CONTACT US: Contact info
|
Citation |
Luukkonen T. Res. Rep. Finn. Transp. Agency 2011; (50): online. |
|
Copyright |
(Copyright © 2011, Finnish Transport Agency) |
|
DOI |
unavailable |
PMID |
unavailable |
|
Abstract |
At present, many Finnish cities or municipalities do not systematically calculate cycling and pedestrian numbers. Because of this, the information available on pedestrian and bicycle traffic volumes varies. Lack of traffic volume data hinders the development of the transport environment for bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Information on the behavior of travelers and changes in traffic volumes on site is often needed to confirm the requirement for development investments and in order to acquire funding. The aim of this work was to create instructions on counting of pedestrian and cycling numbers in Finland. The report is intended for use by municipalities and cities, as well as ELY Centers. Both manual and automatic counting is covered. In addition, separate instructions are provided on the counting of bicycles and pedestrians, the location of counting points, expansion of results, and the saving format for data. However, with respect to counting points and expanding the scope of information, it is difficult to create uniform instructions that would suit everyone. For this reason, each counting party should determine what information they specifically wish to obtain from counting. The counting instructions have been adjusted for Finland on the basis of expert interviews and best practices gathered from a literature review. The section on bicycle traffic is based on a report, published in 2005, by the Ministry of Transport and Communications on the development of a counting system for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. International reports used as a basis for the instructions include reports on counting projects and counting result harmonization projects conducted in the United States. Efforts should be made to perform counts in each municipality, either by hand or automatically. In this way, a grid could be created with national coverage, potentially benefiting the monitoring of bicycle and pedestrian traffic volumes at national level. Information gained through counting can be used in many ways: to monitor developments in traffic volumes in the city or area; to evaluate the sufficiency of infrastructure; to assess the maintenance classification and level of routes; to evaluate the impacts of projects and measures; to provide justification for funding allocated for various modes of transport; to evaluate the accident density for pedestrians; to evaluate visitor numbers for commercial sites; and to compare developments in traffic volumes in various cities. The work was conducted as part of a larger project, the PYKÄLÄ project (Cycling and walking as part of the transport system), by Tampere University of Technology. In addition, the Finnish Transport Agency and the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities provided funding for the report's finalization. An extensive thesis has also been written on the basis of the report. |