Counting Technology from sensors, mobile apps and video systems help transportation planners accurately count travelers on bicycle and on foot.
Benefits & Problems Addressed
Target investments: Determine where investments in walking and biking infrastructure are most needed
Lower costs: Digital data collection and analysis helps lower the cost of tracking bicycle and pedestrian modes.
On-going assessment: Assess changes over time, draw conclusions about the impact of new facilities, and improve the design of future facilities
Crash context: Understand crashes involving people walking or bicycling more than is typically possible with crash data alone
Quantification: Quantify walking and biking share of travel, which can define active transportation's project funding
Tips & Techniques
Determining data collection purpose and use: To get started, determine (1) why you are collecting data, for example for justifying investments, applying for funding, examining safety. (2) which modes (pedestrian, bicycle or both); (3) constraints such as signals for mobile collection or lack of places to mount sensors.
Mobile technology: includes software that can be downloaded onto a mobile device and includes app based counting software, GPS enabled route trackers, and anonymous data collection
Imagery: includes technology that uses sensors to capture bicycle and pedestrian movements, including imagery video detection systems, video counting software and thermal sensors.
Low-cost hardware category includes stand-alone technologies that are deployed to capture non-motorized data such as pneumatic tube counters and wireless sensors.
Hot Buttons: Privacy concerns, detection errors, energy sources.
Resources
Innovation in Bicycle and Pedestrian Counts, Alta Planning + Design