Purpose: This article describes a unique effort underway in San Diego County to establish a regional nonmotorized data collection system in support of long-range planning for bicycle and pedestrian systems, and physical activity promotion and monitoring.
Design: Case study of a novel approach to sitting a regional active travel data collection program.
Setting: San Diego County, California.
Subjects: None.
Intervention: Installation of 54 automated bicycle and pedestrian counting units at 35 sites across San Diego County.
Measures: Equipment sitting criteria including population density, employment density, median household income, planned bicycle network, and planned land uses.
Analysis: Mapping, stakeholder input, site visits.
Results: A comprehensive network of 76 sites identified and proposed for long-range implementation.
Conclusion: This research establishes a sitting methodology that holds promise for replication in other regions. San Diego's counting program is one of the most comprehensive automated data collection systems of any region in the United States.