Visalia conducts traffic data study throughout city from April 11 through May 26
VISALIA – In attempts to keep traffic running smoothly, the city of Visalia is conducting their annual traffic data study starting this month, and will run all the way to the end of May.
Visalia contracts with a traffic data vendor to collect traffic counts citywide every year. This year’s data collection will be performed April 11 through May 26 at various streets and intersections throughout Visalia. Though a data study with an outside vendor happens only once a year as required, Visalia’s senior engineer, Leslie Blair said that the city also collects traffic data by themselves every day when school is in session, and midweek.
“As the city grows, an increasing number of vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians travel through our intersections and along our roadways,” Blair said. “The collection of traffic data is vital to the annual monitoring of our streets and intersections.”
Blair said that the data is collected and analyzed in order to ensure traffic control is managed appropriately. This is particularly important based on the volume and types of traffic coming through a specific area, whether it is pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
“The city of Visalia takes a proactive stance in routinely analyzing this data to determine if national warrants and guidelines are met to modify traffic control such as installing stop signs or signalization,” Blair said.
Residents can expect to see rubber traffic hoses set out across many of the city’s roadways. Residents may spot video equipment set on poles in some intersections as well. These cameras collect counts at intersections during the day.
The data collected is then analyzed and used to ensure that traffic control is being managed appropriately based on the volume and types of traffic coming through the area whether that’s pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
“The city of Visalia takes a proactive stance in routinely analyzing this data to determine if national warrants and guidelines are met to modify traffic control such as installing stop signs or signalization,” Blair said
Due to this week’s forecasted rain and potential storm, traffic data collection will not start on March 27 like the city had originally planned. Since next week is aso Spring break for Visalia Unified School District, the traffic data collection will not start until April 11 when school resumes.
