Vehicle Counter
Manually tally passing vehicles.
Tap, click or press Space to keep count.
Tap anywhere inside or press Space
How the Vehicle Counter Works
The Vehicle Counter tallies passing vehicles by class, such as cars, vans, trucks, buses and motorcycles, with one button per class. The tool converts the count into an hourly flow rate.
- Pick a counting spot: Stand where you see one lane or one road section clearly and safely.
- Start the timer: Begin a count period, usually 15 minutes.
- Tap the vehicle class: Tap the matching button as each vehicle crosses your counting line.
- Read flow per hour: The tool multiplies the 15-minute count by 4 and shows vehicles per hour.
Vehicle Counter Formula
The Vehicle Counter hourly flow equals the vehicles counted divided by the count period in hours. The peak hour factor (PHF) compares the full hour with its busiest 15 minutes.
- Vehicles
- Vehicles counted
- Hours
- Count period in hours
- Peak 15-min volume
- Highest 15-minute count in the hour
Example: Four 15-minute counts of 210, 240, 260 and 190 give an hourly volume of 900. PHF = 900 ÷ (4 × 260) = 0.87.
Vehicle Counter Reference Table
The Vehicle Counter conversion table converts short counts into hourly and daily flow estimates. Daily estimates assume the peak hour carries 10% of daily traffic.
| 15-min count | Vehicles per hour | Vehicles per minute | Estimated daily traffic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 100 | 1.7 | 1,000 |
| 50 | 200 | 3.3 | 2,000 |
| 125 | 500 | 8.3 | 5,000 |
| 250 | 1,000 | 16.7 | 10,000 |
| 450 | 1,800 | 30.0 | 18,000 |
About the Vehicle Counter
A Vehicle Counter is a manual traffic counting tool that records passing vehicles by class. Manual counts remain a standard method for short traffic studies and for checking automatic counters.
Traffic engineers count in 15-minute intervals. The Highway Capacity Manual uses the peak hour factor to describe how evenly traffic spreads through the busiest hour. A PHF of 1.00 means perfectly even flow.
Ways to Use the Vehicle Counter
The Vehicle Counter has 5 main uses, including traffic studies and school road safety surveys.
- Traffic studies: Engineers count turning movements and classes at junctions.
- School road safety surveys: Parents count vehicles at school drop-off times.
- Planning objections: Residents gather traffic data for planning hearings.
- Automatic counter checks: Teams compare manual counts with tube or camera counters.
- Student projects: Geography students run traffic surveys for coursework.
Tool Details
- Category
- Crowd & Traffic
- Controls
- Taps and keys
- Input Support
- Touch, Pen, Mouse, Keys
- Offline Ready
- On your device