Earlsdon Liveable Neighbourhood traffic data

Before the project started, we collected traffic data in local streets. This included pedestrian crossing data. This was guided by where we had received historic requests for traffic calming and pedestrian crossings to be installed. Each type of pre-project data is explained below, along with a summary of the results.

Automatic traffic counts – these count the number of vehicles each hour in each direction over the course of a continuous period – usually seven consecutive days and for 24 hours a day. Vehicles are broken down by “classification”, allowing us to understand the mix of vehicles – this means how many vehicles are buses, cars, lorries, motorcycles, and cycles. Like any survey method, classifications are not always 100% reliable, but the data provides a useful snapshot (and errors are resolved by conducting the survey over as long a period as possible).

Automatic traffic counts also record vehicle speed – again with potential for some error, like if two vehicles are passing over the survey point at the same time. Because the survey is undertaken at a single point, this means that the speeds recorded are only accurate for that precise location, and actual speeds will vary along a street due to different conditions. The practicalities of automatic traffic counts – collected using rubber tubes that disperse a wave of air when squashed by a vehicle – means that these have to be located away from junctions and other locations where vehicles might be manoeuvring. This in turn means that they are often located on the part of the street where we expect vehicle speeds to be highest.