User Perceptions of the Quality of Service on Shared Paths

Shared-use paths are becoming increasingly busy across the United States. Path designers need guidance on how wide to make new or rebuilt paths and on whether to separate the different types of users. The current guidance is not specific, has not been calibrated to conditions in the United States, and does not accommodate the range of modes found on a typical path. The purpose of this project, sponsored by FHWA, was to develop a level-of-service (LOS) estimation method for shared-use paths that overcomes these limitations. The focus of this paper is on the collection of the perceptions of path users and the development of a model relating those perceptions to operational and path variables. Companion papers describe the efforts made to develop equations explaining path operations and to develop an LOS estimation tool based on the perception model. For this effort, the project team collected the perceptions of 105 volunteers viewing 36 video clips from 10 paths. Analysis showed that variables related to path operations and the path width had the strongest relationships to the overall quality of the trail experience. The recommended model for overall rating included terms for path width, the number of meeting and passing events, and the presence of a centerline. The model was statistically sound; it should be easy to use. Analysts should be able to use the model and the procedure for determination of the LOS, which is based on the model, with confidence, knowing that it is well grounded on the perceptions of a large sample of trail users.