Collecting Network-Wide Bicycle and Pedestrian Data: A Guidebook for When and Where to Count
Source: Washington State Department of Transportation
Across the United States, jurisdictions are investing more in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, which requires non-motorized traffic volume data. While some agencies use automated counters to collect continuous and short duration counts, the most common type of bicycle and pedestrian counting is still manual counting. The purpose of this guide is to provide recommendations for collecting network-wide bicycle and pedestrian count data specific to the Washington State Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project. Communities within the State of Washington can use this guide to establish a network-wide count program to help measure bicycle and pedestrian travel over time on a network. Recommendations include increase the number of permanent bicycle and pedestrian count sites, calibrate equipment, and increase the length of time counted at each count site to at least 8 hours (7-9AM, 11AM-1PM, 4-6PM Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday and 12-2PM Saturday), but preferably counting a whole week using calibrated automated equipment. This guidebook incorporates results from two research projects funded by WSDOT: one by Michael Lowry at University of Idaho and the other by Portland State University and University of North Carolina. Each has a separate report documenting findings.
