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N A T I O N A L C O O P E R A T I V E H I G H W A Y R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M NCHRP REPORT 760 Improving the Quality of Motorcycle Travel Data Collection Dan Middleton Patricia Turner Hassan Charara Srinivasa Sunkari Srinivas Geedipally Texas a&M TransporTaTion insTiTuTe College Station, TX Robert Scopatz VHB engineering Raleigh, NC Subscriber Categories Highways ⢠Data and Information Technology ⢠Operations and Traffic Management TRANSPORTAT ION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2013 www.TRB.org Research sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM Systematic, well-designed research provides the most effective approach to the solution of many problems facing highway administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local interest and can best be studied by highway departments individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation develops increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research. In recognition of these needs, the highway administrators of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials initiated in 1962 an objective national highway research program employing modern scientific techniques. This program is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of the Association and it receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration, United States Department of Transportation. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies was requested by the Association to administer the research program because of the Boardâs recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. The Board is uniquely suited for this purpose as it maintains an extensive committee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; it possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state and local governmental agencies, universities, and industry; its relationship to the National Research Council is an insurance of objectivity; it maintains a full-time research correlation staff of specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those who are in a position to use them. The program is developed on the basis of research needs identified by chief administrators of the highway and transportation departments and by committees of AASHTO. Each year, specific areas of research needs to be included in the program are proposed to the National Research Council and the Board by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Research projects to fulfill these needs are defined by the Board, and qualified research agencies are selected from those that have submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the National Research Council and the Transportation Research Board. The needs for highway research are many, and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program can make significant contributions to the solution of highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement rather than to substitute for or duplicate other highway research programs. Published reports of the NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from: Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet at: http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore Printed in the United States of America NCHRP REPORT 760 Project 08-81 ISSN 0077-5614 ISBN 978-0-309-28372-4 Library of Congress Control Number 2013954883 © 2013 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FTA, or Transit Development Corporation endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. NOTICE The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The members of the technical panel selected to monitor this project and to review this report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance. The report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or the program sponsors. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research Council, and the sponsors of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturersâ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academyâs purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council. The mission of the Transporta- tion Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. The Boardâs varied activities annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individu- als interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org
C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The research reported herein was performed under NCHRP Project 08-81 by the Texas A&M Trans- portation Institute (TTI) at Texas A&M University (TAMU). TTI was the prime contractor for this study and Data-Nexus, Inc., was the subcontractor, with the Research Foundation of TAMU serving as Fiscal Administrator. Dr. Dan Middleton, P.E., Research Engineer at TTI, was the Principal Investigator. The other authors of this report are Ms. Patricia Turner, Mr. Hassan Charara, Mr. Srinivasa Sunkari, and Dr. Srinivas Geedi- pally of TTI, and Dr. Robert Scopatz of Data-Nexus, Inc. (now with VHB Engineering). The work was done under the general supervision of Dr. Middleton. CRP STAFF FOR NCHRP REPORT 760 Christopher W. Jenks, Director, Cooperative Research Programs Crawford F. Jencks, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs Christopher J. Hedges, Senior Program Officer Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications Sharon Lamberton, Assistant Editor NCHRP PROJECT 08-81 PANEL Field of Transportation PlanningâArea of Forecasting David W. Gardner, Ohio DOT, Columbus, OH (Chair) Mitchell Anthony Prevost, California DOT, Sacramento, CA Paul S. Chen, Massachusetts DOT, Boston, MA Michael A. Davis, University of Central Missouri (UCM), Warrensburg, MO Rebecca C. Duke, Montana DOT, Helena, MT Susie Forde, Wisconsin DOT, Madison, WI Jianming Ma, Texas DOT, Austin, TX Carol Tan, FHWA Liaison Bernardo Kleiner, TRB Liaison
