Subjective evaluation of a traffic stream quality by drivers

Smart City phenomenon tends to be very strongly focused on citizens and their quality of life rather than measurable parameters of traffic, information and economics. In regard to traffic, very important parameter is Level of Service (LoS), quantification of which can be a troublesome task due to the number of observed parameters and qualitative nature of the phenomenon. Moreover, the subjective interpretation of LoS may differ for such user groups like police officers, traffic dispatchers and drivers which makes experts opinion less applicable. In the following study authors created an experiment aiming on the evaluation of recorded traffic situations by drivers (from drivers' perspective). The subjective qualitative assessment of respondents was compared to the quantitative data collected by traffic detectors installed in the places where recording took place. The results provide an innovative view on accepted and commonly used Level of Service evaluation methods and scales.