1. We are Traffic:
Creating Robust Bicycle and
Pedestrian Count Programs
Krista Nordback, Ph.D., P.E.
Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC)
Portland State University

2. Overview
•
•
•
•
Introduction
Traffic Monitoring Programs
Non-Motorized Count Programs
Conclusions & Recommendations

3. INTRODUCTION

4. Why measure walking & biking?

5. Why measure walking & biking?
• Funding & policy decisions

6. Why measure walking & biking?
• Funding & policy decisions
• To show change over time

7. Why measure walking & biking?
• Funding & policy decisions
• To show change over time
• Facility design

8. Why measure walking & biking?
•
•
•
•
Funding & policy decisions
To show change over time
Facility design
Planning (short-term, long-term, regional…)

9. Why measure walking & biking?
•
•
•
•
•
Funding & policy decisions
To show change over time
Facility design
Planning (short-term, long-term, regional…)
Economic impact

10. Why measure walking & biking?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Funding & policy decisions
To show change over time
Facility design
Planning (short-term, long-term, regional…)
Economic impact
Public health

11. Why measure walking & biking?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Funding & policy decisions
To show change over time
Facility design
Planning (short-term, long-term, regional…)
Economic impact
Public health
Safety

12. How many bike and walk?
• Surveys
– National
– Regional
– Local
• Counts
– Permanent
– Short duration

13. TRAFFIC
MONITORING
PROGRAMS

14. State Traffic Monitoring
Permanent Counters
Commonly inductive loops
Metro Count Accessed 6/13/13 http://mtehelp.tech-metrocount.com/article.aspx?key=mc5805
Short Duration Counters
Commonly pneumatic tubes

15. Colorado’s Permanent Counters

16. Colorado’s Short Duration Traffic
Counts
CDOT OTIS Accessed 6/18/13 http://dtdapps.coloradodot.info/Otis/HighwayData#/ui/0/1/criteria/~/184.667/210.864

17. Permanent
Counter
Data
Short
Duration
Counts
Annual
Average
Daily
Traffic
(AADT)
Vehicle
Miles
Traveled
(VMT)

18. Use AADT to Estimate VMT
COLORADO HIGHWAYS
Sum (AADT X Segment Length) over network
to compute Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)

19. Can we apply these
methods to biking and
walking?

20. Compute
Annual Average
Daily Bicyclists
(AADB)
AADT for bicyclists!

21. Traffic
Monitoring
Guide 2013:
Chapter 4 for Nonmotorized Traffic

22. NON-MOTORIZED COUNT PROGRAMS

23. The TMG 2013
Approach

24. The TMG 2013
Approach

25. National Bicycle and Pedestrian
Documentation Project
Manual Counts:
2 hours
5 to 7pm
Tues, Wed, or Thurs in
mid-September
http://bikepeddocumentation.org/

26. Passive Infrared Counters

27. Inductive loop counters in bike lanes

28. Combined Bicycle and Pedestrian
Continuous Counter

29. The TMG 2013
Approach

30. Permanent
Count
Program

31. Permanent
Count
Program

32. Geographic/Climate Zones

33. Urban vs. Rural

34. 600
Continuous Count Stations
Annual
Average
Daily
Bicyclists
(AADB)
High
Medium
200
Low
Volume
Categories
0
500
AADB
1,000

35. Traffic Monitoring Guide 2013 Update, Chapter 4.

36. Permanent
Count
Program

37. Daily Patterns
180%
160%
140%
% of AADB
120%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Colorado Example (Bikes only)

38. 12:00 AM
1:00 AM
2:00 AM
3:00 AM
4:00 AM
5:00 AM
6:00 AM
7:00 AM
8:00 AM
9:00 AM
10:00 AM
11:00 AM
12:00 PM
1:00 PM
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
4:00 PM
5:00 PM
6:00 PM
7:00 PM
8:00 PM
9:00 PM
10:00 PM
11:00 PM
% of AADB
Hourly Commute Pattern
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
City of Boulder Example (Bikes only)

39. 0:00
1:00
2:00
3:00
4:00
5:00
6:00
7:00
8:00
9:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
16:00
17:00
18:00
19:00
20:00
21:00
22:00
23:00
Average Hourly Volume
Hourly Non-commute Pattern
400
Jan
350
Feb
Mar
300
Apr
250
May
200
Jun
Jul
150
Aug
100
Sep
50
Oct
Nov
0
Source: Pam Johnson, PSU
Dec

40. Permanent
Count
Program

41. 12 Possible groups
3 Daily Patterns
Commute
In Between
Non-Commute

42. 12 Possible groups
3 Daily Patterns
2 Weekly Patterns
Commute
Commute
In Between
Non-Commute
Non-Commute

43. 12 Possible groups
3 Daily Patterns
2 Weekly Patterns
2 Annual Patterns
Commute
Commute
Commute
In Between
Non-Commute
Non-Commute
Non-Commute

44. 12 Possible groups
3 Daily Patterns
2 Weekly Patterns
2 Annual Patterns
Commute
Commute
Commute
In Between
Non-Commute
Non-Commute
Non-Commute

45. 12 Possible groups
3 Daily Patterns
2 Weekly Patterns
2 Annual Patterns
Commute
Commute
Commute
In Between
Non-Commute
Non-Commute
Non-Commute

46. 12 Possible groups
3 Daily Patterns
2 Weekly Patterns
2 Annual Patterns
Commute
Commute
Commute
In Between
Non-Commute
Non-Commute
Non-Commute

47. Weekly
Pattern
Higher
Weekends?
No
Location
Yes
Rural
Mtn
Trail?
Mountain
Non-commute
Yes
No
Urban Plains
Non-commute
Commute

