What a turning movement count gives you
A turning movement count records every vehicle through an intersection by the approach it arrived on and the movement it made — northbound left, northbound through, northbound right, and so on for all four legs. Counts are tallied in 15-minute bins so you can roll them into hourly volumes, identify the true peak hour rather than assuming it, and calculate a peak hour factor that a signal timing study will actually stand on.
We do this from video. You record the intersection, or your field crew does; we process the footage manually, frame by frame, and hand back a workbook. No sensor to calibrate, no detection model to second-guess, and no reprocessing fee when the weather was bad or a bus blocked the camera for ninety seconds.
What you receive
- 15-minute interval volumes for every movement on every approach
- AM, midday and PM peak-hour summaries with peak hour factor (PHF) per approach and for the intersection
- Vehicle classification to your scheme — light, heavy, articulated, bus, two-wheeler, or the FHWA 13-bin set
- Pedestrian and cyclist crossing volumes by crosswalk leg, if recorded in frame
- Your own Excel template populated, or our standard workbook plus a PDF summary
- Turning movement diagrams ready to drop into a report
Signalised and unsignalised intersections
At signalised intersections we can also log the cycle so counts line up with the phase — useful when the count feeds a Synchro or LinSig model rather than a volume table. At unsignalised and roundabout locations we record yielding behaviour and gap acceptance where it is visible, because that is often the reason the count was commissioned in the first place.
Why consultants outsource the count instead of doing it in-house
Counting is skilled but repetitive work, and it does not scale with a project pipeline. A single 12-hour four-leg intersection is a full day of a technician's attention. Three of them in the same week is a bottleneck that pushes a deliverable date. Our clients keep the engineering judgement in-house and send the tallying out — which is exactly the split the testimonials on our About page describe.
Send one intersection as a test
Upload a single video and your template. We will process it and return the workbook so you can check the numbers against your own count before committing to a programme of work.
Frequently asked
How long does a turning movement count take to process?
Most intersections come back within 24 to 48 hours of us receiving usable video and your specification. Large multi-day or multi-site programmes are scheduled and we confirm the delivery date before starting.
What video quality do you need?
Enough resolution to distinguish vehicle classes and read the movement — 1080p from a mast, pole or tripod at a height that avoids occlusion is ideal. We will tell you if footage is unusable before invoicing rather than after.
Can you count pedestrians and cyclists at the same time?
Yes. Pedestrian crossing volumes by leg and cyclist movements are commonly recorded alongside the vehicle count at no separate mobilisation cost, provided the crosswalks are in frame.
Do you deliver in our own Excel format?
Yes — sending your template is the normal way to start. Matching your existing workbook means the counts drop straight into your analysis without rekeying.
Related guides
Traffic Data Collection Methods Compared
Seven ways to collect traffic data, what each can actually measure, and why the cheapest method per hour is often the wrong one for the question you are asking.
Read the guide → MethodsTurning Movement Counts Explained
Everything the count sheet is telling you: bins, peak hour, PHF, classification, and the specification mistakes that make a count unusable.
Read the guide →Get a price for turning movement counts
Send the site details and the periods you need counted. We will come back with a fixed price and a delivery date, usually the same working day.