Bicycle and Pedestrian Count Programs: Scan of Current U.S. Practice

Abstract

As bicycling and walking have become more integrated into transportation agencies’ processes of planning, design, and operations, some state, regional, and local agencies have established nonmotorized data collection programs of varying scopes and with varying methods. The purpose of this study was to identify ways to plan and implement a nonmotorized count program in Virginia, and the scope included reviewing existing U.S. national-level guidance and examples from state departments of transportation (DOTs) other than Virginia’s to determine the most effective ways of implementing such a program. Study tasks included synthesizing the literature to obtain relevant information with regard to nonmotorized travel monitoring programs, practices, and technologies, as well as obtaining information from representatives of three states through interviews of public agency staff and researchers involved in each state’s program. The study found a large volume of recent research on the topic of nonmotorized travel monitoring. The study concluded that the practice of nonmotorized travel monitoring has evolved and expanded in recent years; that many commercially available counting technologies exist and have been evaluated; that the practice of nonmotorized travel monitoring, as with motorized travel monitoring, has several aspects beyond purchase and installation of automatic count equipment; and that several states are developing nonmotorized count programs and have begun putting their data to use. The findings provide a foundational resource for state DOTs that are considering developing state-level counting programs.