Large surveys can provide useful snapshots, but may prove too expensive to repeat regularly. Because pedestrian journeys are usually very short, the choice of any screenline or cordon is more critical than it would be for surveys of motor vehicles. The cordons used to monitor vehicles may be inappropriate for surveying pedestrians. Pedestrian flows at any one location are likely to show more variety from day to day than flows of motor vehicles. One-day counts may provide a useful impression, but are unlikely to form a statistically reliable basis for regular monitoring.
Manual counts are fairly simple to undertake.
Some automatic counting equipment is available, including video cameras, infra-red and piezoelectric sensors. Daily pedestrian flows are affected by the weather. The size of the effect appears to be greater than that for motor vehicles but less than that for cyclists. From the DETR homepage, click on the Local Transport icon and then on Traffic Advisory Leaflets. Lastly, click on one of the themes to view material.