Automatic Traffic Counters

 

Automatic Traffic Counters

Automatic traffic counters are normally identified as two rubber tubes laid across the carriageway linked to a road side recorder box. These tubes can measure both speed and number of vehicle movements and in some cases the weight of vehicles passing over, e.g. cars or HGV’s.

They are used to provide more detailed information than the manual survey and are put in place to record data over a 24/7 period (24 hours, seven days) or where traffic flow is very light and a manual survey would be impractical or costly.

Tubes are laid on both approaches to the site at the point at which vehicles would be first visible to a driver waiting at the point of access.

Automatic traffic counters are provided by local and national specialist data collection companies to whom Sanderson Associates have worked with over many years. The organisation and the precise location of the tubes is defined by our Highway Engineers to ensure the required data is correctly collected.

Speed surveys can be carried out either manually by a hand held device or by tubes laid across the road known in the profession as 'automatic traffic counters' (ATC's). Manual traffic counts have the benefit of providing more precise details of the circumstances of the local highway, such as weather conditions, constraints to free flow conditions, high speed emergency vehicles, and by noting and removing 'platoons' of traffic from the survey. ATC’s are in place for a full 24 hour, seven day period and thus a greater range of results and traffic flows is obtained. However because of their nature they will not take into account the factors which an operator would record as part of the manual survey.

Require Assistance with a Speed Survey?

Sanderson Associates have enjoyed over 37 years in business, we have extensive experience in assisting our Clients with Speed Surveys in relation to a host of highway planning matters for a variety of developments throughout the UK, Isle of Man and Ireland.

We would be pleased to provide you with our competitive fee proposal to assist you with a Speed Survey, please call us on 01924 844080 or click here to complete our secure online form.

Automatic Traffic Counters
ATC, Record Data
Highway Engineer, Traffic Flow
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