A traffic count is a record of volume. It is the right survey when the question is about the amount of traffic, the balance between directions, or the mix of cars, goods vehicles, buses and motorcycles. It is the wrong survey, on its own, if the question is about speed. For that, see speed surveys.

What is recorded

Each vehicle passing the survey point, with the time
Direction of travel
A simple vehicle type
The period covered, so a peak hour is not presented as a whole day

The report turns that record into totals, directional shares and a commentary on what the pattern shows. A morning peak that is mostly cars in one direction reads differently from a steady two-way flow of mixed traffic. The numbers should make that obvious.

When a count is useful

Parish and town councils use counts when a road is said to have become busier, or when a decision needs a baseline. Schools use them when the issue is the number of vehicles at the gate, not only their speed. Developers and planners use them when an application needs an independent observation of what is already there. A count can also sit beside a speed survey when both volume and speed are in dispute.

What it is not

A count does not classify every make and model, and it does not follow a vehicle along a whole route. It describes the point that was surveyed, for the hours that were surveyed. Those limits are stated in the report so the figures are not asked to carry more than they can.

Pedestrian movement is a separate brief: pedestrian surveys. To ask for a count, use the quote form and choose traffic count, or “not sure” if you want advice on which survey fits.