ABSTRACT
Traffic count is a critical tool used for road planning, maintenance, and
management, helping to understand traffic flow, movement patterns, and the
efficiency of road networks. This study aimed to conduct a manual traffic count
at various points around the university, with a particular focus on understanding
traffic dynamics at the main gate and surrounding areas. The counting process
was carried out in four different time intervals (6 AM – 6 PM), where different
vehicle types, including saloon cars, matatus, pickups, lorries, buses, and trailers,
were recorded. The data gathered was analyzed for traffic volume trends,
helping to assess peak traffic periods, and identify potential areas for road
improvements. Challenges such as double counting, obstruction, and weather
conditions were encountered during the exercise, yet the results provide
valuable insights into the traffic behavior of the campus.
INTRODUCTION
Traffic count plays a fundamental role in planning of roads and management
schemes, which rely heavily on existing traffic data such as average daily traffic,
traffic flow patterns and economic traffic forecasting, to inform planning
decisions.
Traffic data is required for the purposes of road network maintenance planning,
which should be undertaken on an annual basis, with major roles in estimating
road patterns and future traffic growth for road agencies and authorities.
Traffic surveys are completed for different purposes, from determining vehicle
speeds to traffic flow in categorized vehicle classes, to determining the current
volume and type of traffic travelling on the road.
Traffic volume count is to understand the factors that form the basis for;
1. Determining traffic movement patterns in different modes of transport,
which can also include provided traffic diversion from existing routes.
2. Establishing efficiency of the road network by comparing current traffic
volume with the level of service or the calculated traffic capacity.
3. Developing traffic forecasting models with subsequent traffic projection on
road sections.
To facilitate the assessment of the present and future traffic demands, for the
development of need-based infrastructure, accurate information, and
continuous monitoring of traffic using the information received from the traffic
count is necessary.
Implementing authorities must ensure that adequate and appropriate data is
available in order to undertake necessary planning, design, construction and
maintenance of the country’s road network, which is aimed at meeting the
significant traffic flow, future traffic growth and loading without considerable
deterioration in the quality of service, which is the essence of traffic count.
Importance of Traffic Count
1. It can be used by local councils to identify which routes are used most, and to
either improve that route or provide an alternative if there is an excessive
amount of traffic.
2. It provides the source of data used to calculate the Annual Average Daily
Traffic (AADT) which is the common indicator used to represent traffic
volume.
3. It is useful for comparing two or more roads and can also be used alongside
other methods to find out where the Central Business District (CBD) of a
settlement is located.
4. It can be used to investigate speed limits to come up with speed regulations
on particular highways or routes
TYPES OF TRAFFIC COUNTS
1. Manual count
Manual counts are normally carried out by observers situated at a count
point at the side of the road, while the most usual type of manual count
survey is classified count using a piece of paper.
2. Automatic count
These traffic counts can record data for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in
two-way traffic flow, which normally provide a higher accuracy compared to
manual count. The various types of automatic counts include:
a) Pneumatic tube systems – the counter measures two-way traffic flow as
a vehicle passes, in which compressed tube releases pulses of air to make
a vehicle count.
b) Buried loop systems – this involves an isolated wire loop surface of the
road, which when the vehicle passes over the loop, the metal of the
vehicle causes the inductances of the loop to be sensed by the counter.
c) Video Camera - Video image processing system utilize machine vision
technology to detect vehicles and capture details about individual when
necessary. It is not appropriate for vehicular speed and their
classifications.
d) Weigh-in-Motion sensor types - A variety of traffic sensors and loops are
used to count, weigh and classify vehicles while in motion. Some of them
include;
Bending plates - They contain strain gauges that weigh the axles of passing
vehicles.
Capacitive strip - It is a thin and long extruded metal used to detect passing
axles. It can be used for both statistical data and axle configuration.
Capacitive Mat - It functions as the capacitive strip but it is designed to be
mobile and used on a temporary basis only.
Piezo-electric cable - It is a sensing strip of a metallic cable that responds to
vertical loading from vehicle wheels passing over it by producing a
corresponding voltage. The cable is very good for speed measurement and
axle-space registration
Other common types of traffic count data include the following:
Automatic Traffic Recorder (ATR) counts
ATR counts are primarily used to capture the volume of vehicles that travel on a
roadway over a given period of time. ATR counts have traditionally been collected
with road tubes, which use pneumatic technology to capture data that is later
analyzed to estimate the count. As data collection methods continue to evolve, more
firms and cities are choosing safer and more reliable tools to collect this type of data.
Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) counts
An AADT count identifies the average vehicle volumes in a 24-hour period. That
value is produced by dividing the total vehicle volume for one year by 365 days.
AADT counts are a good indicator of how busy a road is and is often used for
evaluating, selecting or designing a new facility or territory. AADT values can be
calculated from short duration counts using a method described in the FHWA Traffic
Monitoring Guide.
