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11 <br /> The stress level ratings for all three variables are average (added and divided by three) for <br /> an overall stress level rating for the particular road segment. Table 2 below provides a <br /> suggested interpretation of the overall stress level ratings based on the type of bicyclists <br /> the road segment will accommodate. In addition, it suggests the need for alterations to <br /> the road segment to increase its ability to accommodate less experienced bicyclists. In <br /> using the methodology, we followed the suggested interpretation of overall stress level. <br /> Table 2: Interpretation of Overall Bicycling Stress Levels <br /> Stress Level Interpretation <br /> 1 (Very Low) Street is reasonably safe for all types of bicyclists (except children under <br /> 10). <br /> 2 (Low) Street can accommodate experienced and casual bicyclists, and/or may <br /> need altering* or have compensating conditions** to accommodate youth <br /> bicyclists. <br /> 3 (Moderate) Street can accommodate experienced bicyclists, and/or contains <br /> compensating conditions** to accommodate casual bicyclists. Not <br /> recommended for youth bicyclists. <br /> 4 (High) Street may need altering* and/or have compensating conditions** to <br /> accommodate experienced bicyclists. Not recommended for casual or <br /> youth bicyclists. <br /> 5 (YM Hi Street may not be suitable for bic cle use. <br /> *"Altering"means that street may be widened to include wide curb lane,paved shoulder addition,etc. <br /> **"Compensating condition"can include street with wide curb lanes,paved shoulders,bike lanes,low volume,etc. <br /> D. Analysis- A LOTUS 1-2-3 spreadsheet was developed for the analysis. After entering the <br /> data, it is possible to calculate stress levels for each variable, calculate the overall stress <br /> level, and assign the appropriate stress level to each segment based on the result. In order <br /> to facilitate automatic categorization by the spreadsheet software -the traffic volumes <br /> ascribed by Sorton were converted into the ranges listed below in Table 3. The other <br /> variables in the analysis are discrete values and do not need to be represented by ranges. <br /> Appendix C contains the results of this analysis. <br /> 5. <br />