School Pedestrian Counts

School pedestrian counts should be made on a normal school day during the hours of greatest crossing activity. Obtaining the necessary count information for a school crossing study involves:
  • counting the number of vehicles
  • determining the length and spacing of gaps in the traffic stream
  • measuring the width of the street
  • counting the number of pedestrians crossing the street during each gap in the traffic stream.
Other factors to be considered at the crossing are:
  • the 85th percentile speed
  • crash history
  • existing pavement markings, signing and channelization
  • the age of school children.
Forms.
 The necessary forms with instructions for conducting a school pedestrian count are:
  • Pedestrian Group Size Study (See Appendix A)
  • Pedestrian Delay Time Study (See Appendix A)
For procedures for Determination of Need for Traffic Control at School Crossings, see Appendix B of this manual.