TRB-762_KJackson_SiteSelectionMethods-Notes

Non‐Motorized Site Selection Methods for
Continuous and Short‐Duration
Volume Counting
Non‐Motorized Site Selection Methods for
Continuous and Short‐Duration
Volume Counting
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 94TH ANNUAL MEETING
SESSION 762
INSTITUTE FOR TRANSPORTATION
RESEARCH AND EDUCATION
KRISTY JACKSON
Research Associate
Bicycle and Pedestrian Program
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 14, 2015
PRESENTER: CO‐AUTHORS:
ELIZABETH STOLZ
Sprinkle Consulting
CHRIS M. CUNNINGHAM, P.E.
ITRE, NC State University
15‐0817

2
Develop a bicycle and pedestrian volume
counting program that can be replicated
statewide.
NCDOT PILOT PROJECT
2
OBJECTIVES:
NCDOT Division 7/9 Pilot Region
15‐0817: Non‐Motorized Site Selection Methods for
Continuous and Short‐Duration Volume Counting

3
Continuous Count Stations – Permanent counting sites that
provide data continuously (24 hours per day, 7 days per week).
Enough data should be collected to allow calculation of accurate
adjustment factors (Time of Day, Day of Week, Monthly) to apply
to Short Duration Counts.
CCS
SDC
Winston‐Salem, NC
Durham, NC
2013 FHWA
Traffic
Monitoring
Guide
Chapter 4 –
Traffic Monitoring
for Non‐Motorized
Traffic

4
NON‐MOTORIZED TRAFFIC MONITORING
PROGRAM ELEMENTS
Coordinated
Data
Collection
(CURRENT)
Literature
Review
Sampling Plan
Data Collection
Program Training
Site Selection
Local Agency
Coordination
Data Collection
Methods
Equipment
Purchasing and
Support
Equipment
Vendor
Coordination
Equipment
Installation
Oversight
Preliminary
QA/QC and Data
Verification

Site Selection Task
 Create standardized methodology to calculate annualized traffic
statistics that comply with nationally accepted methods (TMG
Guidance)
 Include multiple stakeholders, develop partnerships, and
engage early in the process.
 Methods should yield the greatest benefit while being efficient
in terms of cost, data usage, and technology to collect data.
OBJECTIVES

OUTCOMES OF REGIONAL PILOT:
 Installation of 13
continuous count
stations (CCS)
 20 pieces of logging
equipment
 5 Agency Partners
 Identification of 22
short duration
count (SDC) sites.
6
Site Selection Task
NCDOT Division 7/9 Pilot Project: Final CCS and SDC locations
CCS
SDC Sites

 Gather Potential Site Locations
 Conduct a Site Visit
 Determine Recommended CCS Sites
 Gather Additional Data and Select Continuous Count Stations
 Select Short Duration Count Sites
 Choose Technology and Develop Equipment Inventory
7
Site Selection Methods Summarized

Gather Potential Locations
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 Assign Data Wrangler
 Activities include but are not limited to:  educating
agencies on non‐motorized program, virtual site audits,
performing site visits, coordinating municipal
agreements, coordinating encroachment agreements,
scheduling installations, finding/leveraging resources,
access to data, etc.
 Contact Agencies
 Make agency contact to solicit for bicycle and pedestrian
counting sites.
 Explain non‐motorized data collection goals at every step.
Hold formal training, if possible.
NCDOT Pilot
Project
 Contacted
agencies: 83
 Agencies
responding: 15
 Contact method:
Customized Survey
 Potential sites
received: Over
100, plus
additional sites
where counts
conducted
previous

