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MODULE 4
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The following gives an overview of the learnings need to be achieved for this module.1. Perform calculations in determining the level of service.
The following gives an overview of the learnings need to be achieved for this module.1. Perform calculations in determining the level of service.
EVIDENCE OF LEARNING
Level of Service Analysis_Group 6_Queborac Drive.pdfHIGHWAY CAPACITY AND LEVEL OF SERVICE ANALYSIS
Determining the level of service of a certain road section is not an easy job. Two procedures must be done for data gathering such as the two-directional traffic count and the road inventory. The 41-page document above is the technical report of the level of service analysis our group conducted at the Queborac Drive Bagumbayan Sur, Naga City. Note that the analysis of highway capacity and level of service are key components of transportation planning and route design. They give a systematic method for assessing highway performance and effectiveness in terms of their capacity to handle traffic demand while maintaining acceptable levels of service. Transportation specialists may examine present and future roadway conditions, identify possible problems, and implement solutions to optimize traffic flow and improve the overall travel experience by studying highway capacity and quality of service.
On March 24, 2023, our group conducted the "Classified Traffic Volume Count Survey" at Queborac Drive near Sky City. Note that this survey counts the number of vehicles that pass by a given point on a road or a given lane or direction of a road during a specified time interval. The time interval our instructor gave us is peak hours such as 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM, 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM, 12:00NN to 1:00 PM, 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM, and 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Note that the classification of vehicles should be based on the Local Public Transport Route Plan Manual in which there are 17 vehicle types namely: 1) pedicab, 2) bicycle, 3) motorcycle, 4)tricycle, 5) filcab/multi-cab, 6) jeepney, 7) minibus, 8) standard bus, 9) taxi, 10) UV Express service, 11) passenger cars (private car, SUV, owner-type jeep, pickup, and private van/AUV), 12) school or company bus / AUV, 13) delivery van/pickup, 14) tourist bus, 15) truck (two-axles), 16) truck (three or more axles), and 17) others (emergency vehicles, fire trucks, and off-road vehicles). The purpose of this survey is to collect data on the number and types of vehicles that pass by Queborac Drive. The gathered data from this survey will be utilized to compute the traffic volume in this location. Note that the traffic volume is the rate of flow in vehicles per hour or vehicles per day. In our situation, we just surveyed for five hours, which is why we computed the traffic volume in terms of vehicles per hour. Also, we had separate surveyors for westbound and another surveyors for eastbound. The tally of the survey is presented in the appendices section of the document above.
The group conducted a Road Inventory Survey on March 30, 2023 to measure the road and both sides of the sidewalks of Queborac Drive. Note that a road inventory survey is conducted to determine infrastructure support for better public transportation services. Students used measuring tape to measure the road. The measurement of the length of the road is 5.99 meters. Meanwhile, the measurements of sidewalks are 2 meters eastbound and 1.965 meters westbound. For instance, Queborac Drive is a minor road with two lanes and two ways, a carriageway width of 5.99 meters, and still in good condition despite some minor cracks.
From the traffic volume data we collected, we computed the total volume of vehicles per hour to identify the peak hours, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. Each bound, westbound and eastbound, will have two peak hours. I captured one example shown on the left. As you can see, it is for the westbound afternoon peak hour. The vehicle types were listed in the first column such as private car, motorcycle, jeepney, bus/minibus, light truck, heavy truck, tricycle, and UV. In the second column is the peak hour volume which was obtained from the tally specifically on the peak hour, 5:00 to 6:00 in the afternoon. The PCU factors in the third column are fixed or constant. For instance, the PCU factor for a private car is 1, 0.5 for a motorcycle, 1.5 for a jeepney, 2.5 for a bus/minibus, 2 for a light truck, 3 for a heavy truck, 0.7 for a tricycle, and 1.5 for a UV. To obtain the volume in PCU per hour in the fourth column, just multiply the peak hour volume by its corresponding PCU factor and compute the total.
Ultimately, to identify the level of service, one must compute the volume capacity ratio from the volume in PCU/hr shown above. Presented on the right is a sample computation we have made for the level of service analysis in Queborac Drive. In the first part, we indicated the road width and the number of lanes of the mentioned road section. Then, we identified the unit capacity of the road section by simply observing if the road has a median or otherwise. If a road has a median, then its unit capacity must be 900 PCU per lane per hour. On the other hand, if a road has no median just like Queborac Drive, then its unit capacity must be 720 PCU per lane per hour. Further, indicate the volume in PCU per hour which was computed in each bound and peak hour. Then, to obtain the road capacity, just multiply the unit capacity by the number of lanes. For instance, the unit capacity on our road is 720 PCU per lane per hour and each direction has only one lane, thus, the road capacity is 720 per lane per hour. Finally, we can now proceed in computing the volume capacity ratio (VCR) by simply dividing the volume in PCU per hour by the road capacity. For example, the computed volume in PCU per four for the westbound (afternoon) is 715 while the road capacity is 720. 715 divided by 720 is 0.99, thus the volume capacity ratio for westbound (afternoon peak hour) is 0.99. Now, how can we identify its level of service? Of course, there is a guideline which will be discussed below. As you can see, the level of service for the Queborac Drive is D-E-E-D which showed a significant increase because as per the 2019 data presented in the technical report above, the then level of service was C-D-D-C. This only means that the volume of vehicles increased as the time passed by.
