Pedestrian & Bicycle Traffic Count Program

 

To support effective bicycle and pedestrian planning in the region, NCTCOG is collecting data on bicycle and pedestrian facility usage throughout the region. Data about actual non-motorized travel volumes helps:

  1.  Inform the public and decision makers about actual usage and travel patterns
  2.  Analyze trends
  3.  Evaluate the impacts of specific projects (before and after) with mobile counts
 
 

COVID-19 Impacts on Active Transportation
Since the outset of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, NCTCOG staff have been monitoring how COVID-19 is impacting bicycling and walking in the North Central Texas region. Based on data collected from existing count equipment installed on trails, there has been a significant increase in walking and bicycling on trails in the region during 2020 compared to 2019. For additional information, please view the COVID-19 Impacts on Active Transportation presentation given at the November 18, 2020 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting.   


A picture of bike trails and maps
NCTCOG has mobile equipment available for loan to local jurisdictions to conduct short-term counts of bicyclists and pedestrians on either shared use paths or streets. To learn about conducting short-term counts, please review our Mobile Counter Site-Selection Best Practices Guide. To express interest in borrowing NCTCOG’s mobile counting equipment, please contact Daniel Snyder.

Annual Bicycle and Pedestrian Traffic Count Reports

2020 Report  New
2019 Report   
2018 Report  
2017 Report 
                                                                      2016 Report  
                                                                      2015 Report

NCTCOG participates with and provides data for TxDOT's Texas Bicycle and Pedestrian Count Exchange, a centralized map-based interface to easily access and visualize count data across the state, including the North Central Texas region.  In addition, TxDOT's Bicycle and Pedestrian Program has compiled a wealth of best practices and guidance on bicycle and pedestrian count data collection on their Count Resources web page.

This is an image of 2 men installing equipment near a trailhead

  1. Permanently installed equipment on shared use paths will provide continuous 24/7 count information for both bicycles and pedestrians.
  2. Mobile count equipment
    • Shared use paths (bicycles and pedestrians) - minimum two-week duration
    • On-Street (bicycles only) - minimum two-week duration
    • Sidewalks (pedestrians only) - minimum two-week duration


 
 
  1. NCTCOG and several jurisdictions have installed permanent equipment in the cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, North Richland Hills and Plano. In addition, short-term counts are occasionally collected as requested by partnering cities.
  2. Regionally significant locations and corridors (e.g. those that cross multiple jurisdictions, connect with major employment centers, education and transit facilities, etc.) that are used for transportation purposes.
  3. A range of urban core and suburban locations:
    • Regional Veloweb shared use paths/sidepaths (not including park “loop” recreation paths)
    • On-Street facilities (e.g. bike lanes and cycle tracks) – could include before and after improvement counts

 
 
  1. To address Mobility 2035 performance measures in active transportation
  2. To obtain new baseline data for purposes of updating Air Quality calculations used for measuring benefits of bicycle and pedestrian facilities
  3. To provide the Regional Transportation Council (RTC), other elected officials, and local jurisdictions with more informed data related to non-motorized travel volumes and routes in the region
  4. To establish regional count/data collection procedures and practices for consistent application by local jurisdictions/count programs throughout the region
  5. To serve as the regional clearinghouse for multi-modal user count data
  6. To support local jurisdictions in establishing and maintaining local count programs
  7. To establish a baseline of continuous count data in targeted regionally significant locations/corridors that are supplemented by local count programs
  8. To identify non-motorized commuting patterns
  9. To initiate non-motorized travel data collection that could be integrated with regional travel models in the future

 

Media Coverage

Dallas Morning News: Biking Data Could Inform City Planning - July 20, 2014

 

Research and Best Practices

NCTCOG received technical assistance from the Federal Highway Administration through the Volpe Center to host a two-day peer exchange. The exchange included researchers and national representatives of active programs in geographically large and diverse regions.   Read the Peer Exchange on Bicycle and Pedestrian Count Programs full report.

NCTCOG is participating with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in a nationwide data collection effort for the Trail Modeling and Assessment Platform (T-MAP). T-MAP is a three-year initiative by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy to develop a set of methodologies and analytical tools to help local communities plan for urban trails. By participating in T-MAP, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy purchased and donated two permanent counters, which were installed in Fort Worth along the Trinity Trail System maintained by the Tarrant Regional Water District. As the Conservancy performs future research and analysis, NCTCOG will be able to implement the methodologies and analysis tools for active transportation planning. For more information about the Trail Modeling and Assessment Platform, please visit Rails-to-Trails' T-MAP project website.

Staff contact:  Daniel Snyder