I have heard some reasons why the City should do the count instead of the City.
However I
see volunteers doing counts as a form of bicycle advocacy. What better way to
advocate
for bikeway improvements and new bikeways than for us to take counts and show
the need.
Plus the advocates control the data...
There are basically three types of counts to be taken
1) A screenline count. How many are going each direction at a certain
location?
Motor vehicles are typically done with tubes. It does not work that well
with bikes.
Paths are easy with in-path detection but on street counting is more
problematic for
bikes.
2) Intersection Turning Counts. This is generally manual even for motor
vehicles.
3) Intersection Turning Counts including counting motor vehicles.
All three should include both pedestrian and bicycle.
The type 3) count has the potential to be very useful for Stop Sign warrants.
Typically only
motor vehicles are considered for Stop Signs. Why not include bicycles too?
Such counts
could be beneficial to certain bike paths where bike traffic dominates the low
volume side
street. Further such a counts could benefit bike boulevards where, when all
all traffic is
considered, some stop signs on the boulevard could be removed and/or stop signs
added on
the intersecting side streets.
Cars stopping for bikes is a paradigm shift that City Traffic has been
reluctant to consider.
We get the numbers and advocate for it! (Although Stops signs were put up this
summer on
the Olbrich Park service road where it intersects the bike path.)
Logistically there are standard forms available from the National Bicycle and
Pedestrian
Documentation Project for type 1) and 2) counts. The type 3) count would be
the same
forms as 2) with one for motor vehicles added.
All of the counts are taken in 2 hour time frames and broken up into 15 minute
increments.
Thoughts? Do we get the Bike Fed or Madison Walk Bike to take the coordination
lead?
Mike Rewey
*******************
On 28 Oct 2009 at 8:50, Larry D. Nelson wrote:
> I will volunteer to count bikes, peds... planes, trains and
> automobiles. I am an equal opportunity counter. Again, if it will
> assist the transportation planners and engineers, it's time well
> spent. Besides, I always had a fondness for raw (and accurate) data.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected]
> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of STRAWSER,
> Charles Sent: Monday, October 26, 2009 10:41 AM To:
> [email protected] Subject: Re: [Bikies] Question on bicycle
> traffic counts
>
> I commend Larry for suggesting a way to collect sorely needed data
> that the city has not had for far too long, and Larry and everyone
> else who volunteered to help.
>
> But I would rather see the city spend the money and the staff time to
> collect the data on bicyclists and pedestrians consistently as part of
> the planning and implementing of the public transportation
> infrastructure of the city. The counter in Copenhagen (thanks for the
> link, Dipesh) would be wonderful, and although no method of counting
> bikes and peds is as easy, or presumably as cheap, as a hose count of
> motor vehicles, there are other technological methods that could work
> that are probably not as expensive as the one in Copenhagen. See
> http://www.livablestreets.com/streetswiki/pedestrian-counts for more
> on those other methods.
>
> If the city doesn't have the money to collect the data on bicyclists
> and pedestrians as well as motor vehicles before planning and spending
> money on transportation infrastructure, perhaps for the next several
> decades we should organize a group of volunteers that could provide
> useful data to the transportation planners and engineers on motor
> vehicle use, particularly regarding counts that would be of interest
> to the motoring community.
>
> chuck
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dipesh Navsaria
>
> As an aside, I would *love* to see Madison put up a counter like this:
>
> http://www.copenhagenize.com/2009/05/bicyclists-count-in-copenhagen.ht
> ml
>
> Maybe Trek or someone would sponsor a permanent installation at a
> couple of key locations? Perhaps someplace that's also visible to
> motorists? :-)
>
> --------------------
> From: Larry Nelson
>
> [snip] I wonder if there are opportunities to establish a
> voluntary group of folks from this list that could provide useful data
> to the transportation planners and engineers, particularly regarding
> counts that would be of interest to the biking community. [snip]
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