Traffic Count?

[bandraoi]

I'm helping a friend of mine organise a very small scale traffic count. Since it's about 3 years since I've done one I thought I'd ask here to see if I left anything out.

Background: It's for the Impact Assessment for a development of 65 houses in a small village.

The other analysis of the road - site distances, entrance design etc aren't really relevant for what I'm helping with.

It just needs a one person traffic count at the proposed entrance point for the road.
Fifteen minute segments, separating pedestrians, Bicycles, Motorbikes, Cars, Light Goods Vehicles and Heavy Goods Vehicles.
Probably on a Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday during the school year.

I'm leaning towards an all day count as opposed to a morning and evening peak count - since it's rural lunchtime traffic and school traffic may be significant.

Person should have high vis vest, clipboard, pencil, mark cars in bunches of five, weather appropriate clothing, and a number to call if the public have any queries.

Anything I'm missing?

 

[francesca]

A carefully set-up count sheet does wonders for improving count accuracy. Similarly a good briefing for the counter can save much misery. (I can't describe how many times I hung my head and cried when I processed results of an Origin-Destination survey where a single trip had the same origin and destination.)

In a simple count, the most likely source of trouble is in classifying a LGV/HGV and a truck. Is a F350 a LGV or a car? What if its bed is a custom tool bed and it's clearly a business vehicle? How about an F250? F150? Pictures can help immensely here. E.g. A set of sheets for the counter to flip through either during quiet periods or when a confusing vehicle approaches to decide how the vehicle should be classified.

Finally, is it a simple link count? Or turning movements?

 

[bandraoi]

I think it's a simple link count.
If the proposed entrance is at a T junction then I might as well ask them to do a turning movement count.