Overview of emerging road traffic data collection methods

Abstract

It is a well-known fact that the data on road traffic flow characteristics is essential for sustainable road network management. First road traffic volume counts date back to the 1950s when short-term periodic road traffic counts were carried out in cities worldwide. Manual traffic counting is one of the oldest and most technologically simple methods to obtain data on road traffic volume and its composition. Today, because of the ever-growing road transport demand, it has become clear that the development of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) is vital to increase safety and tackle increasing emission and congestion problems. The introduction of ITS highly depends on the quality and quantity of traffic data. Under the growing requirement of long-term traffic flow information, various traffic data collection methods have evolved. They allow systematic recording of the traffic flow volume and composition but also vehicle speed, total gross weight, number of axles, axle load and travel destination. This data, which is collected continuously over longer periods, enables a detailed analysis of traffic flows, and represents the basis for decision making in planning, designing, construction and maintenance of road infrastructure. This paper gives an overview of traditional and emerging traffic data collection methods - both fixed and mobile - and the analysis of the current road traffic data collection methods used on the Croatian road network, in terms of their potential and limitations.