation Demand
Management reporting
data
Big Blue Bus GPS data
Public perception surveys
Traffic counts

Case Study: San Francisco

Best practice
Focus on outcomes.
Ensure your local values are reflected and quantified. Include the
triple bottom line.
Use available or easily collectable data.
Focus on citywide or regional impacts: dont make things a lot worse
for everyone in order to make things a little better for a few.
MMLOS can be bad for transit, biking and walking if misapplied.
Focus on quality, not crowding.
For congestion, focus on per capita Vehicle Miles Traveled.

What about Montgomery County?

49
Photo: Montgomery Co Economic Dvpt

Ensure alignment with goals

Direct development to
established communities
and town centers

Image: Urbanmidatlantic

Preserve parkland and

agriculture
Provide better
transportation choices

Focus on Transportation Demand Management

Allow additional entitlement in exchange for trip reduction
Require:
Reduced parking
Paid parking or parking cashout with $5/day floor
Unbundled parking from commercial and residential leases

Create TDM menu, with points assigned based upon

program effectiveness. Require minimum point achievement.
Consider:
Eliminate density controls in infill areas
Establish motor vehicle trip or VMT cap
Create traffic cap-and-trade program

Focus on Parking
42% of all public parking spaces in Silver Spring and 28%
in Bethesda are empty at any given time.
Eliminate all minimum parking requirements in mixed use
and transit accessible areas. Replace with parking
maximums.
Require sharing and unbundling.
Require pricing or cashout on a daily basis, with $5/day
floor.
Consider a per parking space impact fee, one-time and
annual.

Adjust Impact Fees

Focus on marginal cost of new
development
Adjust based upon actual Vehicle
Miles Traveled, including
Transportation Demand
Management
Reward parking reduction
Use resulting fee revenue
wherever it creates greatest
benefit, not adjacent to project.

Rethink Congestion
Drop LOS. Replace with:
Per capita Vehicle Miles Traveled
Person hours of travel
Corridor person travel time
Corridor person delay

Decide where to put your

congestion

For More Information

Jeffrey Tumlin

Mobility Accessibility Sustainability

116 New Montgomery St, Ste 500

San Francisco, CA 94103
USA
Tel: +1 415-284-1544
[email protected]
www.nelsonnygaard.com

Case Study: Portland

Evaluating
Opportunities

Possibilities

Round I Screening
Current and future ridership potential
Connectivity & system benefit
Cost & corridor availability
Environment constraints
Equity
Congestion
Alignment with 2040 Growth Concept
Transit origins and destinations

Planning for a sustainable region

Corridor map

Multiple Account Evaluation (MAE)

Adopted from United Kingdom
New Approach To Transport Appraisal (NATA)
Multiple benefit accounts considered
Criteria selected based on local conditions/values

Applying the MAE

Organized into three accounts that correspond to the
outcomes-based RTP evaluation approach:

25 Evaluation Criteria
Community
C1: Supportiveness of Existing Land Uses

Environment

Economy

Deliverability

EC1: Transportation D1: Total Project

Efficiency (Operator Capital Cost
C2: Local Aspirations
(Exclusive & Noncost per rider)
C3: Placemaking and Urban Form
Exclusive ROW
EC2: Transportation Options)
EN2: Risk of Natural
C4: Ridership Generators
Resource Disturbance Efficiency (System
C5: Support of regional 2040 Growth
annualized capital & D2: Capital Cost Per
Concept
EN3: Risk of 4(f)
Mile (Exclusive &
operating cost per
C6: Integration with Regional Transit System Resource Disturbance rider)
Non-Exclusive ROW
(Addressed in White
(Addressed in White Paper)
Options)
EC3:
Economic
Paper)
C7: Integration with Other Road Uses
D3: Operating &
Competitiveness
C8: Congestion Avoidance Benefit
Maintenance Cost
(Change in
employment served)
C9: Equity Benefit
D4: Total Corridor
C10: Health (Promotion of Physical Activity)
Ridership
EC4: Rebuilding/
Redevelopment
C11: Safety and Security (Addressed in
Opportunity (vacant D5: Funding Potential
White Paper)
and redevelopable
C12: Housing + Transportation Affordability
land)
Benefit
C13: Transportation Efficiency (User Travel
Time Savings)

EN1: Reduction in
Emissions and
Disturbance

MAE Matrix