“Level of service” concepts for equitable access and mobility

What follows are “level of service” (LOS) metrics for access and mobility that shift performance management from vehicle delay to people-centered, equity-first outcomes. They quantify how safely, affordably, and reliably residents—especially in equity-priority areas, and including youth, seniors, and people with disabilities—can walk, roll, bike, and ride transit to reach daily needs. The metrics emphasize outcomes people experience (KSI rates, access within 15 minutes, crowding, exposure to pollution and noise) and are designed to be disaggregated by geography and demographic groups to reveal and close equity gaps.

Together, they advance core goal such as vision zero (zero deaths or serious injuries) by targeting speed management, protected facilities, safer intersections, and fixes on the high‑injury network; modeshift by expanding all-ages-and-abilities bikeways, frequent and accessible transit, and secure end‑of‑trip amenities; vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction through 15‑minute access, person‑throughput over vehicle throughput, and reliable non‑auto travel; and broader transportation equity by lowering household cost burden, improving ADA compliance and step‑free journeys, increasing access to jobs, schools, parks, and healthcare, reducing exposure to PM2.5/NO2, traffic noise, and heat via greener, more comfortable streets; and eliminating greenhouse gas emissions.

Agencies can use metrics like these to set baselines, adopt equity‑weighted targets, and link planning, project selection, design, operations, and maintenance to measurable outcomes. Public dashboards and routine reporting make tradeoffs transparent, reward investments that move more people safely and sustainably, and ensure ongoing accountability for safety, climate, health, and opportunity gains.

Overall

  1. Safety risk exposure: Killed or seriously injured (KSI) per 100,000 residents—especially for people walking and biking—in equity areas; share of high-injury network covered and fixes delivered.
  2. Access to opportunities: Share of residents who can reach X jobs/clinics/grocers/schools within 15 minutes by transit/walk/bike; break out by youth and seniors; compare equity areas to regional averages.
  3. Affordability burden: Share of household income spent on transportation; fare-to-wage ratio for typical trips; enrollment and coverage of reduced-fare programs.
  4. Environmental burden and co-benefits: Population-weighted exposure to PM2.5/NO2/traffic noise and proximity to high-volume roadways; per-capita GHG and changes attributable to service improvements.

Walking and using a wheelchair

  1. Safe and convenient crossings: Marked crossing density/spacing; average wait to cross at signals and unsignalized locations; percent of crossings with high-visibility markings, refuge islands, and LPIs. Targets: average pedestrian signal delay ≤30 s at arterials; crossing spacing ≤120 m in centers.
  2. ADA accessibility at corners: Percent of corners with compliant curb ramps and detectable warnings.
  3. Exposure and conflicts along the path: Percent of sidewalk length adjacent to traffic ≥30 mph without a buffer; driveway conflicts per km on pedestrian-priority corridors.
  4. Safety outcomes: Pedestrian KSI per million walk-miles; near-miss reports per 1,000 trips.
  5. Comfort, amenities, and lighting: Percent of walk-km with shade/trees; benches per km; drinking water availability; percent of corridors meeting pedestrian-scale illumination standards.
  6. Access and directness: Cumulative opportunities within a 15-minute walk (jobs/schools/parks); average circuity ratio vs straight-line for typical walk trips.

Bicycle travel

  1. Low-stress access, connectivity, and wayfinding: Percent of residents/jobs within 1,000 ft of all-ages-and-abilities (AAA) bikeways; percent of key origin–destination pairs connected via LTS 1–2 network; percent of network with continuous signage and destination/time information.
  2. Bikeway protection and intersection design: Percent of bikeway-km that are physically protected vs painted; percent of bikeway junctions with protection (setbacks, signals, refuge/islands).
  3. Stress, conflicts, and terrain exposure: Share of typical bike trips requiring LTS 3–4 segments; driveway and bus stop conflicts per bikeway-km; percent of network-km with grades >5% (or elevation gain per typical trip).
  4. Surface condition and maintenance: Percent of bikeway-km with PCI ≥ good; sweeping frequency and debris clearance; snow/ice clearance compliance time.
  5. Travel time reliability: 80th/50th percentile bike travel time ratio on key corridors.
  6. Safety outcomes: Bike KSI per million bike-miles; crash rate at protected vs unprotected segments.

