Skip to main content

Guide to Pedestrian Analysis (2022) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:


Pages 5-28

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 5...
... 5   C H A P T E R 2 Pedestrian volume data are increasingly being used by transportation engineers and planners. Applications range from prioritizing safety improvements on a city- or region-wide basis to measuring the usage of new pedestrian facilities and even to designing specific pedestrian improvements.
From page 6...
... 6 Guide to Pedestrian Analysis • NCHRP Report 797: Guidebook on Pedestrian and Bicycle Volume Data Collection (2) provides guidance on developing and applying nonmotorized count programs.
From page 7...
... Pedestrian Volume Counting 7   counters typically install them at a small number of their data collection sites (2)
From page 8...
... 8 Guide to Pedestrian Analysis chapter. The continuous count data provide insight into whether pedestrian activity on a given day or at a given time was higher or lower than normal, along with information about longerterm seasonal volume trends.
From page 9...
... Pedestrian Volume Counting 9   e North Carolina DOT developed a nonmotorized volume data program to complement its existing motorized trac monitoring system. e following steps were recommended for identifying nonmotorized count locations across the network (11)
From page 10...
... 10 Guide to Pedestrian Analysis counts can be useful for certain applications such as fine-tuning signal timing, assessing intersection crash data, or evaluating intersection traffic operations. • Is a short-term or long-term count needed?
From page 11...
... Pedestrian Volume Counting 11   Toolbox 2-1. Common methods for collecting pedestrian counts.
From page 12...
... Counting Methods Source: Numina. Automated counts from video are a growing counting technology.
From page 13...
... Pedestrian Volume Counting 13   Sensor Technology Adjustment Factor Thermal imaging camera 0.974* Passive infrared 1.106*
From page 14...
... 14 Guide to Pedestrian Analysis Equipment The Traffic Monitoring Guide (1) recommends that organizations collecting count data perform the following tasks: • Test equipment and ensure it meets accuracy standards before field placement, • Calibrate equipment routinely, • Validate equipment performance periodically to ensure intended performance, • Conduct routine quality assurance tests, • Analyze and deliver data quickly so that data quality errors caught by users familiar with data patterns can be addressed quickly, and • Implement a feedback process for quick response to data quality concerns.
From page 15...
... Pedestrian Volume Counting 15   Other Resources Additional guidance on quality control is available from the following sources: • National Highway Institute Traffic Monitoring Programs Course. This course outlines quality control principles for data collection, data processing, implementation, and documentation.
From page 16...
... Source Upper Bound Data Gaps Direction Split Repeating Values Number of Consecutive Zeros FHWA TMAS Data flagged if total hourly count exceeds 4,000 Data flagged if adjacent zero hours exceed 50 Data flagged if three identical consecutive counts are encountered Data flagged if seven consecutive zeros encountered Total minimum daily count < 10 or total maximum daily count > 5,000 Colorado DOT Weekly check: Identify count sites with missing data days and flag sites with >5 days of missing data Annual check: A count is valid only if it has a full 24 hours of count data for each 24-hour period Weekly check: Flag any count site exhibiting a direction split greater than 70/30 Annual check: Same as weekly check Weekly check: During warm weather months, sites with more than two continuous days of hourly zero values flagged; this check is not applicable for cold-weather locations Annual check: Same as weekly check Weekly check: Flag counts with any daily total higher than three times the previous year's ADT Annual check: Suspicious daily totals for each continuous count site are identified with the interquartile range formula: IQR = 2.5(Q3 − Q1) + Q3 Minnesota DOT (14)
From page 17...
... Pedestrian Volume Counting 17   methods to provide estimates of relative pedestrian activity in an area. Other sources, such as crash data, are used in combination with count data for specific applications such as safety analysis.
From page 18...
... Source: Kittelson & Associates, Inc. Figure 2-4.
