md`# Level of Traffic Stress Calculator Level of Traffic Stress (LTS)¹ measures how comfortable a bicycle facility is. Since many bicycling facilities are located alongside roadways or on shared roads, the stress a bicycle rider is highly dependent of vehicle volumes, speeds, and the size of the roadway. Retrofitting existing roadways with bicycling facilities is often the fastest and cheapest way to increase bicycling use, but certain facilities may only attract a small number of bicycle riders due to how safe the facility feels to vulnerable riders. LTS Scores is inspired by the Geller "Four Types of Cyclists" categorization²: * ${score_span(1, 'LTS Score {}')} - Bicyclists of All Ages and Abilities * ${score_span(2, 'LTS Score {}')} - Most Adult Bicyclists * ${score_span(3, 'LTS Score {}')} - Experienced Bicyclists * ${score_span(4, 'LTS Score {}')} - Strong and Fearless Bicyclists LTS is often used to identify where the network of low-stress bicycle "islands" exist within a bicycling network. For instance, Alta Planning performed an LTS analysis of Gresham, OR and found pockets of low-stress bike facilities (${score_span( 1, 'LTS Score {}' )}), but wider, faster roads (${score_span( 4, 'LTS Score {}' )}) cut off the low-stress network ³:

The calculator below follows the 2017 classification scheme⁴, which considers five major factors: * Number of driving lanes in each direction * Bicycle facility type (e.g. shared, adjacent, segregated) * Bicycle lane width (including buffer) * Parking lane width * Effective Average Daily Traffic (ADT) Volumes* **Effective ADT = ADT for two‐way roads; Effective ADT = 1.5 ADT for one‐way roads* ### Citations: 1. Mekuria, Maaza C.; Furth, Peter G.; & Nixon, Hillary. "Low-stress bicycling and network connectivity." (2012). https://transweb.sjsu.edu/research/low-stress-bicycling-and-network-connectivity. 2. Geller, R. Four Types of Cyclists. Portland Bureau of Transportation, Portland, Ore., 2006. http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/264746. 3. Alta Planning. https://blog.altaplanning.com/level-of-traffic-stress-what-it-means-for-building-better-bike-networks-c4af9800b4ee 4. Furth, Peter. "Level of Traffic Stress Table." (2017). http://www.northeastern.edu/peter.furth/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/LTS-Tables-v2-June-1.pdf `