Assessing the relationship between perceived waiting time and level of service at signalized intersection under heterogeneous traffic conditions

This study focused on establishing Level of Service (LOS) thresholds based on users’ perceived waiting time at signalized intersections under heterogeneous traffic conditions. An extensive user-perception questionnaire survey and videographic survey carried out at 15 signalized intersections form the database for this study. The analysis shows that the perceived waiting time at signalized intersection is 1.8 times the actual waiting time. Based on the developed relation, LOS thresholds are proposed. It is worth noting that the LOS thresholds obtained are almost twice that of the Highway Capacity Manual 2010 (HCM, 2010). From this, it can be concluded that Indian road users have a higher tolerance to waiting time than those mentioned in HCM 2010, which may be due to the prevailing operating conditions at intersections. The LOS thresholds obtained through this study have been recommended for the Indian Highway Capacity Manual (Indo-HCM).