Traffic

Vehicle traffic data reveals how many cars pass by a site each day—a critical factor for visibility, accessibility, and drive-by customer potential. GrowthFactor displays traffic counts directly on the map and summarizes nearby road traffic in the results panel.

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Traffic by Road

When you search a site, the Traffic by Road section in the results panel lists the streets closest to your location with their daily vehicle counts.

What's Displayed

Each road entry shows:

Field	Description
Road Name	The street or highway name
VPD	Vehicles Per Day—the average daily traffic count on that road segment
Distance	How far the road is from the searched address
Traffic Level	A relative rating (High, Mid, Low) for quick assessment

Roads are listed in order of relevance, typically prioritizing proximity and traffic volume.

Traffic Levels

Traffic levels provide a quick benchmark without requiring you to memorize VPD thresholds:

Level	Interpretation
High	Major arterial or highway with significant daily volume
Mid	Moderate traffic; typical for collector roads or busy local streets
Low	Lower-volume road; side streets or residential areas

These ratings are relative to typical road classifications—a "Mid" rating on a suburban collector road represents different absolute volumes than "Mid" on an urban arterial.

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Local Traffic Map Layer

Enable the Local Traffic layer from the Layers panel to visualize vehicle counts directly on the map.

How It Displays

Traffic volume appears as:

• Color-coded roads: Warmer colors (red, orange) indicate higher traffic; cooler colors (yellow, green) indicate lower traffic

• Inline VPD labels: As you zoom in, specific vehicle counts display directly on road segments

The more you zoom in, the more granular detail appears—major highways show counts at any zoom level, while local streets populate as you get closer.

Reading the Map

Use the traffic layer to:

• Identify major arterials: Red roads are your primary traffic corridors

• Assess site positioning: Is the site on a high-traffic road or set back on a quieter street?

• Understand traffic flow: See how traffic moves through an area—which roads feed the site, where congestion occurs

• Compare visibility potential: Sites on high-VPD roads have more drive-by exposure than those on low-traffic side streets

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Why Traffic Matters

Visibility and Exposure

For retail concepts that rely on drive-by awareness, traffic volume directly correlates with brand exposure. A site on a 25,000 VPD road gets seen by 25,000 potential customers daily—before any marketing spend.

High-visibility concepts:

• Quick Service Restaurants (QSR)

• Convenience stores and gas stations

• Fast casual dining

• Auto services

Accessibility

Traffic data helps evaluate how easily customers can reach a location. Consider:

• Is the site on the high-traffic road or adjacent to it? A site one block off a major arterial may miss drive-by traffic entirely.

• What's the traffic on access roads? High highway traffic is valuable, but if the immediate access road is low-volume, the site may be hard to reach.

• Are there multiple approaches? Sites accessible from several moderate-traffic roads may outperform those dependent on a single high-traffic road.

Ingress and Egress

High traffic volume is a double-edged sword:

• Pro: More potential customers passing by

• Con: Difficult left turns, limited access points, or congestion can frustrate customers

A site on a 40,000 VPD divided highway may have excellent visibility but challenging access if there's no signal or median break. Consider traffic volume alongside practical access factors observed during site visits.

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Traffic vs. Foot Traffic

GrowthFactor provides two distinct traffic metrics:

Metric	What It Measures	Best For
Vehicle Traffic (VPD)	Cars passing on roads	Drive-by visibility, auto-oriented retail, accessibility assessment
Foot Traffic	Pedestrian visitors to an area	Walk-in potential, urban retail, understanding actual visitor patterns

Both matter, but their relative importance depends on your concept:

• Suburban strip center: Vehicle traffic is primary; foot traffic is secondary

• Urban storefront: Foot traffic may drive more business than road traffic

• Highway outparcel: Vehicle traffic is critical; foot traffic is minimal

See Foot Traffic and Brand Rankings for pedestrian traffic analysis.

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Interpreting Traffic Data

High VPD, Not Always Better

More traffic isn't universally positive. Consider:

• Speed: A 50,000 VPD highway where cars travel 65 mph offers visibility but not convenient stopping. A 15,000 VPD road at 35 mph may generate more actual visits.

• Traffic type: Commuter traffic (predictable, rushed) behaves differently than shopping traffic (browsing, flexible).

• Your concept: A destination retailer can thrive on a lower-traffic road if customers seek them out. An impulse-driven concept needs high visibility.

Context Matters

A road with 8,000 VPD might be:

• Excellent for a neighborhood services concept in a residential area

• Weak for a QSR expecting significant drive-through volume

• Irrelevant for a destination retailer drawing from a 20-mile radius

Evaluate traffic in the context of your concept's customer acquisition model.

Combining with Other Metrics

Traffic data is most powerful when combined with other analyses:

• High traffic + aligned demographics → Strong potential for drive-by conversion

• High traffic + poor visibility (setback, obstructions) → Volume exists but may not translate to awareness

• Low traffic + high foot traffic → Urban or pedestrian-oriented location; different customer acquisition model

• Low traffic + low foot traffic → Validate that destination draw or other factors compensate

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Using Traffic in Site Selection

Screening Criteria

If your concept requires minimum traffic thresholds, use the Traffic by Road data for quick screening:

• Below threshold on all nearby roads → Likely disqualify

• Meets threshold on primary road → Continue evaluation

• Exceeds threshold significantly → Flag as high-visibility opportunity

Site Visit Preparation

Review traffic data before visiting a site to:

• Know which roads to observe during your visit

• Identify the primary traffic flow and access points

• Prepare questions about turn lanes, signals, and median breaks

• Set expectations for the drive-by experience

Committee Presentations

Traffic data provides concrete, defensible numbers for site justifications:

"The site fronts Memorial Drive with 21,806 vehicles per day, providing strong visibility for our drive-through concept. Secondary access from Land Boulevard (15,286 VPD) offers an alternative approach from the east."

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Best Practices

Check all nearby roads, not just the frontage road. A site might front a quiet street but sit 500 feet from a major arterial—or vice versa.

Zoom in on the map. Traffic labels on smaller roads only appear at closer zoom levels. Don't assume a road has low traffic just because no number displays at a regional view.

Consider directionality. A site on the "going home" side of a commuter route may capture more evening traffic than one on the "going to work" side. Traffic counts are bidirectional totals; actual patterns may favor one direction.

Validate with observation. Traffic counts are averages. