7.3 Quality of Service Evaluation

Quality of Service is measured by considering five criteria:

• Pavement Condition Index (PCI) is a measure of the physical integrity of the cycling surface. It is determined by comprehensive visual inspection as set down by the Department of Transport. In the absence of a formal PCI score, use a locally derived marking system out of 100.
• Number of adjacent cyclists describes the capacity for cycling two abreast and/or overtaking. “2+1″ accommodates two abreast plus one overtaking.
• Number of conflicts is a measure of the potential interruptions to a cyclist per 100m and may include bus stops, side-roads, driveways, entrances, junctions, pedestrian crossings, parking and loading etc.
• Junction time delay is a measure of the actual time delay at junctions as a percentage of the overall journey time, assuming an average journey speed of 15km/h.
• HGV influence is a measure of the number of HGVs and buses adjacent to cyclist as a percentage of the total traffic during peak hours.

Quality of Service (QOS) is ranked from Level A+ (highest) to Level D (lowest). To achieve any particular QOS, at least 4 of the 5 criteria must be achieved. The fifth may be no more than one level lower, e.g., a route meeting four criteria at Level B and one at Level C has an overall QOS Level B.