48. Permanent
Count
Program

49. Factoring Method
Adapted from Traffic Monitoring Guide
AADB = Cknown* D * M
Cknown = 24-hour count
D = Daily Factor
M = Monthly Factor

50. Factoring Method
Adapted from Traffic Monitoring Guide
AADB = Cknown* D * M
Cknown = 24-hour count
D = Daily Factor
M = Monthly Factor

51. Monthly Factor
M=
AADB
MADB
where
MADB = Ave daily bike count in that month

52. Monthly Factor
June
M=
AADB
MADB
=
500
1,000
where
MADB = Ave daily bike count in that month

53. Monthly Factor
June
M=
AADB
MADB
=
500
1,000
= 0.5
where
MADB = Ave daily bike count in that month

54. Monthly Factor
June
M=
AADB
MADB
=
500
1,000
= 0.5
Daily counts in June are twice AADB.
where
MADB = Ave daily bike count in that month

55. Groups:
Colorado
Monthly
Factors
Mountain
NonCommute
Front Range
NonCommute Commute
January
3.90
1.54
February
3.15
2.00
March
1.26
1.23
April
2.16
1.07
1.05
May
1.04
0.75
0.93
June
0.52
0.76
0.71
July
0.42
0.76
0.82
August
0.51
0.74
0.67
September
0.71
0.76
0.78
October
1.73
0.99
1.04
November
1.46
1.36
December
2.52
2.28

56. Groups:
Colorado
Monthly
Factors
Mountain
NonCommute
Front Range
NonCommute Commute
January
3.90
1.54
February
3.15
2.00
March
1.26
1.23
April
2.16
1.07
1.05
May
1.04
0.75
0.93
June
0.52
0.76
0.71
July
0.42
0.76
0.82
August
0.51
0.74
0.67
September
0.71
0.76
0.78
October
1.73
0.99
1.04
November
1.46
1.36
December
2.52
2.28

57. Permanent
Count
Program

58. Precision of Monthly Factors
How many counters/group?
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Non-Commute
Factors
Commute Counters
Average
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011121314
Number of Counters

59. Permanent
Count
Program

60. The TMG 2013
Approach

61. The TMG 2013
Approach

62. The TMG 2013
Approach

63. Short
Duration
Count
Program

64. Short
Duration
Count
Program

65. Turning Movement Counts

66. Segment Count
A
B

67. Short Duration Counters
• Pedestrian
Manual
Infrared
• Bicycle
Manual
Pneumatic Tube Counters

68. Traffic Monitoring Guide 2013 Update, Chapter 4.

69. Short
Duration
Count
Program

70. Potential Selection Criteria
• Variety of facility types
– On-street
– Path
• Variety of land uses
– Central business district
– Residential
– School/University
• Technology related criteria

71. Short
Duration
Count
Program

72. Average Absolute % Difference
Count Duration
70%
60%
50%
1 week
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
0
200
400
Count Duration (hours)
600

73. Short
Duration
Count
Program

74. Absolute % Error in AADT
Estimate
Schedule Counts
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
1
2
3
4
5
6 7 8
Month
9 10 11 12
May to October best
for Colorado

75. The TMG 2013
Approach

76. Factoring Method
Adapted from Traffic Monitoring Guide
AADB = Cknown* D * M
Cknown = 24-hour count
D = Daily Factor
M = Monthly Factor

77. AADB

78. VMT
for
bicycles

79. CONCLUSIONS &
RECOMMENDATIONS

80. Summary
• Traffic Monitoring Guide
Approach:
– Permanent Count
Program
– Short Duration Count
Program
– Compute AADT for Bikes
and Pedestrians

81. On-line Guide
www.pdx.edu/ibpi/guide-to-bicycle-pedestrian-count-programs

82. Recommendations
• Both permanent and short duration count
programs are needed.
• Continuous counters are needed!
• Prefer 1 week short count
• Short duration counts in high volume months
– summer
• Integrate bike/ped counts into traffic data for
preservation and access

83. Balance Permanent and Short
Duration Programs
SHORT
PERMANENT
COUNT
PROGRAM
DURATION
COUNT
PROGRAM

84. Iterative Process

85. Iterative Process

86. Example

87. 1st Year
SHORT
PERMANENT
COUNT
PROGRAM
1 Permanent Counter
DURATION
COUNT
PROGRAM
20 Manual Counts

88. 2nd Year
SHORT
PERMANENT
COUNT
PROGRAM
1 Permanent Counter
Rotate 1 counter
all summer
DURATION
COUNT
PROGRAM
24 Automated Short Duration Sites
(one week per site)

89. 3rd Year
PERMANENT
COUNT
PROGRAM
5 Permanent Counters
SHORT DURATION
COUNT PROGRAM
Rotate 2 counters
all summer
48 Automated Short Duration Sites
(one week per site)

90. 4th Year
SHORT DURATION COUNT
PROGRAM
PERMANENT
COUNT
PROGRAM
6 Permanent Counters
Rotate 5 counters
all summer
120 Automated Short Duration Sites
(one week per site)

91. 10th Year
SHORT DURATION COUNT
PROGRAM
PERMANENT COUNT
PROGRAM
12 Permanent Counters
Rotate 10 counters
all summer on
3 year rotation
720 Automated Short Duration Sites
(one week per site) on 3 year rotation

92. On-going Work
• Colorado, Vermont, Minnesota, Oregon, North
Carolina, Washington State DOT’s are
developing programs.
• TRB Bike/Ped Data Subcommittee
• FHWA to include bike/ped counts in Travel
Monitoring Analysis System (TMAS)
• OTREC’s Bike/Ped Data Archive

93. Questions?
Krista Nordback
Nordback@pdx.edu
503-725-2897