Addressing pedestrians in roadway level of service analysis: a San Jose, California case study

As city staff plan for long-term growth, they often use roadway Level-of-Service (LOS) analysis to determine transportation impacts from development. But by focusing on the movement of motor vehicles, traditional LOS analysis fails to address pedestrian facility needs. While a few cities have proposed completely eliminating LOS analysis in favor of a different model, San Jose has instead modified its LOS analysis to better address pedestrian, bicycle, and transit modes. This paper summarizes how San Jose's Transportation Impact Policy incentives walkable, transit friendly communities by exempting certain geographic areas from LOS requirements in exchange for improvements to pedestrian, transit, and bicycling infrastructure.