A summary of Urban SDK's Level of Traffic Stress Data specification.
1.0 Introduction
Level of Traffic Stress metrics are based on a mixture of Urban SDK's Traffic Speed, Traffic Volume, and Road Characteristics Data and quantifies the comfort level and safety of each road segment for pedestrians and cyclists.
The metrics that are calculated by Urban SDK include:
- Pedestrian Level of Traffic Stress (PLTS)
- Bike Level of Traffic Stress (BLTS)
2.0 Methodology
Pedestrian Level of Traffic Stress (PLTS)
Pedestrian Level of Traffic Stress (PLTS) Classifies the road segments according to the level of strain experienced by pedestrians and other sidewalk users.
- How it's Calculated: A decision flow chart that based on the Florida Department of Transportation's Level of Traffic Stress methodology is used to automate Pedestrian Level of Traffic Stress (PLTS) classifications for each segment of road. This is based on the Road Characteristics, the Posted Speed Limit, and the Traffic Volume (as shown in the figure below).
Bike Level of Traffic Stress (BLTS)
Bike Level of Traffic Stress (BLTS) measures the suitability of bicycling on a segment of roadway, recognizing that people have differing levels of tolerance for riding a bicycle next to automobile traffic. It is a rating given to a road segment indicating the traffic stress is imposes on bicyclists.
- How it's Calculated: A decision flow chart that based on the Florida Department of Transportation's Level of Traffic Stress methodology is used to automate Bike Level of Traffic Stress (BLTS) classifications for each segment of road. This is based on the Road Characteristics, the Posted Speed Limit, and the Traffic Volume. Two different decision flow charts are used for bike facilities depending on if there is a dedicated cycling facility present or not (as shown in the figure below).
3.0 Data Specification
Metadata Fields
Metadata fields that are provided for all data are detailed in Urban SDK's Linear Referencing System (LRS) specification.
Data Fields
The following table is the format in which downloaded Level of Traffic Stress data will be provided:
⚠️NOTE: Road segments that are represented as bi-directional roads (i.e. a single link representing both directions) the values provided are inclusive of both directions. For roads that are separated by direction, and which have a separate road segment for each direction, values are provided for each direction.
| Field | Type | Description |
year |
integer | The year associated with the provided data. |
month |
integer | The month associated with the provided data as an integer between 1 and 12. |
plts |
integer |
Pedestrian Level of Traffic Stress:
|
blts |
integer |
Bike Level of Traffic Stress:
|
speed_limit |
integer | The posted speed limit in mph. |
num_veh_lanes |
integer | The total number of vehicle lanes. |
street_parking_type |
string |
The predominant type of parking along the road segment:
|
street_parking_side |
integer |
How many sides street parking is present:
|
street_parking_stalls |
integer |
Estimated number of parking stalls based on dividing the length of the road link by the following typical parking stall widths, and multiplied by the number of sides parking is present:
|
avg_sidewalk_width |
numeric | Average width of sidewalks along the road segment. |
sidewalk_type |
string |
The predominant type of sidewalk facility along the road segment:
|
sidewalk_side |
integer |
How many sides sidewalks are present:
|
avg_sidewalk_separation |
numeric | Average separation of sidewalk facilities along the road segment. |
avg_bike_width |
numeric | Average bike facility width along the road segment. |
bike_type |
string |
The predominant type of bike facility along the road segment:
|
bike_side |
integer |
How many sides bike facilities are present:
|
avg_bike_separation |
numeric | Average separation of bike facilities along the road segment. |
num_crosswalks |
integer | The total number of crosswalks present along the road segment |