Level of service: the politics of reconfiguring urban streets in San Francisco, CA

Jason Henderson

Journal of Transport Geography, 2011, vol. 19, issue 6, 1138-1144

Abstract: Intersection level of service (LOS) is a traffic engineering concept which measures how streets handle automobile traffic. It is widely used in transportation planning as an indicator of delay at intersections. The use of LOS is often criticized for its bias towards automobiles at the expense of bicycling, transit, and walking, and it complicates smart growth or compact development. In San Francisco, California, there is a political movement to eliminate the use of LOS in planning. But this movement has met significant obstacles and debate. In this paper I explore how the debate in San Francisco is unfolding and suggest implications for broader efforts to reconfigure urban streets and urban space in the United States and globally.

Keywords: LOS; Traffic engineering; Politics of mobility; Urban transportation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:19:y:2011:i:6:p:1138-1144

DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2011.05.010

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