Decision support tool to evaluate options for implementing a short-duration vehicle classification count program

Abstract

A short‐duration vehicle classification count program provides essential data for developing a system‐wide understanding of truck traffic volume. In responding to increasingly urgent truck traffic data needs, transportation agencies face the challenge of implementing improvements with constrained resources. Within this context, this paper develops and applies a decision support tool that reveals trade-offs amongst program design parameters. The Tool enables decision‐makers to simultaneously consider two broad and interrelated program objectives, namely, to achieve a target level of classification count coverage and to minimize changes in resource requirements. The Tool incorporates five decision input parameters (coverage, technology type, count duration, frequency, and counting cycle) and produces information concerning count accuracy, the number of equipment units required to implement the program, the classification counting season duration, costs, and considerations such as count redundancy and data timeliness. The paper presents Manitoba’s short-duration count program as a case study and evaluates three program options.