Assessing the Feasibility of a Pedestrian and Bicycle Count Program in Virginia

About the project:

One of the challenges for transportation agencies is the lack of documentation on pedestrian and bicycle usage and demand. Without such data, it is difficult to determine whether increases in the number of pedestrian and bicycle crashes are attributable to issues with transportation facility designs or to increased rates of walking and bicycling. The purpose of this research is to identify ways to plan and implement a non-motorized count program in Virginia, including understanding what entities the program could serve along with how frequently data would need to be collected and for what purposes. The findings and recommendations from this feasibility assessment could lay the groundwork for the possible implementation of a statewide non-motorized count program. Should such a program be initiated, future research could create recommendations for implementing the count program to include incorporating strategically located short-term and continuous count stations throughout the state.

Project Team

Co-Principal Investigators