Bicycle parking

  1. Short-term supply and proximity: Percent of storefronts and key destinations with properly placed inverted-U racks; racks within 50 ft (≈30 m) of main entrances. Suggested targets: ≥2 rack spaces per storefront; racks within 30 m at ≥90% of destinations.
  2. Short-term utilization and turnover: Peak-hour utilization (%) and average daily turnover per rack; maintain peak utilization in a 50–85% range.
  3. Long-term supply and equity coverage: Secure spaces per 10 employees and per 10 multifamily units; percent of buildings meeting code/targets; coverage in priority/equity areas vs citywide. Suggested targets: ≥1 secure space per 10 employees; ≥1 per dwelling unit in new multifamily.
  4. Long-term security and theft: Percent of spaces in access-controlled rooms/cages/lockers with CCTV; thefts per 100 spaces/year. Suggested target: 100% access-controlled.
  5. End-of-trip amenities: Percent of major employment sites providing showers, lockers, repair stands, and e-bike charging.
  6. Micromobility parking management: Designated corral density (per km²) and compliance (share of devices parked in corrals).

Transit service

  1. Service availability and proximity: Percent of households within a 10–15 minute walk (≤0.25 mi) of frequent transit (≤10–15 minute headways); average walk time to a stop with ≥4 buses/hour.
  2. Frequency and span of service: Headways and hours of operation by time of day/day of week to equity communities, airports, job centers, schools, neighboring towns, regional recreation/trailheads, and regional/statewide transit; percent of the day with ≤10–15 minute headways.
  3. Person-throughput: People moved per hour by corridor and mode (peak/off-peak), emphasizing people-moving capacity over vehicle throughput.
  4. Universal/ADA accessibility: Percent of stops/stations with compliant boarding, curb ramps, tactile surfaces; shelters with benches; elevator/escalator uptime; percent of trips that are step-free.
  5. Crowding and comfort: Peak load factor; percent of trips exceeding agency crowding standards on routes serving equity areas; seat availability by time of day.
  6. Travel time and reliability: Median and 80th/95th percentile travel times (or buffer time index) for representative trips; on-time performance by route in equity areas.

References

NACTO (2019). Don’t Give Up at the Intersection: Designing All Ages & Abilities Intersections. National Association of City Transportation Officials. https://nacto.org/publication/dont-give-up-at-the-intersection/

FHWA (2019). Bikeway Selection Guide. Federal Highway Administration. https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/tools_solve/docs/fhwasa18077.pdf

Mekuria, M. C., Furth, P. G., & Nixon, H. (2012). Low-Stress Bicycling and Network Connectivity. Mineta Transportation Institute. https://transweb.sjsu.edu/research/low-stress-bicycling-and-network-connectivity

NACTO (2016). Transit Street Design Guide. National Association of City Transportation Officials. https://nacto.org/publication/transit-street-design-guide/

TRB (2013). Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual, Third Edition. Transportation Research Board. https://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/169437.aspx

U.S. EPA (2023). EJSCREEN Technical Documentation. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen/technical-documentation-ejscreen

U.S. DOJ (2010). 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.ada.gov/2010ADAstandards_index.htm

USDOT (2022). National Roadway Safety Strategy. U.S. Department of Transportation. https://www.transportation.gov/NRSS

Vision Zero Network (2018). Core Elements for Vision Zero Communities. Vision Zero Network. https://visionzeronetwork.org/resources/core-elements/

Litman, T. (2024). Evaluating Transportation Equity: Guidance for Incorporating Distributional Impacts in Transport Planning. Victoria Transport Policy Institute. https://www.vtpi.org/equity.pdf

Owen, A., & Levinson, D. (2015). Access Across America: Transit 2015. University of Minnesota Accessibility Observatory. https://access.umn.edu/publications/annual-reports

WHO (2021). WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines: Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240034228

NACTO (2017). Designing for All Ages & Abilities: Contextual Guidance for High-Comfort Bicycle Facilities. National Association of City Transportation Officials. https://nacto.org/publication/urban-bikeway-design-guide/designing-ages-abilities/

FHWA (2023). Proven Safety Countermeasures. Federal Highway Administration. https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/provencountermeasures/

ITDP (2017). The TOD Standard, 3rd Edition. Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. https://www.itdp.org/publication/the-tod-standard/