| Various States will have varied rules, but it is generally free. The Feds will also have stats for interstate routes. In my case, the data was existent. I'd later collect data. Data is not just throughout, but even contains data from things like a reflectometer, sign frequency, and adjustments for specific locations. The data collected is, for this sort of thing, paid for by the municipality and can be examined at your local municipality, where applicable. The specific department, and location, will vary but our reports were public information. Your department of transportation has copies, where applicable. I didn't do much in the way of design. I modeled. This is what will happen if you do this, this is what will happen if you do that, and if you want these results you should consider doing these things. They don't always listen. We also did modeling for things like disasters. A recent example would be the bridge collapse in Atlanta, GA. Most of the public thought it was going to be a nightmare. I actually had people argue with me and tell me I didn't know what I was talking about. No, they already have plans on file to deal with the expected congestion from just such an occurrence. Of course, those plans are usually a bit out of date... In their defense, it's not an inexpensive process. Given the ubiquity of compute cycles, many municipalities are taking some of this in-house. Your local planning board should be a good start, if you want to learn about your specific area. Note: I have been out of the industry for about a decade. I am contractually barred from entering the industry again, in any capacity. I do try to keep up with the tech, but that's purely out of curiosity. It is no longer a scholarly or professional pursuit. Also, any reports we filed are almost certainly still around. They are probably buried in a closet, however. I am not actually sure how municipalities function as well as they do. They are, almost without fail, very disorganized. Someday, I'll tell you about The Font People. Yes, we even quantify fonts as an impact factor. However, Font People are some of the most unusual characters I've ever met - all of them. I do miss the data collection and research. But, I haven't worn pants all day. So, it's an acceptable trade off. |