Dissertation Research Log: Assessing cycling Network in the West Midlands using a LTN 1/20 adapted LTS Framework

Topic: Adapting the Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) Framework to a UK Context
Case Study: West Midlands Area
Supervisor: Prof. Duncan Smith (UCL CASA)
Started: March 2026

See also: Literature Reading

Log Entries

2026-03-05 — Supervisor Meeting #1

Meeting · Prof. Duncan Smith

• Spatial scale needs narrowing — confirm with TfWM that a scope adjustment is acceptable
• Road-level analysis cannot predict need for new infrastructure; frame limitations clearly
• Reference local council Low Traffic Neighbourhood (AKA.LTN) proposals and TfL Cycle Superhighways as context
• Quantifiable metrics for sub-criteria still unresolved
• ML methodology: role and application within the framework not yet defined

Action Items

• Follow up with TfWM on scope/scale adjustment
• Read Duncan and Philyoung’s prior co-authored papers
• Identify available datasets for the West Midlands

Open Questions

• What is the appropriate spatial scale for this study?
• Which sub-criteria can realistically be quantified?

2026-03-12 — Methodology Development

Writing · LTS Framework Adaptation

Drafted the core rationale for the UK-adapted LTS framework. Existing frameworks were developed for the North American road environment; the proposed adaptation replaces American-origin thresholds with LTN 1/20 design standards — producing a framework directly grounded in the standards against which West Midlands cycling schemes will be assessed.

Decisions Made

• LTN 1/20 thresholds replace North American equivalents as the primary source of design standards
• Framework remains road-segment based (consistent with original LTS methodology)

Still Unresolved

• Intersection stress: how to map LTN 1/20 guidance onto intersection-level indicators
• Weighted aggregation vs. parallel dimensions — aggregation logic not yet decided

Next Steps

• Build indicator crosswalk table: LTS indicators ↔ LTN 1/20 equivalents
• Review Furth & Nixon (2016) intersection stress methodology

2026-04-22 — Data Ethics & TfWM Data Receipt

Ethics · Admin

UCL ethics forms in progress: Form A (Screening), Form B (Data Protection), Website Application.

Received data from TfWM this week:

• Compass IoT Near Miss Data
• iRAP Road Safety Assessment Star Ratings Data
• TfWM Self-Serve portal

Next Steps

• Submit completed ethics forms
• Audit received datasets for completeness and coverage

2026-05-08 — Literature reading & Jeong’s LTS Reproducibility

Meeting · Coding

Reproducing Jeong’s LTS Methodology:

• Getting a initial LTS map of West Midland Area
• Finishing reading Mekuri/ Conveyal/ Jeong’s LTS (initially)

While further reading / work are needed, especially concerning the whole frame of methodology (how to frame with LTN 1/20). Figuring out what TfWM can benefit from, and making the methods easier to understand. Maybe I have to build it under a wider background, should not be limited within LTS?

Next Steps

• Making some sliders for TfWM (DDL: 20/5/2026)
• presentation and communication with Jeong, preparing some questions in advance (DDL 13/5/2026)!!
• Buffer Zone: Do i really need it? do some reading.

2026-05-20 — TfWM Meeting: Deliverables Confirmed & Next Steps

Meeting · Decision

Met with TfWM. Callum confirmed the three final deliverables for the dissertation, so the overall direction is now locked in. The ask is clearly industry-facing — a commercial report plus a presentation suggests TfWM wants something they can actually use and circulate internally, not just an academic analysis. This also means the rationale for which LTN 1/20 metrics are included vs excluded needs to be very explicit: what can be answered with data, what can’t, and why each one is in or out.

Decisions Made

• Final deliverables confirmed as three components:
  • a) A classification of LTN 1/20 metrics by operability — which can be quantified / improved through data, and which are inherently subjective and harder to fold into an automated network-scale assessment
  • b) A commercial report for TfWM
  • c) A final presentation to TfWM
• Next meeting (Fri 29/5) deliverables specified by Callum (see Next Steps)

Open Questions

• Format and depth of the commercial report — page count, structure, whether an executive summary is expected. Needs confirming with Callum.
• Criteria for including/excluding metrics — purely data availability, or also methodological rigour and TfWM’s intended use case?
• Audience for the final presentation — technical team only, or also policy / decision-makers? This shapes the framing.

Next Steps

• Prepare slides for next Friday’s meeting detailing progress so far (DDL: 29/5/2026)
• List which LTN 1/20 metrics will be answered, and which won’t
• Write justification for excluded metrics (data limitation / subjectivity / scope)
• Finalise the LTN 1/20-enhanced LTS framework and send to Duncan for review
• Draft a plan for the next few weeks of data analysis work
• Compile potential interview questions (for stakeholders)