F O R E W O R D By Christopher Hedges Staff Officer Transportation Research Board This report presents an analysis of traffic counting technologies and data collection pro- tocols to improve the reliability of motorcycle travel data. The technologies included infra- red classifiers, inductive loops/piezoelectric sensors, magnetometers, multi-sensor tech- nologies, and tracking video. The report describes the performance of each technology in terms of accuracy, initial cost, portability, and ease of setup and operation. The report also evaluates and validates a hypothesis that motorcycle crash locations are reasonable predic- tors of traffic volume. A correlation between crash sites and volume enables a Department of Transportation to select traffic counting locations that will yield more accurate data on motorcycle traffic volumes. The report will provide valuable guidance to traffic engineers, transportation planners, and safety professionals who need more accurate data to determine motorcycle exposure risk based on vehicle-miles traveled (VMT). Motorcycle fatalities and the related fatality rates have been significantly increasing over the last 10 years based on total registrations as a proxy for volumes and usage/exposure. Motorcy- cle fatalities have become a serious safety issue for the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). According to FHWA data between 1996 and 2005, motorcyclist fatalities increased more than 110 percent and currently account for more than 10 percent of all motor vehicle traffic crash fatalities. The best measure of exposure risk for motor vehicle crashes is based on actual vehicle volumes and VMT. Therefore it is critical that timely, complete, and accurate volume and VMT data be collected and reported. Furthermore, beginning in 2008, the reporting of motorcycle travel to the federal Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) is now required for all states. To date, research has indicated that there are significant problems with methodologies currently used to detect motorcycles. Most current detection systems primarily focus on the collection and classification of trucks and automobiles. These systems frequently misclassify motorcycles or miss them altogether, making the data unacceptable for required report- ing purposes. There is a need for improved methods that could be used by transportation agencies at all levels to assist them in determining the policies and decisions necessary to improve safety and mobility. Under NCHRP Project 08-81, a research team led by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) field tested five traffic counting technologies to determine their accuracy in motorcycle detection. Researchers conducted field tests of various traffic counting technolo- gies on a controlled test track and at two motorcycle rallies in Texas and Florida. The report outlines the pros and cons of each technology and recommends a protocol to optimize the accuracy of the counts by selecting sites on routes most likely to be used by motorcycles.
C O N T E N T S 1 Summary 5 Chapter 1 Background 7 Chapter 2 Research Approach 7 Literature Review 7 Agency Engagement 7 Data Collection Protocols 9 Methodology 11 Field Data Collection and Analysis 12 Methodology 13 Field Data Analysis 15 Chapter 3 Findings and Applications 15 Literature and Internet Review 15 Detection and Classification Challenges 16 Intrusive Detection Technologies 18 Non-Intrusive Detection Technologies 20 Literature Summary and Conclusions 21 New and Promising Technologies for Motorcycle Detection 24 Estimating Motorcycle VMT 25 Agency Engagement 25 Technology Used by State DOTs 29 Methodology Used by State DOTs 31 Crash Data Collection Protocols 31 Michigan Analytical Results 32 Montana Analytical Results 32 Texas Analytical Results 32 Wisconsin Analytical Results 32 Interpretation 34 Crash Prediction Model 36 Field Data Findings 36 Infrared Classifier 38 Inductive Loops/Piezoelectric Sensors 39 Magnetometers 40 Multi-Technology System 41 Tracking Video System 43 Summary of Field Data Findings 43 Classification of Non-Motorcycles 44 Infrared Classifier 44 Inductive Loops/Piezoelectric Sensors 44 Magnetometers
44 Multi-Technology System 44 Tracking Video System 46 Chapter 4 Conclusions and Recommendations 46 Data Collection Protocols 46 Field Data Collection and Analysis 47 Recommendations 47 Data Collection Protocols 48 Technology Selection 48 Suggestions for Future Research 48 Data Collection Protocols 48 Technology Selection 49 References 51 Appendix A Guidance for States to Determine Motorcycle Count Locations 54 Appendix B Texas DOT Data Sample 56 Appendix C Sensys Networks Data Sample Note: Many of the photographs, figures, and tables in this report have been converted from color to grayscale for printing. The electronic version of the report (posted on the Web at www.trb.org) retains the color versions.
