Get Traffic Counts for Your Development Project Before School Is Out

Summer is approaching, which means schools will be out soon. If you require traffic counts for your proposed real estate development, be sure you schedule traffic counts with us before schools close.

Why do developers need to get traffic counts while schools are in session?

In Virginia, one answer lies in the Administrative Code (Chapter 155: Traffic Impact Analysis Regulations) which states in the “data collection” section:

“Preparers collecting data for utilization in traffic impact studies shall normally avoid data collection during … (the) summer months if school or schools (are) in proximity” of a development.

The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Manual, which is used almost everywhere as the default technical standard for traffic counts, advises that trip collection counts should be handled during “representative weekday conditions and avoiding atypical periods” and should show peak-hour characteristics that overlap with commuter peaks. In other words: while schools are in session.

In our home base of Fairfax County, Virginia, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation’s (FCDOT) traffic impact study guidelines state that “summer months, holidays, or other atypical periods” be avoided when performing traffic counts for real estate projects.

Traffic counts and data collection are often only a minor portion of the overall traffic study budget but can hold up a project for months if counts can’t be collected. So, if you are anticipating a submission between June and mid-September, it’s a good idea to collect your counts now.

If you are unsure whether your development proposal requires a “school session” traffic count, reach out to us and we’ll let you know.

School Traffic Count Engineering Team

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