10-23-2022, 07:59 AM
(10-23-2022, 06:52 AM)Spokes Wrote: The traffic counter in general seems a bit odd since it only counts on one street. Sure it gives us some information but only a fraction of the whole picture
I mean, that's how traffic counts work, but it's difficult when it comes to a bike network.
FWIW....this is a major limitation of traffic planning in general.
I think traffic counts are mostly useful to validate models. You build a transportation model, use it to estimate traffic volumes, then see if it lines up with traffic at several points, and if it does your model MIGHT be good. You can then do things in the model and see how it affects traffic and then you have some inkling that you might understand a bit about how your change will change traffic.
But usually, it's the reverse, traffic counts are the input into the model. I.e., "traffic counts are x, our model says traffic counts that start at x will be y in 10 years...ergo we need to build this road in order to handle y".