Efficient transportation planning and road safety begin with accurate, up-to-date traffic data. The HRM Traffic Data Collection Program collaborates with various internal departments and external consultants to collect and manage multi-modal traffic data. This data is then used for analysis to provide comprehensive insights into the local transportation network.
Halifax Open Data – Traffic Studies is an online application that provides access to HRM’s traffic data studies. This data is collected year-round at various locations within the municipality. New data is regularly added to Open Data as studies are completed. By offering public access to transportation data, we foster government transparency and deliver improved services to our community.
Please note that traffic data for Provincial roads within the HRM are not included in this dataset. For access to this information, please refer to the Provincial government's website.
About the Data
Within Halifax Open Data – Traffic Studies, you can view pedestrian counts at various intersections and crosswalks; vehicle volumes and speeds on streets; movements of bicycles, pedestrians, and vehicles at intersections; as well as the types of vehicles traveling on selected streets. Select a data point on the map to open an attribute table displaying the type of count, date of collection, and a brief summary of the data. Full study files can be accessed by clicking “View” in the Associated File Link row of the attribute table.
Accessing this information allows citizens to explore travel patterns in their community. This application is also a valuable tool for professionals involved in evaluating the HRM’s infrastructure needs and planning for our future growth.
For guidance on interpreting HRM traffic study files, please see How to Read Traffic Count Reports.
Data Details
Types of Data Counts:
- Turning Movement Count (TMC)
- Volume (Traffic, Pedestrian, Bicycle)
- Speed
- Classification
- Speed Display Signs
Methods of Collection:
- Miovision Cameras: Used to record record vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian volume and classification
- Radars: Used to measure vehicle speed and volume
- Manual
Interpreting Volume Data:
- AAWT: Average Annual Weekday Traffic
- AADT: Average Annual Daily Traffic
Both AAWT and AADT are used to normalize data by applying a seasonal factor, providing a standardized estimate of the average number of vehicles per day. Seasonal factors are based on annual data from permanent traffic count locations and are updated on an annual basis. Yearly seasonal factors can be found below: