Economic Relationship Of The Determination Of The Equivalent Light Vehicle Factor For The Urban Road System Of Tungurahua- Ecuador

Abstract

This study was conducted with the purpose of establishing the economic relationship of identifying the Equivalent Light Vehicle Factor (ELV) in the urban road system in a canton of the Tungurahua province, Ecuador. The research design was quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional according to its temporal period. Data collection was carried out using observation forms, vehicle count records, and direct observation. Information triangulation was employed to determine the economic relationship with the ELV factor. It was identified that the average headway times per vehicle type ranged from 1.79 to 14.41 seconds for bicycles and buses, respectively. Additionally, the equivalent vehicle factor, categorized by vehicle type, recorded values ranging from 0.24 to 1.91. Considering the light vehicle as the reference with a value of 1, the bus demonstrated twice the impact on road capacity compared to the light vehicle. The economic relationship with the determination of the ELV factor is based on the operating costs borne by the driver, as well as the public investment required for road and street construction and maintenance.