The Peak Hour Trip Estimator Tool is a simple yet powerful resource for transportation planners, traffic engineers, and modelers who need to estimate peak hour trips when no detailed traffic count data is available.
Using a standard hourly trip distribution profile, the tool lets you select a time interval (e.g., 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM) and input the total daily trips for your site or network. The calculator instantly estimates the number of trips occurring in that specific hour based on typical percentage shares.
Peak Hour & Peak Period Trip Estimation Tool
Estimate the number of trips occurring in a specific hour or peak period based on default hourly distribution data.
How It Works
The calculator uses a predefined distribution of daily trips—derived from observed urban traffic patterns—to estimate the portion of trips that occur during each hour of the day. For example, if 8.9% of daily trips happen between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM, and your site generates 5,000 daily trips, the tool will estimate around 445 trips in that hour.
This is especially useful when you:
- Don’t have traffic count data for every hour.
- Need a quick approximation for a Traffic Impact Assessment (learn more here).
- Want to identify likely AM and PM peak periods before conducting field counts.
- Need to prepare inputs for simulation models such as Synchro (see our Synchro guide).
Why Peak Hour Estimation Matters
Accurate peak hour trip estimation is crucial for:
- Roadway design (flexible vs rigid pavement, ESAL calculations)
- Signal timing and intersection analysis (signal warrant calculator)
- Fleet size calculations for buses and transit (bus fleet size calculator)
- Parking demand estimation (parking demand estimator, parking requirement calculator)
Related Tools and Resources
If you’re working on a transport planning or traffic engineering project, you may also find these free tools and guides helpful:
- Trip Generation Estimator Tool – Estimate trips from new developments.
- Peak Hour Factor Calculator – Adjust for traffic flow variations.
- Trip Distribution Tool – Assign trips to different network routes.
- Pavement Design Calculator – Determine layer thickness for flexible pavements.
At Arterials.co, we provide practical planning tools, engineering design services, and technical reviews to help professionals deliver better infrastructure.