DATA GATHERING FOR TRANSPORTATION PLANNING

Posted by aditya | 8:25 PM | 14 comments »


Certain data about past or present situations are fundamental for intelligent highway or urban transportation planning, and these are gathered by practically all agencies that plan, construct, operate, and maintain facilities. Inventories are kept of the physical state of existing facilities, accident experience, motor vehicle ownership and use, sources and distribution of funds, and traffic flows. Other data may be assembled when a special occasion arises, such as for urban transportation or corridor- or route-location studies. 

Many early rural roads were built without plans; or, if plans were available, they lacked detail. To provide data on these roads, a country-wide inventory was made in the 1930 s. Observers recorded width, type, curvature, grades, and condition of roads and structures and located farms, dwellings, schools, churches; and other cultural features which were potential sources of traffic. This original road inventory cost somewhat less than $1/mi. When, about 1940, the data from the several states were assembled there was, for the first time, a detailed record of the country's rural highways transportation and their condition. In general, cities had construction plans and other records and with them had or could assemble an inventory.

By building on these earlier records, coupled with plans tor later construction , most highway transportation and street agencies have fairly up-to-date inventories showing the major details of all their facilities. Many have expanded their inventories to include samplings of traffic volumes and speeds (see below'), accident experience, and maintenance costs. Also, surveys to record the condition, remaining service lives, and surtace friction characteristics of pavements often have been made. Today much of this information may be in a computer-based data bank from which it can be retrieved or summarized.