From page 19...
... Pedestrian Volume Counting 19   • Trip generation techniques. The Institute of Transportation Engineers' Trip Generation Manual (27)
From page 20...
... 20 Guide to Pedestrian Analysis Travel Behavior Data Travel surveys such as the NHTS (41) collect data on the personal travel patterns and characteristics of a sample of households and then expand results to provide higher-level trip estimates by mode, purpose, and other attributes.
From page 21...
... Pedestrian Volume Counting 21   volumes, sum of entering flows (motorized and nonmotorized) at an intersection, product of pedestrian and motor vehicle volume and its square root, estimated number of streets or travel lanes crossed, estimated total distance traveled, estimated total travel time, total number of trips, overall census population, and proportion of census population who report walking regularly (45)
From page 22...
... 22 Guide to Pedestrian Analysis Category Factor Relationship with Pedestrian Activitya Source Land use variables Nearby housing unit density + 32, 52, 53, 54 Nearby land use mix + 52, 54, 55, 56 Proximity to mixed-use buildings + 53 Proximity to multistory buildings + 53 Proximity to commercial buildings + 53, 56, 57 Presence of retail +/− 56, 58, 59 Proximity to parks + 53 Proximity to activity destinations + 32, 52 Proximity to a university + 32 Proximity to schools + 57 Cultural and entertainment space area + 56 Industrial area − 56 Proximity to vacant lots − 53 Nearby building setback distances − 55 Maximum slope − 32, 56 Distance from nearest water body − 60 Distance from CBD − 56, 60 Transit factors Access to transit stops/number of transit stops + 32, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58 Bus frequency + 56 Transportation system factors Sidewalk presence on nearby streets + 52, 53, 56 Nearby sidewalk connectivity + 53, 55 Sidewalk width + 56 Presence of bike lane + 56 Access to multiuse trails + 52 Nearby multiuse trail connectivity + 55 Nearby street network connectivity + 52, 55 Nearby intersection density + 52, 61 Nearby four-way intersections + 52 Nearby signalized intersection + 32, 56 Buffer between sidewalk and street on nearby streets + 52 Presence of street trees on nearby streets + 52 Presence of street lighting on nearby streets + 52, 53 Number of arterial roads nearby +/− 52, 56, 60 Number of collector roads nearby + 60 Nearby street block length +/− 53, 57, 61 Amount of principal arterials nearby − 56, 57, 60 Automobile speeds on nearby residential streets − 52 Automobile spaces in nearby parking area − 53 Difficulty of crossing nearby streets − 53 Table 2-4. Factors significantly correlated with pedestrian activity.
From page 23...
... Pedestrian Volume Counting 23   Category Factor Relationship with Pedestrian Activitya Source Socioeconomic factors Nearby employment density +/− 32, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61 Total employment + 56 Household automobile availability − 52, 55 Household income − 55, 56 Demographic factors Total population + 56 Nearby population density + 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61 Percentage of neighborhood residents that are nonwhite + 56, 60 Percentage of neighborhood residents with a college education + 56, 60 Student status + 55 Larger household of unrelated individuals + 55 Percentage of black residents − 56 Age − 55 Environmental factors Precipitation − 55, 56 Temperature − 56 a Plus sign represents a positive relationship (i.e., high housing density correlated with high pedestrian activity) ; minus sign represents an inverse relationship (i.e., large distance from CBD correlated with low pedestrian activity)
From page 24...
... 24 Guide to Pedestrian Analysis pedestrian continuous counters in these specific regions of the state, in the same year, for a given travel pattern (in this case, noontime activity)
From page 25...
... Pedestrian Volume Counting 25   A standard approach to estimating AADPT recommended by the Traffic Monitoring Guide (1) is to create hourly, daily, and monthly adjustment factors for each year on the basis of data from continuous counting devices located in the same area as the short-duration counter being adjusted.
From page 26...
... 26 Guide to Pedestrian Analysis 5. Nordback, K., S
From page 27...
... Pedestrian Volume Counting 27   29. Griswold, J
From page 28...
... 28 Guide to Pedestrian Analysis 51. Munira, S., and I

Key Terms



This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.