Development of Integrated Traffic Monitoring System for Delaware

Abstract

The establishment of a comprehensive statewide traffic counting program is discussed. The program comprises automatic traffic recorder (ATR), automatic vehicle classification (AVC), and weigh-in-motion (WIM) sites for the state of Delaware. The program was undertaken to review, establish, and implement effective statistical and procedural methods. The second phase of a two phase project, which implements the methodologies that were derived in the first phase, is presented. Using descriptive analysis and seasonal grouping, the number and location of sites needed for each of the three types of traffic monitoring devices were determined. Existing field data from Delaware's current ATR locations allowed for a statistical determination of the necessary number and road-type group distribution for the ATR sites. The absence of field data for AVC and WIM sites, however, necessitated alternative methods for determining the number and location of the traffic monitoring devices. As a result, a combination of statistical analysis and engineering judgment must be used for the establishment of any statewide traffic monitoring system.