The report deals with traffic measurement methods needed for the planning and evaluation of traffic management schemes designed for a time horizon of up to about five years for urban and suburban areas. The problems of accessibility, mobility, environment, safety and energy are discussed with a view to setting up strategies to influence trip making - spatially and in time, to improve throughput (and/or level of service), to influence modal choice, to improve traffic safety, to alleviate environmental problems, and to reduce energy consumption. Mention is made of the various measurement techniques currently in use in OECD member countries: traffic counts, speed and delay measurements, interviews, trip log and postcard surveys, origin-destination studies not based on interviews, parking studies, traffic safety studies, environmental and energy factors, uncertainty and cost/effectiveness considerations. One chapter deals with measurement devices used to measure traffic parameters; they can take the form of conventional traffic measurement devices, aerial photography, automatic vehicle identification and monitoring, environmental sensors for noise, air pollution and vibration. Mention is also made of some equipment for measuring fuel consumption.
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