Directional Distribution Factors for Bicycle Traffic: Development and Applications
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 10
Abstract
The directional distribution, also known as the D factor, is an important traffic parameter that is frequently used for design and operational performance analysis. This research analyzes the variability of the D factor for bicycle traffic and identifies the factors that lead to such variability. The importance of the D factor stems from its potential application in estimating the daily volume of one travel direction at a particular count station using the daily count of the other direction. This case takes place when the sensor installed on one direction is down because of malfunction. This research explores the temporal and spatial transferability of the D factors of bicycle traffic. Different sets of bicycle D factors were developed according to different criteria, and were further used for estimation purposes. The study made use of daily bicycle volume data, which were collected at 10 bidirectional count stations in the City of Vancouver, Canada, between 2009 and 2011. The results showed that the spatial transferability of the D factors led to an average estimation error of the opposite-direction daily bicycle volume of 18.3–20.0% for various sets of the D factor. The use of the best set of D factors along with daily and monthly adjustment factors for the estimation of the annual average daily bicycle (AADB) volume led to an average estimation error of 27.5%. Moreover, the estimation of the peak hour bicycle volume (PHBV) of the missing count was explored by applying the D factor and the design hour factor (known as the K-factor) sequentially and the estimation error was found to be approximately 27.3%. In the temporal transferability analysis, the D factors were developed and applied using data of the same count locations but on other days. The average estimation errors dropped significantly to approximately 11% for daily volume estimation, and 22% and 20.6% for the estimation of AADB and PHBV, respectively.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank Mr. Clark Lim, Principal of Acuere Consulting Inc., for his guidance in this analysis.
References
Brandenburg, C. (2007). “Weather and cycling—A first approach to the effects of weather conditions on cycling.” Meteorol. Appl., 14(1), 61–67.
El Esawey, M. (2014). “Estimation of annual average daily bicycle traffic with adjustment factors.” Transp. Res. Rec., 2443, 106–114.
El Esawey, M., Lim, C., Sayed, T., and Mosa, A. (2013). “Development of daily adjustment factors for bicycle traffic.” J. Transp. Eng., 859–871.
El Esawey, M., and Mosa, A. (2015). “Determination and application of standard K factors for bicycle traffic.” Transp. Res. Rec., 2527, 58–68.
Figliozzi, M., Johnson, P., Monsere, C., and Nordback, K. (2014). “Methodology to characterize ideal short-term counting conditions and improve AADT estimation accuracy using a regression-based correcting function.” J. Transp. Eng., 04014014.
Gallop, C., Tse, C., and Zhao, J. (2012). “A seasonal autoregressive model of Vancouver bicycle traffic using weather variables.” 91st Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Hankey, S., Lindsey, G., and Marshall, J. (2014). “Day-of-year scaling factors and design considerations for non-motorized traffic monitoring programs.” Transp. Res. Rec., 2468, 64–73.
Hanson, S., and Hanson, P. (1977). “Evaluating the impact of weather on bicycle use.” Transp. Res. Rec., 629, 43–48.
Lewin, A. (2011). “Temporal and weather impacts on bicycle volumes.” 90th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Lindsey, G., Chen, J., and Hankey, S. (2013). “Adjustment factors for estimating miles traveled by non-motorized traffic.” 92nd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Miranda-Moreno, L. F., and Nosal, T. (2011). “Weather or not to cycle: Temporal trends and impact of weather on cycling in an urban environment.” Transp. Res. Rec., 2247, 42–52.
Miranda-Moreno, L. F., Nosal, T., Schneider, R. J., and Proulx, F. (2013). “Classification of bicycle traffic patterns in five North American cities.” Transp. Res. Rec., 2339, 68–79.
Nankervis, M. (1999). “The effect of weather and climate on bicycle commuting.” Transp. Res. Part A, 33(6), 417–431.
Niemeier, D. A. (1996). “Longitudinal analysis of bicycle count variability: Results and modeling implications.” J. Transp. Eng., 200–206.
Nordback, K., Marshall, W. E., Janson, B. N., and Stolz, E. (2013). “Estimating annual average daily bicyclists: Error and accuracy.” Transp. Res. Rec., 2339, 90–97.
Nosal, T., and Miranda-Moreno, L. F. (2012). “Cycling and weather: A multi-city and multi-facility study in North America.” 91th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Richardson, A. J. (2000). “Seasonal and weather impacts on urban cycling trips.”, Urban Transport Institute, Victoria, BC, Canada.
Rose, G., Ahmed, F., Figliozzi, M., and Jakob, C. (2011). “Quantifying and comparing effects of weather on bicycle demand in Melbourne, Australia, and Portland, Oregon.” 90th Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Sharma, S. C. (1993). “Yearly variation of directional distribution of highway traffic.” J. Transp. Eng., 478–484.
Sharma, S. C., and Singh, A. K. (1992). “Reexamination of directional distribution of highway traffic.” J. Transp. Eng., 323–337.
Thomas, T., Jaarsma, R., and Tutert, B. (2009). “Temporal variations of bicycle demand in the Netherlands: Influence of weather on cycling.” 88th Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Tin Tin, S., Woodward, A., Robinson, E., and Ameratunga, S. (2012). “Temporal, seasonal and weather effects on cycle volume: An ecological study.” Environ. Health, 11(1), 12.
Transportation Research Board. (2010). Highway capacity manual, Transportation Research Board and Bureau of Public Roads, Washington, DC.
Walters, C. H., and Poe, C. M. (1991). “Development of appropriate design-hour volumes for urban freeways in large Texas cities.” Transp. Res. Rec., 1320, 32–39.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 19, 2015
Accepted: Apr 5, 2016
Published online: Jun 6, 2016
Published in print: Oct 1, 2016
Discussion open until: Nov 6, 2016
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.