SPOT SPEED STUDY DATA COLLECTION FORM
(Trap Length Method - As per IRC Provisions)
SECTION A: GENERAL INFORMATION
Field Details
Location of Study
Road Name/Number
Direction of Traffic
Station/Chainage
Date of Study
Day of Week
Study Period From: _____ hrs To: _____ hrs
Weather Conditions ☐ Clear ☐ Cloudy ☐ Rainy ☐ Foggy
Road Surface Condition ☐ Dry ☐ Wet ☐ Good ☐ Fair ☐ Poor
Pavement Type ☐ Bituminous ☐ Concrete ☐ Other
Traffic Control ☐ None ☐ Signs ☐ Signals ☐ Police
SECTION B: TRAP LENGTH DETAILS
Parameter Value
Trap Length (L) _______ meters
Start Point (Chainage)
End Point (Chainage)
Measured By
Verified By
Formula: Speed (km/h) = (Trap Length in meters × 3.6) / Time in seconds
SECTION C: SPEED DATA COLLECTION
[Link]. Vehicle Time of Observation Time Taken Speed Remarks
Type* (hh:mm:ss) (seconds) (km/h)
1
2
3
4
5
...
50
Minimum Sample Size as per IRC: 30-50 vehicles per category
SECTION D: VEHICLE CLASSIFICATION CODE
Code Vehicle Type
2W Two Wheeler (Motorcycle/Scooter)
3W Three Wheeler (Auto-rickshaw)
Car Car/Jeep/Van
LCV Light Commercial Vehicle
Bus Bus (Standard/Articulated)
Truck 2-Axle Truck
MAV Multi-Axle Vehicle (3+ axles)
SECTION E: SUMMARY STATISTICS
Parameter Value
Total Vehicles Observed
Mean Speed (km/h)
85th Percentile Speed (km/h)
15th Percentile Speed (km/h)
Standard Deviation
Pace (10 km/h range with max vehicles)
Minimum Speed (km/h)
Maximum Speed (km/h)
Mode Speed (km/h)
SECTION F: OBSERVER DETAILS
Role Name Signature
Observer 1 (Timer)
Observer 2 (Recorder)
Observer 3 (Classifier)
Supervisor
NOTES:
1. Trap length should typically be 30-100 meters as per IRC guidelines
2. Study should be conducted during free-flow conditions
3. Avoid recording speeds of vehicles that are accelerating, decelerating, or following closely
4. Record speed of every nth vehicle to avoid bias
5. Minimum sample size: 30-50 vehicles per vehicle category
6. Study duration: Minimum 1 hour during peak/off-peak periods
7. Use stopwatch accurate to 0.1 seconds
IRC Reference Documents:
1. IRC:35 - Code of Practice for Road Markings
2. IRC:106 - Guidelines for Capacity of Roads in Rural Areas
3. IRC:SP:19 - Manual for Survey, Investigation and Preparation of Road Projects
Pace
In spot speed studies, pace is defined as the 10 km/h (or 10 mph) speed range that contains
the highest percentage of observed vehicles.
• It is not a single value like mean, median, or mode, but rather a range of speeds.
• The pace shows where the bulk of drivers are naturally choosing to travel, under free-flow
conditions.
Pace Significance
• Uniformity of traffic flow: A narrow pace range with a high percentage of vehicles
indicates consistent driver behavior and smoother flow.
• Safety assessment: If many vehicles fall outside the pace, it suggests speed variation,
which can increase crash risk.
• Speed limit setting: Traffic engineers often compare pace with the 85th percentile speed
to recommend reasonable speed limits.
How Pace is Determined
1. Collect spot speed data (e.g., using radar, trap length, or video).
2. Prepare a frequency distribution table of speeds.
3. Slide a 10 km/h window across the distribution.
4. The range that captures the maximum number of vehicles is the pace.
Example
Suppose you record 130 vehicles and group them into 4 km/h bins. You find that:
• 44–52 km/h contains 72% of vehicles → this is the pace.
Comparison with Other Measures
Measure What it Represents Type
Mean speed Arithmetic average of all speeds Central tendency
Median speed 50th percentile (half above, half below) Central tendency
Mode speed Most frequently observed single speed Central tendency
Pace 10 km/h range with max vehicles Range-based tendency
In short: Pace is the “comfort zone” of traffic flow—the speed band where most drivers naturally
[Link]