A Methodology for Developing a Traffic Surveillance Investment Program: An Application to Caltrans District 4

A method for determining how to develop the most effective traffic surveillance investment program given available resources is developed. The complicated decision structure for deciding where and when to install traffic surveillance and what type of surveillance to install is broken down into a series of steps: identifying information needs, determining which can be met by traffic surveillance, setting criteria for and evaluating the benefits of surveillance in various locations, identifying alternative surveillance methods and estimating their capabilities and costs, comparing the ratios of benefits to costs, and finally matching cost-effective investments with available funds.