Turning Movement Counts (TMC)
One of the most sought-after traffic data types is the TMC, also known as an
Intersection Count. In a TMC, vehicle movements (e.g., left, though, and right turns)
and volumes for all legs of the intersection are captured for a specific period of time.
TMCs are typically used for traffic modeling, as well as to help determine an
intersection's capacity and provide data insights to inform signal retiming. TMC data
is also collected to find the intersection's level of service. TMC data is used in other
types of analysis related to the overall performance of an intersection too.
Roundabout counts
Roundabout counts are collected using similar methods to those used for TMC
counts, and for similar purposes as well. In a roundabout count, entering and
circulating vehicles must be tracked to their exit point. Since roundabouts are not
signalized, the traffic flow is less predictable and capturing those movements
accurately can become very challenging. The multi-camera roundabout solution from
makes collecting these counts much easier.
Pedestrian and bicycle counts
Some traffic engineering projects require pedestrian and bicycle data. These
types of projects are most commonly completed to help cities understand the
current state of facility usage, to help prioritize locations in which to implement
pedestrian- and bike-related facilities, and to evaluate the effects of projects,
such as bike lanes. Pedestrian and bicycle data might be collected as part of a
TMC or as a standalone count that focuses only on these classes. Crosswalk
classes, or pedestrians and bicycles that travel on an intersection crosswalk, as
well as bicycles traveling on the roadway, can be added to a TMC study to
produce complete intersection data.
Common standalone counts are referred to as Pathway and Junction counts. A
Pathway count captures pedestrians and bicycles traveling on a straight path up
to 50' in width, whereas a Junction count captures pedestrians and bicycles
traveling on intersecting paths.
Traffic engineers rely on accurate, high quality traffic data to complete their
projects. While they can choose to collect that data using traditional methods,
including loops, pucks, and road tubes, many cities are moving to video data
collection as a reliable alternative to gather real-time data for their studies.
Factors to consider while carrying out traffic count
1. Surveyor should not affect the flow of traffic.
2. Survey station should be located at a position where queuing does not take
place.
3. Vehicles should be classified, if possible, as it saves time for classified traffic
volume survey.
4. Safety of surveyor should be kept in mind and safe location should be
selected.
5. Equipment used when automatic count is used should be placed such that
they do not draw attention of driver.
Duration and interval of Traffic Count
1. Hourly pattern - The way of traffic flow characteristic varies throughout
the day and night. Traffic volume is always high during the peak hours, for
example, morning and evening hours.
2. Daily pattern - It is the day-to-day variation throughout the week. High
peaks are observed during the working days than weekends.
3. Seasonal pattern - It is the season-to-season variation throughout the
year. Tourism areas usually experience high peaks during vacation
seasons, for example, summer and December.
For our project, the traffic count was done manually and we were divided into four
groups, each group allocated a particular place in which to undertake the manual
count. Our group (group 1) was allocated to perform the manual count at the
university’s main gate.
REQUIREMENTS
A tally sheet, a pen, safety apparel.
PROCEDURE
i. Devise a work plan for the entire duration (6.00 am – 6.00 pm)
ii. Identify a working station (main gate)
iii. Put on the safety apparel and select a suitable location near the campus gate
for the operation. Ensure that the notebook/tally sheet and the pen are
carried as well.
iv. Each group should identify, count and classify the vehicles getting in or out of
the gate. The numbers should be recorded in the tally sheet.
v. Checks should be done on the tallies to ensure accuracy.
vi. After the session, computation and analysis of the data should follow.
