North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is seeking to incorporate bicycle and pedestrian counting technologies to further evaluate traffic facility usage over time. This study assessed the feasibility of multiple bicycle and pedestrian counting technologies for the growth of the North Carolina Non-Motorized Volume Data Program (NC NMVDP). Researchers interviewed government agencies, commercial vendors, and private firms to determine the availability of various non-motorized counting technologies, where specific technologies are deployed, and the level of customer satisfaction with each piece of technology. Six technologies were evaluated for a qualitative cost-benefit analysis:

1. passive infrared sensors
2. inductive loops
3. piezo-electric
4. pneumatic tubes
5. video processing; and
6. depth cameras.

Measurement accuracy and the quality of the software tools provided by the vendor were considered as the benefits of these technologies. Therefore, the calculation of BCR is conducted in qualitative terms. Based on the analyses results, benefits, costs, and BCRs ranged from very low to very high. The analysis used the costs of commercially available products and based benefits on system accuracy and quality. The accuracy of passive infrared sensors and inductive loops were compared to that of standard piezo-electric, pneumatic tubes, video processing, and depth cameras technologies.

Using 2020 USD values, researchers calculated the costs of four systems utilizing passive infrared sensors and inductive loops to varying degrees. All systems utilized passive infrared sensors. System 1 and 2 included two inductive loops with 1 only placing them on unpaved bike trails and 2 placing them on each side of the roadway, System 3 included four inductive loops on each side, and System 4 included wooden posts on each side. The study assumed that two site visits are required annually to maintain and validate a given system. The following wages were also assumed: an intern hourly wage of $13, maintenance technician hourly wage of $51, data technician hourly wage of $60, and planner and researcher hourly wages of $70.

The costs of four systems are tabulated below in Table 1.

Table 1. Deployment costs of each system type.