Abstract

Pedestrian and bicycle volume data is one of the most fundamental types of data for active transportation planning. However, they are not yet well developed. This paper explores an innovative method that uses drone technology to collect pedestrian and bicycle volume data. It confirms the feasibility of the technology as an alternative method to collect complex movements of pedestrians and bicycles. Furthermore, this paper presents a method that converts the video footage to a spatiotemporal dataset. The dataset includes not only the pedestrian and bicycle count data, but also their behavior and characteristics. The spatiotemporal data can become a valuable resource for a variety of active transportation planning practices and research, including the collection of pedestrian and bicycle volume data in parks and recreational areas, the study of collisions between pedestrians and bicycles, and the analysis of the social path. Since it is possible to envision that the development of technologies can overcome current technical difficulties, such as battery lifespan, it is worth considering the application of drone technology to active transportation planning practice and research.