Project Background: Aiming for Complete Streets
"Complete Streets" describes a safe street that accommodates all transportation system users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, children, older individuals, individuals with disabilities, motorists, and freight vehicles.
The Bannock Transportation Planning Organization adopted its Complete Street Policy in 2024. The Policy applies to projects seeking funding through the Transportation Improvement Program.
The Complete Street Policy aims to accommodate all users on all streets. BTPO has safety and performance measures for streets that help determine whether an existing or planned street will accommodate vehicle traffic. Performance measures provide staff, member agencies, and the public with a method for determining whether a new or existing street will accommodate the safe travel of pedestrians and bicyclists. The Performance Measures system can be used to identify projects needed to make the street a "Complete Street".
The intention of this overall project is to develop bicycle, pedestrian, and transit Level of Service performance measures. This overall project will evaluate the bicycle, pedestrian, and transit performance criteria used by BTPO to identify if a street or intersection meets complete street requirements. Streets are measured using volume-to-capacity ratio, delay, and travel time to measure street performance but best practices recommend alternative measures for bike and pedestrian infrastructure.
This survey focuses only on bicycle and pedestrian Levels of Service Measures; transit measures will be reviewed in the near future.
What is Level of Traffic Stress (LTS)?
Level of Traffic Stress was originally developed by researchers at the Mineta Transportation Institute in 2012 to evaluate bicyclist comfort and safety. It has become the standard practice for assessing street segments and intersections. Similarly, Pedestrian Level of Traffic Stress (PLTS) is becoming popular for assessing how pedestrians perceive a street segment or intersection.
The Bicycle Level of Traffic Stress (BLTS) measures how comfortable and safe bicyclists feel while navigating roads and paths. It evaluates the stress experience based on traffic speed, volume, road width, parking, and bike lane protection. By categorizing roads into stress levels—from low-stress, family-friendly routes to high-stress, car-dominated corridors—BLTS helps city planners and policymakers design infrastructure that encourages cycling as a convenient, safe, and accessible mode of transportation for everyone. Whether you're a casual rider, a commuter, or a seasoned cyclist, understanding BLTS helps identify bike-friendly routes and highlights areas that need improvement for safer cycling networks.
The Pedestrian Level of Traffic Stress (PLTS) measures how comfortable and safe pedestrians feel while navigating roads and paths. It evaluates the stress experience based on factors like traffic speed, volume, sidewalk width, and buffers between vehicles and pedestrians.
By categorizing roads into stress levels for bicycles and pedestrians, Bannock Transportation Planning Organization (BTPO) and city planners and engineers can determine where to locate infrastructure that encourages cycling or walking as convenient, safe, and accessible modes of transportation for everyone.
The survey will consider levels of traffic street by evaluating users in areas such as:
- Pedestrian Zones
- Bicycle Zones
- Traffic Zones
Select a radiating dot on the image to learn more about street areas applicable to this survey
