Transportation Efficiency
Level of service
(LOS) is a qualitative measure of traffic and road conditions.
LOS takes into account several factors, including: total traffic,
truck volumes, speed, travel time, traffic interruptions, freedom
to maneuver, safety and operating costs. It also looks at the
level of driving comfort and convenience experienced by motorists
and passengers.
Transportation
efficiency is measured on an “A” to “F” scale,
with “A” being the best, “C” being the acceptable
standard, and ratings below “C” indicating the need
to consider improvements. This rating is determined for roads
during their peak hours of traffic demand, which usually occurs
during the morning and afternoon commute times.
LOS in the NBTS Area
In the NBTS area,
there are more than 150 miles of roadway with nearly 80 miles
of state and federally maintained highways and numerous miles
of county, township and other roads. The majority of these roads
are two lanes wide.
Many of the roads,
or segments of roads, in the study area currently do not provide
the LOS they should. This could be due to traffic demands, high
percentages of heavy truck volume, roadway inadequacies such
as the number or location of access points, or the need for turn
lanes or signalization.
Some of the problem
areas are related to congested conditions at intersections, some
are due to narrow lane and shoulder widths, and some are related
to insufficient opportunities for passing slower moving traffic
on two-lane roads.
Transportation Safety
Each year for
the last five years, there has been an average of 1,400 accidents
on the roads in the NBTS area. Many roads in the area are experiencing
traffic accidents at a rate that exceeds the statewide rates
for similar roads.
To determine
why the rates are high and what can be done to improve safety,
the NBTS is carefully examining the road segments that exceed
the statewide accident rates with a thorough review of the accident
data and the roadway characteristics.
The Ohio Department
of Public Safety compiles traffic accident reports from local,
county and state police jurisdictions in a comprehensive statewide
database. The database includes the following information from
an accident: location; number and type of vehicles involved;
severity of accident (property damage only, personal injuries,
or fatalities); weather; lighting; road conditions; direction
of travel; type of accident (head-on, rear end, passing, turning,
etc.); contributing factors (alcohol, animal action); citation;
fault; and driver action.
Accident data
from 1995 through 1999 is being analyzed to try to identify roadway
inadequacies or problem areas. While many accidents are caused
by driver errors, these errors often are related to roadway characteristics
or problems such as traffic congestion, narrow lane or shoulder
widths, or a high frequency of roadway or driveway intersections.
To help determine if a road’s accident history reflects
roadway conditions that can be corrected, accident data is combined
with traffic data.
When is Construction
Planned?
Because there
is no designated “build” alternative yet, there is
no pending construction on the calendar. This study is an early
step in the transportation planning process. If alternatives
for new construction arise from the NBTS, the next step is preliminary
design and further environmental analysis (see NBTS Fact Sheet
2: Environmental Resources), which is followed by final design. We are in
the earliest stages of transportation planning at the local level.
What is the NBTS
Schedule?
The study was
begun in 2000 and is expected to be completed by summer 2003.
Upon the study's completion, a plan will be presented for the
review and approval of OKI, ODOT, FHWA, BCEO, BCRTA, local elected
officials and others.
For more information contact:
Robert Koehler, P.E. - Transportation
Planning Manager
Ohio•Kentucky•Indiana Regional Council of Governments
801-B West Eighth Street, Suite 400
Cincinnati, Ohio 45203-1607
(513) 621-6300 • Fax (513) 621-9325
TTY/TDD (513) 621-7063
e-mail: rkoehler@oki.org
NBTS
Fact Sheet 2: Environmental Resources
- Back to main NBTS
page
