A neighbourhood group wants to show how busy their street gets. A student needs traffic data for a project. A manual traffic count is a simple place to start: one person, one spot, and a tally of everything that goes past. This guide walks through how to plan a traffic count, then how to do it with Tally Cat, our tally counter app for iPhone and iPad.
Plan the count first
Decide these before you start, so anyone reading the count later knows what it means:
- Where. Pick one spot with a clear view of the road, off the road itself. Write down the street and the nearest junction, so the count has a place.
- What counts as one. Choose a line, like a lamp post or a driveway, and count each vehicle as it crosses it. That helps you avoid counting the same vehicle twice.
- What kinds. Decide your categories up front: Cars, Vans and trucks, Buses, Bikes, Pedestrians. Fewer categories are easier to keep up with on a busy road.
- Which way. If direction matters, count each one separately, like "Cars north" and "Cars south".
- When and for how long. Counting the same hour on different days makes counts easy to compare.
Set up a counter for each kind of vehicle
When Tally Cat opens, it asks What are you counting? Tap Counter. The app remembers your choice next time.
- Name the count. Tap the name at the top (it says Count at first) and call it after the place, like "Elm St at 5th". This is the name on your count sheet and on the files you share.
- Rename the first counter. Touch and hold its tile, choose Rename, and call it "Cars".
- Add the rest. Tap Add a counter, type a name such as "Vans and trucks", and tap Add. Do the same for each category or direction. There's no limit on counters.
Each counter is a big coloured tile, and the same colour marks it on the count sheet. If you add one by mistake, touch and hold it and choose Remove. A counter that has already counted something asks you first.
A count's start time is set when the count is created, before your first tap, not by it, so set up your counters shortly before you start counting.
Count as traffic passes
Tap anywhere on a tile to count one vehicle. Your iPhone gives a small haptic tap on every count.
- Counted a car twice? Tap the minus in the tile's corner to take one off. A count never goes below zero.
- Tapped the bike tile for a car? Tap Undo at the top. It takes back the last tap, whichever counter it was on.
Under the count's name, Tally Cat shows when the count started and, with more than one counter, how many were counted in all. Every tap is kept with its time and saved on your iPhone as you go, so you don't need to write times down.
End the count
When your time is up, tap End this count, then End count. The count is kept in Past counts with its start and end times, and a new count starts with the same counters at zero. Counting the evening rush after the morning one? Your categories are already set up, but the new count's clock starts the moment you end the old one, so its times and its 15-minute report begin there.
To look at an earlier count, tap the clock button at the top for Past counts. Each one shows its name, its times and its total.
Share the count sheet
Tap the share button at the top to open the Count sheet. It shows the count's name, its date and times and the total, then a row for each counter with its count and its first and last tap, and, when there's room on the page, ruled lines for notes, like the weather or roadworks.
- Pick Letter or A4.
- Tap Print, or Share PDF to send or save it from the share sheet.
- Tap Share CSV for a spreadsheet of every tap: its time, the count's name, the counter, +1 or -1, and that counter's count after it.
The CSV is what you want if you're making your own charts: every tap is there with its time to the second.
See traffic by the quarter hour
Totals tell you how many. Often the next question is when. The 15-minute report (Pro) splits the count quarter hour by quarter hour: a row for each 15 minutes from the start of the count to the end, a column for each counter and a total. A quiet quarter hour still gets its row. At the top it names the busiest quarter hour and how many were counted in it, and the totals sit at the foot.
It's made from the tap times Tally Cat already keeps, so it works on your past counts too. To open it, tap the share button as for the count sheet, then pick 15-minute report at the top. Print it, share it as a PDF, or share it as a CSV.
Counting lots of categories at once, like several vehicle types in both directions? The counter grid (Pro) lays your counters out as big squares, so more fit on the screen.
Counting people instead?
Footfall at a shop door or a headcount at an event works the same way, with In and Out counters. See how to count people at an event. Tally Cat also keeps score for games: how to keep score for a card game.
What it costs
Counters, counting, undo, Past counts, and the count sheet as a print, PDF or CSV are free, with no limit on counters or counts. There's no account and no ads. Tally Cat Pro is an optional one-time purchase. On the counting side it adds the 15-minute report and the counter grid. If you lose Pro, nothing is deleted: every count stays, and so does the free count sheet. More on the Tally Cat page.
Your counts are kept on your iPhone or iPad. They leave only when you print or share them yourself.
Quick answers
How do you do a manual traffic count?
Stand at one spot with a clear view, pick a line on the road, and tally each vehicle as it crosses it, with a separate tally for each type or direction. Note the start and end time.
Can I count cars and trucks separately?
Yes. Make a counter for each, like Cars and Vans and trucks. The count sheet shows each one's count.
Can I see how traffic changed through the hour?
Yes, with the 15-minute report (Pro): a row for each quarter hour, a column for each counter, and the busiest quarter hour named at the top. The free CSV also has every tap with its time.
Try Tally Cat
Try Tally Cat: free, no ads, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/tally-cat