Travel time variability analysis based on level of service: a case study of mixed traffic urban arterial corridors

Abstract

Since the Indian urban traffic is characterised by heterogeneity with the dominance of two-wheelers (2Ws), three-wheelers (3Ws) and precarious traffic impedance, travel time is often highly unstable and varies significantly which entails additional cost due to delays. Travel time variation not only leads to wasting of productive time but also increase the stress level of the commuters. In addition, variable travel time leads to the reduction in satisfaction level which influences commuters' travel decision such as route and departure choice etc. With this in the background, an attempt has been made to study the travel time variability of urban arterial corridors focusing on level of service (LoS) as the criteria for reference of travel time. The study probes into various attributes of traffic, composition, road side friction and intersection for their impact on travel time by employing multiple-linear regression (MLR) technique. The proposed travel time variability index (TTVI) based on LoS speed suggested as better reliability indicator against buffer time index (BTI) or planning time index (PTI).