TRAFFIC COUNTS METHODOLOGIES FOR VARIOUS TYPE OF ROAD TRAFFIC APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Traffic data collection programs have to identify the changes over the time of the traffic flows patterns in order to establish the appropriate monitoring process for estimation of the traffic conditions on the road network. Continuously traffic data acquisition provides the information required to identify seasonal and daily traffic volumes. The continuously measurements are very expensive since they are performed by automatic traffic recorders but the statistics of data allow to estimate a large number of representative values as: annual average daily traffic (AADT – English, MZAT- Romanian) and annual average traffic (respectively ADT or MZT), seasonal correction factors, day of week correction factors, the 30th highest annual hourly volume and the 100th highest annual hourly volume, lane distribution factors and also the growth trends for a specific location. The statistical indicators can be calculated based on the correction factors and the short time count data that describe only the traffic conditions at the moment and location of data acquisition. The selection of count locations have to be randomly selected for a better accuracy related to the road segments.