Pedestrian and bicycle volume data is rarely collected in Los Angeles County, and even more rarely is high quality data available in low-income communities. While short-duration manual counts exist here at several hundred locations, these provide a limited understanding of how volumes may vary by time of day. This project analyzed some of the first longer-duration bicycle and pedestrian data in LA County, collected by automated counting devices. The devices were loaned by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and installed in the cities of Carson, Cudahy, South El Monte, El Monte, San Gabriel, and Monterey Park in 2013-2015. We report findings from 30 initial sites, discussing patterns in time of day, day of week, and spatial distribution of volumes. Interesting and unexpected findings include a site in Cudahy, CA with a strong pedestrian pattern related to school departure and arrival. We observed a maximum of 3,170 average daily pedestrians at this location; and over 1,000 per day at two other school sites. Because of the two week counting period, we are able to report these numbers at a 95% confidence level. Our research provides insights into understanding travel behavior near low-income schools and in low-income communities more generally. Furthermore, we describe the challenges associated with quality control and process management with automatic counter data.
Analyzing and Archiving Bicycle and Pedestrian Volumes from Automated Counters in Low-Income Cities in Los Angeles County
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