From major transport improvements to road repairs, traffic data collected by Lincs Laboratory helps the council make evidence-based decisions, improve journeys and get more from its highways budget.
Lincs Laboratory operates 49 permanent Automatic Traffic Counter (ATC) sites on main A roads across the county, collecting traffic data 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Using inductive loops installed in the road surface, these counters record the volume and classification of vehicles travelling in each direction. The information helps the council understand how its roads are used and where investment, improvements and maintenance may be needed.
Cllr David East, executive member for highways, said: “Good decisions start with good information. Understanding how much traffic our roads carry and the types of vehicles using helps us plan for the future, make better investment decisions and target maintenance where it will have the greatest benefit.
“This data underpins much more than day-to-day highway management. It helps us build the evidence needed to make the case for major transport investment, assess the impact of new developments and decide where limited maintenance funding can make the biggest difference.
“Ultimately, better information helps us make informed decisions about how we spend taxpayers’ money and support safer, more reliable journeys across Lincolnshire.”
Building the case for transport investment
Traffic data plays an important role in developing the transport models used to assess the need for major infrastructure projects. These models help predict how traffic patterns may change, test potential solutions and provide evidence for investment decisions.
Without robust traffic data, it would not have been possible to develop schemes such as the North Hykeham Relief Road and recent Levelling Up Fund (LUF) projects with the same level of confidence and supporting evidence.
The data is also used to assess planning applications, including proposals for new housing. By modelling the likely effect of additional traffic on the existing road network, the council can identify where improvements may be needed and ensure appropriate mitigation measures and highway upgrades are considered as part of development proposals.
This helps support planned growth while managing its impact on existing roads and the people who use them.
Helping target road maintenance
Traffic data also helps engineers understand what roads need to withstand. The volume of traffic matters, but so does the mix of vehicles using a route, particularly heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), which place greater demands on road surfaces and underlying structures.
By understanding both traffic levels and vehicle types, engineers can make better-informed decisions about the type and depth of repairs a road may need. This helps the council target maintenance more precisely, make effective use of its available budget and potentially maintain or repair more roads than would otherwise be possible.
The laboratory also uses temporary automatic traffic counters at locations where more detailed information is needed. These small black boxes, mounted on poles or street furniture, use radar technology to measure vehicle volumes and lengths by direction.
The resulting information can support speed limit reviews, transport modelling and the design, maintenance and improvement of the highway network.
Combining traffic data with other surveys
Traffic information is considered alongside other data collected by Lincs Laboratory to build a more complete picture of how roads are used and how they are performing.
For example, Deflectograph surveys assess how a road’s underlying structure responds to the weight of a vehicle. Combining this information with traffic data helps engineers understand both the demands placed on a road and its structural condition, informing decisions about maintenance requirements and expected road life.
Chris Neal, laboratory services manager at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Traffic counters are one part of a much wider programme of data collection carried out by Lincs Laboratory. By bringing different types of information together, we can give our engineers a better understanding of the network and the evidence they need to plan ahead.
“That means we can look beyond how busy a road is and consider what types of vehicles are using it, how the road is performing and what that means for its future maintenance.”
Understanding traffic at local level
Alongside its permanent and temporary counters, Lincs Laboratory carries out manual traffic surveys using its team of Traffic Data Enumerators. These surveys record vehicle volumes and classifications from the roadside, providing a more detailed picture of traffic at particular locations.
Two manual survey programmes are carried out each year, in spring and summer. The results help calculate Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) for individual roads, estimating the average number of vehicles using them each day. This information can then inform road design, maintenance and improvement schemes.
Manual surveys can also help assess whether a pedestrian crossing may be justified. In these cases, the number and type of pedestrians crossing the road are considered alongside traffic volumes through a method known as the PV² assessment (Pedestrian and Vehicle Volume Squared).
Chris added: “The value of this work is that it gives us evidence rather than relying on assumptions. Whether we’re assessing a proposed development, planning a major transport scheme or deciding how best to maintain a road, reliable data helps us understand the issues and make better-informed choices.
“For a county with around 5,500 miles of roads, that insight is an important part of planning how we look after the network over the long term.”
The traffic data collected by Lincs Laboratory forms part of the wider evidence used by Lincolnshire County Council to plan transport investment, assess development proposals and manage its highway network. By helping the council understand where pressures are greatest and what interventions are needed, it supports better planning, more targeted maintenance and value for money for taxpayers.
For more information about Lincs Laboratory, visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/lincslab.