traffic counts

[txheat]

where can i find the traffic counts for locations in my area?

 

[rph9168]

In most states you can look it up on your state's website under DOT. Depending on your location you may have to settle for a count close to your site.

 

[Ghetto Wash]

http://www.nctcog.org/trans/data/trafficcounts/

 

[txheat]

no luck. are there any paid ones that would actually have the numbers for my site that im looking at?

 

[pitzerwm]

Call your city they will tell you who does it.

 

[DPD36]

I've always gone to the closest TXDOT regional office and asked them to see the map. The map usually has data that is less than a year old.

 

[rph9168]

In the past states kept this information pretty much up to date but since many are in a budget crunch traffic counts that are within two years of today are rare. You can pay to have it done but it is not cheap.

 

[robert roman]

The first place I would try is to contact the principal planner for your county's transportation planning department. The principal can be an ideal source for counts especially for roads not on the state system.

Be careful in identifying what type of counts you are obtaining. For example, there can be as much as a 25% difference between average daily traffic counts (ADT) and annual average daily traffic counts (AADT).

There are also vendors like Tactician where you can buy a subscription to use a traffic count data base and mapping system. However, there is no guarrantee that a particular road will be in the data base.

In the absence of historical data, you can purchase a traffic study from an engineering firm. Typically, the study is conducted over a 3-day period and produces raw 24-hour counts. The counts are averaged into a daily count. However, this count would also need to be adjusted for axle correction and seasonal factors before it could be used for car wash analysis.

 

[Waxman]

When I did mine I used MA DOT website data.

FWIW, whether ADT or AADT, it's best to use the data in a conservative fashion.

IMO speed limit, egress and visibility are potentially far more critical to business success than sheer # of cars going by.

If you are doing a carwash business plan, sales projections should factor in competition, weather patterns for the last 5 years and local economic conditions way before car counts.