Most of the countries have standard procedures for traffic counts, and expect towns, cities, or private entities to follow these procedures in their traffic studies. Whether any particular count was conducted following the standard procedures will really depend on who did the count and why.

A manual classified count (MCC) involves counting all the vehicles passing a selected location on a road for a pre-determined period of time. The count can be for any duration, but is usually conducted for sixteen or twenty four hours in a day, and for three or four days consecutively. The count is conducted by persons standing at the roadside and recording passing vehicles on a form, hence the term “manual traffic counts”. This distinguishes it from counts by machines that can record passing vehicles automatically, which are known as “automatic traffic counts”. The count records individual vehicles by categories (i.e. a truck or car) and the direction they are traveling in. This is the reason it is called a ‘classified count’.

Accurate information on the amount of traffic on the roads of city is vital for the planning of both road maintenance and improvement policies. MCC’s will also be required on a periodic basis for proposed development projects, such as the construction of a new road or bridge. Arivon having expert enumerators will help in Traffic Data Collection accurately and meet the client expectations. Arivon currently serving Traffic Survey Companies in UK, USA, Middle East, Dubai, Australia and Europe.

The count should not be conducted at locations where traffic is abnormally high on a section of road, i.e. in a village or near to a factory. The following criteria set out some useful guidelines for site selection. Using judgement and local knowledge choose a location where the traffic flow is typical of the average flow on the road under question. The station should be so located that enumerators can take shelter in case of inclement weather and still observe the traffic. A lighted location would be of advantage for counts conducted after daylight. Enumerators should have good vision of traffic approaching from both directions. Avoid locating the station on bends or at places where trees/buildings obscure vision.

There is a huge amount of variability of traffic counts depending on the day, season, weather, proximity to a holiday or other special event, and the list goes on. Traffic engineers also have standard procedures to adjust a count conducted on a single day, or over the course of a week, to reflect average conditions. These adjustments are sometimes made using data from continuous count stations, which operate 24/7, and provide a basis to compare a count from a specific day to the average traffic volumes in the area. The standard MCC will be conducted for 9/12/24 hours and for three/seven consecutive days. Traffic Counts should be conducted on days for which the traffic flow is typical of an average day of the week. Public and School holidays should be avoided. Due to the length of time between the traffic count and implementation of a plan, there can be many changes in the actual amount of traffic. New businesses, schools, or housing, or the loss of those things, can greatly change traffic patterns and traffic counts in a very short time.

Arivon Technologies provides best Traffic Counts in Europe, with well defined processes to extract quality traffic data.  Please get in touch with Arivon Technologies team for more information or email sales@arivontech.com.