RESULT
Area 1: Roundabout Near University Dispensary:
6AM – 9AM
Type of Vehicle Stage/Kesses Mabs Dispensary/ Falls Moi Primary sch
From To To From To From To From
Saloon cars 23 25 16 15 12 5 16 26
Matatus/ cantas 17 18 9 11 1 1 13 12
Pickups 1 4 1 4 1 0 0 1
Lorries/tractors 5 4 4 7 2 0 2 0
Buses 3 3 2 1 1 0 1 3
Trailers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9AM – 12NOON
Type of Vehicle Stage/Kesses Mabs Dispensary/ Falls Moi Primary sch
From To To From To From To From
Saloon cars 25 37 27 25 1 3 14 8
Matatus/ cantas 2 3 2 3 0 0 0 0
Pickups 4 8 5 8 0 0 2 3
Lorries/tractors 7 6 5 8 0 2 3 4
Buses 4 2 4 1 0 1 0 0
Trailers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12NOON – 3PM
Type of Vehicle Stage/Kesses Mabs Dispensary/ Falls Moi Primary sch
From To To From To From To From
Saloon cars 25 37 19 25 4 4 12 18
Matatus/ cantas 3 0 5 2 0 0 0 0
Pickups 13 12 9 4 1 3 3 5
Lorries/tractors 11 10 14 10 1 3 5 6
Buses 1 1 0 1 4 2 0 1
Trailers 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0
3PM – 6PM
Type of Vehicle Stage/Kesses Mabs Dispensary/ Falls Moi Primary sch
From To To From To From To From
Saloon cars 36 40 23 26 1 4 26 24
Matatus/ cantas 15 14 8 7 2 1 8 8
Pickups 13 12 7 4 3 4 4 5
Lorries/tractors 1 5 6 7 2 4 0 1
Buses 3 4 2 2 0 1 0 0
Trailers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Area 2: Roads Within University Campus:
6 AM -9 AM
Type of Main Administration Student C. Houses/ Admin Carpark/
Vehicle Gate Block Centre/ Hostel L admin via
Soweto carpark
Fro T To From To From To From To From
m o
Saloon cars 48 1 0 7 44 8 4 6 11 0
1
Matatus/ 3 4 0 0 2 4 0 0 1 0
cantas
Pickups 2 1 0 0 3 1 0 1 0 0
Lorries/ 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
tractors
Buses 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
Trailers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9AM – 12 NOON
Type of Main Administration Student C. Houses/ Admin Carpark/
Vehicle Gate Block Centre/ Hostel L admin via
Soweto carpark
Fro T To From To From To From To From
m o
Saloon cars 7 1 0 1 0 11 2 0 1 0
0
Matatus/ 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
cantas
Pickups 3 2 2 0 0 5 0 0 0 0
Lorries/ 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0
tractors
Buses 4 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0
Trailers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12NOON – 3 PM
Type of Main Administration Student C. Houses/ Admin Carpark/
Vehicle Gate Block Centre/ Hostel L admin via
Soweto carpark
Fro T To From To From To From To From
m o
Saloon cars 6 1 5 5 10 15 2 2 2 3
3
Matatus/ 3 1 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0
cantas
Pickups 0 6 0 4 1 1 1 2 0
Lorries/ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
tractors
Buses 0 3 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0
Trailers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3PM – 6PM
Type of Main Administration Student C. Houses/ Admin Carpark/
Vehicle Gate Block Centre/ Hostel L admin via
Soweto carpark
Fro T To From To From To From To From
m o
Saloon cars 3 2 1 1 4 28 1 1 1 3
5
Matatus/ 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
cantas
Pickups 2 0 0 0 2 4 1 0 1 0
Lorries/ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
tractors
Buses 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Trailers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Area 3: The area around the Talai gate
6am-9am
Type of vehicle The Admin Main gate Round about Stage
To From To From To From To From
Saloon cars 63 29 34 11 31 24 4 8
Matatus/Cantas 27 32 1 1 14 18 0 0
Pickups 4 4 2 0 2 2 1 3
Lorries/tractors 7 6 7 1 6 5 6 5
Buses 2 3 0 0 3 3 0 0
Trailers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9am-12noon
Type of vehicle The Admin Main gate Round about Stage
To From To From To From To From
Saloon cars 45 30 16 13 37 35 17 13
Matatus/Cantas 28 26 0 2 3 7 1 0
Pickups 5 8 2 2 4 7 0 0
Lorries/tractors 5 4 1 0 4 3 3 3
Buses 8 1 5 1 2 2 1 1
Trailers 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
12noon-3pm
Type of vehicle The Admin Main gate Round about Stage
To From To From To From To From
Saloon cars
Matatus/Cantas
Pickups
Lorries/tractors
Buses
Trailers
3pm-6pm
Type of vehicle The Admin Main gate Round about Stage
To From To From To From To From
Saloon cars 29 39 4 29 17 31 13 13
Matatus/Cantas 39 26 1 1 8 8 4 2
Pickups 8 7 2 4 4 4 2 6
Lorries/tractors 5 9 0 0 0 4 3 2
Buses 4 3 0 2 4 4 0 0
Trailers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Challenges faced during the exercise.
Double count
Under count
Easily obstruction during the exercise
Unfavourable weather like frequent rains, too hot in the afternoon
Tiresome and cumbersome.
CONCLUSION
The traffic count conducted at the university's main gate and other nearby areas
provided useful data on vehicle types, traffic volume, and peak flow times,
essential for infrastructure planning and maintenance. The study revealed peak
traffic times, particularly during the morning and evening, which should be
considered when planning for traffic management and future road capacity.
However, some challenges, such as double counting and environmental factors
like weather, posed difficulties during data collection. Despite these challenges,
the data collected is critical for informing decisions on traffic control measures,
road network enhancements, and forecasting future traffic demands. Further
investigations should aim at using more automated data collection methods to
reduce human errors and improve the accuracy of future traffic surveys.
