Quality Counts provides a variety of transportation data services to help guide infrastructure growth, improve network efficiency, and make the communities they serve better places to live, learn, work, and play.
The QC team was born out of a vision to make data collection faster and more reliable, and they have been delivering on that vision since 2003. They continue to strive for excellence through ingenuity and they work closely with their clients to deliver innovative solutions tailored to their unique challenges.
From a September 2019 release, San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) faced significant challenges related to bicycle-related incidents on Valencia Street in downtown, from illegal vehicle loading activities in the bike lane, drivers not yielding to bicyclists and bicyclists not using dedicated bike lanes were just some of the issues. San Francisco Mayor London Breed saw these conditions as a major concern to her citizens’ safety and assisted in expediting safety improvements along the corridor. The protected bikeway from Market Street to 15th Street is a pilot project to assess the effectiveness of separated lanes, measured by changes in vehicle/bicycle interactions.
QC collected the before and after data for the pilot project using a variety of collection strategies to meet the custom needs of this project. This included SOP counts, TMCs, tube counts, parking studies and behavioral observations via dash cams along the route.
Upon completion of the bikeway, the safety conditions on Valencia Street have overwhelmingly improved. These safety improvements include:
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- 99% decrease of illegal vehicle loading activities
- 95% decrease in vehicle/bike interactions
- 84% of drivers yielding to bicyclists
- 98% of bicyclist utilizing the protected bike lane
Going the Extra Mile
According to the company’s published Sustainability Vision, Quality Counts strives to use energy in the most efficient, cost-effective and environmentally responsible manner possible. We are dedicated to environmental improvements that foster a sustainable future and lead to social and economic improvements – creating a cleaner, safer place to live and work.
Some of the improvements that QC has made include:
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- Elimination of shipping data and DVDs to clients in favor of digital transfer
- Route optimization for drivers
- Digital filing system shareable with clients via myQC and Dropbox
- Use of deep-cycle SLA batteries for cameras to reduce battery recycling
- Focus on volunteering and community involvement, offering 40 hours of Volunteer PTO per year
Initiatives for the future include a focus on the organization and offices themselves – hibernating computers, double-sided printing, and establishing a recycling program.
Given the company’s dedication to environmental improvements that foster a sustainable future and lead to social economic improvements, QC chose green certification through Green Business Bureau as a way to let their industry and represented local communities know that Green is a priority for the company, and the GBB EcoAssessment™ and EcoPlanner™ tools are the foundational building blocks that will help them set goals and work towards them in a more tangible way.
For more information, please visit www.qualitycounts.net
