Bicycle and Pedestrian Counts in Carson: Results from Automated Counts in 2013-2014
Although ~17% of all trips in the Los Angeles region are made by foot or bike, and 40% of all roadway fatalities in Los Angeles County are people walking or riding bicycles, historically, traffic monitoring has focused exclusively on cars.
Bicycle and pedestrian counts enable these modes to be considered on equal footing with driving, and enable robust understanding of costs, benefits, behavior, and more. In 2013-2014, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) loaned counting devices to the City of Carson to automatically count the levels of walking and cycling at selected locations. The City had recently adopted its first bicycle master plan, and is currently in the process of developing an Active Transportation Plan, funded by DPH. The resulting data provide an understanding of the number of people walking and cycling in Carson, and the distribution of that activity. These data are crucial in evaluating the effectiveness of walking and cycling infrastructure and safety investments in Carson. In addition, conducting counts, collecting and sharing the data contributes to a growing body of bicycle and pedestrian count data in the Los Angeles region.
