Turning movement count

Last updated

A turning movement count or TMC is a type of traffic count that counts the flows of people and vehicles through an intersection. [1] As with other traffic counts, they may be conducted on either a temporary or permanent basis and may use a variety of different technologies such as recorded video processed with image recognition algorithms or manual field collection assisted by tools like turning movement counters. [2]

TMCs often classify different types of vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists, and record their movements separately. [3]

TMC's may be used to determine whether the intersection needs a traffic light. [4] Formulas are used to decide whether the volume of the traffic determines that a light is needed. This equation is based on the road classification, entering speed and pedestrian/bicyclist movement through the intersection. A total of eight hours of turning movement is generally mandated for this type of assessment.

References

  1. "Turning Movement Counts (TMC) Studies". Miovision. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  2. "Turning Movement Counts Manual, 2022 Edition" (PDF). Government of Alberta. Government of Alberta. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  3. "Traffic Volumes - Multimodal Intersection Turning Movement Counts". Toronto Open Data.
  4. "TDOT Traffic Design Manual: Chapter 4 - Justifying the Need for Traffic Signals" (PDF). Tennessee State Government. June 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)