9
 Develop a Tracking System
 This is the backbone of the system
for selecting both CCS and
eventually SDC sites.
 Develop Site Selection
Criteria
 Consider geographic area, duration
of count, hypothesis of factor group
designation, facility improvements,
and agency support.
Critical Fields:
 Ranking
 Site Location (coordinates)
 Area Type (Urban/Suburban/Rural)
 Anticipated User Type (Commute/Weekday,
Mixed/Everyday, Recreation/Weekend)
 Install Type (i.e. Paved Path, Unpaved Path,
Roadway, Bike Lane, Sidewalk)
 Type of Count (Bicycle/Pedestrian/Both)
 Ownership (Municipal/State/County)
 Duration (Short/Continuous)
 Volume Potential (High/Medium/Low)
 Notes from Virtual Site Audit

10
 Evaluate and Prioritize recommended sites
 Virtual site audit using GIS or internet tools
 Assign site a numerical rank according to selection criteria
 Rank based on Critical Site Selection Variables
1. Area Type
2. Anticipated User Type
3. Install Type
4. Volume Potential
5. Geographic Region

11
Conduct a Site Visit
 Notify Local Contacts
 Review Ranking and Develop Site Visit Schedule
 Determine Baseline Activity Levels and Evaluate Site
Conditions
 Look at Origins and Destinations
 Make Additional Site Observations, not limited to:
 Funneling – choke points, bridges, underpasses
 Goat paths
 Transit stops
 Parallel Parked vehicles and Parking Utilization
 Turning lanes
 Bike Parking areas
 Behaviors (i.e. sidewalk riding,
midblock crossings)
 Vehicles cueing in the roadway
 Test for Interference from power lines
(inductive loops)
Site Visit in Greensboro, NC

12
Example: Useful Tool for Site Visit
Strava Bicycling Heatmap
Greensboro, NC
Baseline Activity Levels? How do users funnel through an area?

13
Select Continuous Count Stations
 Reprioritize Recommended CCS
 Based on site visit and discussions with
local agencies involved
 Based on selection criteria
 Based on proposed factor groups
 Gather additional data
 Best practice to perform a SDC count
 Ensure investment
 Ensure site is the type if you have
predicted
Example of data collected
conducted to understand use
patterns and volumes at 2 sites in
Chapel Hill, NC

14
Rank Duration Location AreaType User Type Install Type Ownership Technology
Other Install
Items
Easeof
Install and
Counting Virtual Comments Potential
1 Continuous W4thSt (betweenUrban Commute Sidewalk / RoadwayMunicipal 2IR/ 4Loop 2urbanpost Good 2lanes, narrow High
2 Continuous SalemCreek GreeRural Recreation Hardpack SUP(SomMunicipal (SUP) 1IR/ 3PfmdLoop 1woodpost Good Widehardpack pathHigh
3 Continuous EWashingtonSt ( Urban Mixed Sidewalk / RoadwayMunicipal 2IR/ 4Loop 2urbanpost Okay 2lanes, narrow High
4 Continuous LibbaCottenBikewUniversity Mixed PavedSUP Municipal (SUP) IR/ 3Loop 1woodpost Good Asphalt Trail High
5 Continuous HawthorneRd(WaUrban Commute Sidewalk / RoadwayMunicipal 2IR/ 4Loop 2urbanpost Good 2sidewalk, 2lanes HighPed/ Med
6 Continuous SpringGardenSt (University Mixed Sidewalk / RoadwayMunicipal 2IR/ 4Loop 2urbanpost Good 2lanes, sharrows, nHigh
7 Continuous Strollway at AcadeUrban Recreation Hardpack SUP/ RoaMunicipal (SUP) 1IR/ 6Loop 1woodpost Good Pathintersects BicyHighPed/ Med
8 Continuous LakeDaniel GreenwUrban Recreation PavedSUP/ RoadwMunicipal 1IR/ 2Loop 1woodpost Good Can't seeonGoogleMedium
9 Continuous SElmSt (betweenUrban Commute Sidewalk / RoadwayMunicipal 2IR/ 4Loop 2urbanpost Good 2lanes, narrow Medium
10 Continuous HillsboroughRd Rural Recreation Sidewalk / RoadwayNCDOT 1IR/ 4Loop 1urbanpost Good 3lane, sidewalk, HighBike/ Low
11 Continuous MartinLuther King University Commute Sidewalk / RoadwayNCDOT 2IR/ 4Loop 2urbanpost Okay SharedusepathandMedium
12 Continuous AmericanTobaccoUrban Mixed PavedSUP Municipal 1IR/ 2Loop 1woodpost Good Asphalt Trail High
Example: Pilot Project Prioritization List used to Develop Equipment Inventory

15
Site Type Pilot Project
Recommended
CCS
(Ranking)
Proposed Factor
GroupArea Type
Pattern
Anticipated Site Type Example
Urban Commute Urban sites with weekday volumes highest, primarily  journey to work trips
expected
(1) (9) Urban Commute
Recreation Greenway trail or street/sidewalk network within city limits not generally used for
commuting or other trip purposes.  This pattern may be found around urban parks
or bodies of water.
(5) (7) Urban Recreation
Mixed Urban site with varied trip purposes and volumes (3) (8) (12) Urban Mixed
Rural Commute Large employer generating trips to work in rural area Rural Commute
Recreation Greenway trail or rural bicycling/jogging route with primarily recreation‐oriented
users, weekend users.  This pattern may be found around lakes or other natural
attractions.
(2) Rural Recreation
Mixed Rural facility that receives both recreation and journey to work trips, such as a rail
trail in a rural area that connects to employment centers in an urban area
(10) Rural Mixed
University Commute Facilities that primarily serve to connect student and staff residences  to university
areas
(11) University Commute
Recreation A location near campus that does not connect to destinations, such as a long
distance walking or running loop.
University Recreation
Mixed A location adjacent to a university that captures a variety of trip purposes, such as
a mixed use area or connector between university and downtown.
(4) (6) University Mixed

Select Short Duration Count Sites
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 Some sites naturally lend themselves to being considered as
SDC Sites.
 Lower ranking: Not enough money to install all the desired CCS
Stations
 Seasonal activity only
 Not enough information to make investment in CCS
 Specific need for non‐intrusive technology

17
Choose Technology and Develop Equipment Inventory
 Match technology to the
selected CCS sites
 Develop an equipment
inventory
 NCHRP 07‐19 offers guidance
on technologies
 Accuracy of equipment is key
consideration to program
whose purpose is to develop
traffic statistics
Equipment Examples: Winston‐Salem, NC

 Agency coordination!
 Educate agencies on
program objectives.
 Methodology allows for
flexibility as new
information is gathered
throughout process.
 Revisions:
 Interference issues at three
sites
 Agency conducted additional
data collection to justify
movement of CCS
 Added CCS outside Division
boundary due to
coordination occurring at the
MPO level
18
Lessons Learned
Top Ranked Sites for CCS prior to Site Visits
Actual CCS Installations (Revised 3 times during process)

19
NON‐MOTORIZED TRAFFIC MONITORING
PROGRAM ELEMENTS
Program
Development
(FUTURE)
Developing
Web‐Enabled
Access
Expand to New
Regions
Program
Maintenance
Developing
Advanced
QA/QC Methods
Data
Warehousing
Data Analyses
Data Processing
(Calculating
Traffic Statistics)
Data Collection
Strategic Plan
Developing Data
Reporting and
Publication
Methods
Statewide
Implementation

Thank You!
KRISTY JACKSON
Research Associate
Bicycle and Pedestrian Program
Institute for Transportation Research and Education
North Carolina State University
knjackso@ncsu.edu | 919.515.8771
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Project Team: Sarah O’Brien, Christopher Cunningham, Kristy Jackson, Sarah Searcy (ITRE)
Other Team Members: Liz Stolz (Sprinkle), Daniel Rodriquez and Montse Fuentes (UNC)

TRB-762_KJackson_SiteSelectionMethods-Notes

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