For reference, presented on the left is the guidelines for determining the level of service of a certain road section. As such, for 0.00 to 0.19 VCR, the level of service is A where the condition is free flow with high speeds and low traffic volume and the drivers can choose desired speeds without delays. For 0.20 to 0.44 VCR, the level of service is B where the condition is stable flow and the drivers have reasonable freedom to select their speed. For 0.45 to 0.69 VCR, the level of service is B where the condition is still in the zone of stable flow but the drivers are restricted in selecting their speed. For 0.70 to 0.84 VCR, the level of service is D where the road approaches unstable flow with nearly all drivers restricted and the service volume corresponds to tolerable capacity. For 0.85 to 1.00 VCR, the level of service is E where traffic volume is near or at capacity and the flow is unstable with a momentary stoppage. Lastly, for VCR greater than 1.00, the level of service is F where the road has forced or congested flow at low speeds and long queues and delays.
By determining the level of service to a certain road section, authorities will have the idea of what kind of intervention is needed to that particular roadway. For instance, if the level of service is at A, B, and C, the intervention could be maintenance along with periodic inspections and repairs of the pavement to maintain optimal conditions. For the roadway with the level of service D, the authorities may start evaluating road widening projects or maybe promoting alternative transportation modes. Further, if the level of service is at E, major roadway expansion may be necessary since the road section reached its capacity in terms of traffic volume. Lastly, for the level of service F, a comprehensive roadway expansion project is required such as widening or reconstruction. Introducing alternative transportation modes or alternative routes is also necessary to minimize the traffic volume. Incident management or emergency response systems might also be needed to anticipate unexpected events.
REFLECTION
This module was about identifying the level of service of the assigned road section to us which is the Queborac Drive. It was a bit tiring before we finally identified the level of service of the aforementioned road because we conducted two types of surveys which is the classified traffic volume count survey and the road inventory survey. The former took us almost half-day before finally collecting the required data we need to gather. Firstly, we went to the said road section as early as quarter to 7:00 AM to anticipate the volume count which started at exactly 7:00 in the morning. Though our strategy was alternate counting, like for the first 15 minutes my member will be the one to count and for the next 15 minutes, I will be the one to count, it was really tiring especially since the weather was hot during that day. We surveyed from 7:00 to 9:00 in the morning, from 12:00 noon to 1:00, and from 4:00 to 6:00 in the afternoon. By the way, we had chosen manual counting instead of recording video because it will be time-consuming and more work will be done because we need to rewatch the videos and count the number of vehicles in the videos instead. As the leader, I just printed out tally sheets that we used during the manual counting. Furthermore, the road inventory survey was easier because, in just five minutes, we were able to measure the lane width and the sidewalks of the road. The result of the level of service analysis for Queborac Drive was D-E-E-D which means that there are times that the road reaches its capacity leading to unstable flow or momentary stoppage. Henceforth, the said road section requires some modifications to accommodate the increasing number of vehicles that passes the road. This increasing number of vehicles is probably caused by the increasing population, improving economy, and the increasing businesses in the city which attracts more people to visit the city. Though it is good to hear that the city is improving in terms of infrastructure projects, the capacity of roadways must also be taken into account to resolve the traffic issues in the city, especially during peak hours. Overall, I am happy that our group finished this level of service analysis with the participation of every member. They were all responsive to my suggestions and requests.
This module was about identifying the level of service of the assigned road section to us which is the Queborac Drive. It was a bit tiring before we finally identified the level of service of the aforementioned road because we conducted two types of surveys which is the classified traffic volume count survey and the road inventory survey. The former took us almost half-day before finally collecting the required data we need to gather. Firstly, we went to the said road section as early as quarter to 7:00 AM to anticipate the volume count which started at exactly 7:00 in the morning. Though our strategy was alternate counting, like for the first 15 minutes my member will be the one to count and for the next 15 minutes, I will be the one to count, it was really tiring especially since the weather was hot during that day. We surveyed from 7:00 to 9:00 in the morning, from 12:00 noon to 1:00, and from 4:00 to 6:00 in the afternoon. By the way, we had chosen manual counting instead of recording video because it will be time-consuming and more work will be done because we need to rewatch the videos and count the number of vehicles in the videos instead. As the leader, I just printed out tally sheets that we used during the manual counting. Furthermore, the road inventory survey was easier because, in just five minutes, we were able to measure the lane width and the sidewalks of the road. The result of the level of service analysis for Queborac Drive was D-E-E-D which means that there are times that the road reaches its capacity leading to unstable flow or momentary stoppage. Henceforth, the said road section requires some modifications to accommodate the increasing number of vehicles that passes the road. This increasing number of vehicles is probably caused by the increasing population, improving economy, and the increasing businesses in the city which attracts more people to visit the city. Though it is good to hear that the city is improving in terms of infrastructure projects, the capacity of roadways must also be taken into account to resolve the traffic issues in the city, especially during peak hours. Overall, I am happy that our group finished this level of service analysis with the participation of every member. They were all responsive to my suggestions and requests.
REFERENCES:
https://live.staticflickr.com/1659/24279618514_e6d8a0e5ed_b.jpghttps://images.tandf.co.uk/common/jackets/crclarge/978020375/9780203751916.jpghttps://www.dpwh.gov.ph/dpwh/sites/default/files/Kabankalan-Bais%20Road%20Widening%20to%20Facilitate%20Better%20Mobility%20and%20Farm%20Products%20Delivery.jpg
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