These data collectors use pneumatic tube-counting technology. As the wheels of a vehicle pass over the tube, an air pulse is pushed into the counter, recording vehicle classification, volume, and speed data. Transportation program staff use ATRs primarily in support of MassDOT’s Traffic Counting Program and Local Technical Assistance (LTA) requests.

These count boards track all vehicle movements through an intersection. Transportation program staff must be present to manually record data by pressing the appropriate keys on the count board as a vehicle moves through an intersection. Staff use these counters for project-specific data collection, typically related to congestion/delay assessments and signal warrant analyses. For efficiency purposes, staff use Miovision for TMCs where possible/available and only use manual count boards on a limited basis.

In some cases, staff employ traditional pen/paper survey sheets to record data. For example, transportation program staff support MeVa’s ridership monitoring program by performing on-bus data collection using an NTD survey sheet provided by MeVa. Staff also support the validation of MeVa’s in-bus Automatic Passenger Counters (APC).

Transportation program staff manually collect and input data into tablets (iPad) for several collection efforts, including park & ride and commuter lot occupancy studies, as well as sidewalk pavement condition assessments. Staff will occasionally input data into applications designed for a specific purpose. For example, staff use Cartograph Data Collector for pavement assessments.