The BCI model and the LOS criteria have been incorporated into a workbook to simplify using the model in real-world applications. The workbook is on the enclosed diskette in a Microsoft Excel file named BCI.xls (see appendix A regarding the English units version). The definitions, equations, and assumptions described in the previous section have been incorporated where appropriate. The default values used in the workbook are shown in table 5. The workbook includes three separate worksheets that are linked together to produce the BCI and LOS results. The first worksheet is the Data Entry form and allows the user to enter location information, geometric and roadside data, traffic operations data, and parking data (see figure 6). The location data allows the user to enter a name, number, or other item of information that identifies each midblock segment.
The geometric and roadside data elements include:
· Number of through lanes in one direction.
· Curb lane width to the nearest 0.1 meters.
· Bicycle lane or paved shoulder width to the nearest 0.1 meters. Leave blank if non-existent.
· Type of roadside development; specifically whether the development type is residential or not, expressed as y for yes or n for no.
The traffic operations data elements include:
· Posted speed limit in km/h.
· 85th percentile speed in km/h. Leave blank if it is not known; the workbook will add 15 km/h to the posted speed limit to serve as an estimate of the 85th percentile speed. Note, this additive value can be modified by the user within the worksheet.
· AADT volume.
· Percentage of vehicles in the traffic stream that can be defined as large trucks, expressed as a decimal. See table 4 if this information is unknown.
· Percentage of vehicles in the traffic stream turning right into driveways or minor intersections along the midblock, expressed as a decimal.
[Click here to download the Excel Worksheets for FIGURES 6-8]
The parking data elements include:
· Presence or absence of a parking lane, expressed as y for yes or n for no.
· Percentage of spaces occupied, expressed as a decimal.
· Parking time limit, expressed in minutes. Leave blank if there is no limit (e.g., on a suburban neigborhood street).
The second worksheet contains a series of Intermediate Calculations, which converts the AADT into hourly volumes and calculates the three adjustments factors contained in the BCI model (see figure 7). The equations associated with each of the cells in this worksheet are also shown in the figure while the Excel logic is provided in appendix B. The peak-hour factor (K), directional split factor (D), and proportion of large trucks in the curb lane (T-factor) are user-defined values in this worksheet. The assumed default values of 0.10, 0.55, and 0.80 (for a multilane two-way street) for K, D, and T, respectively, are shown in the figure. The proportion of all vehicles traveling in the curb lane (curb lane %) is currently calculated using the number of lanes; this value can entered by the user if the lane distribution is known.
The final calculations are made within the BCI and LOS Computations worksheet shown in figure 8. This worksheet contains the nine variables that make up the BCI model, the calculated BCI, and the bicycle LOS and compatibility level. No user inputs are required on this worksheet. All of the data needed will have been provided in the Data Entry worksheet or determined within the Intermediate Calculations worksheet. The equations associated with each of the cells in this worksheet are also shown in the figure while the Excel logic is provided in appendix B.
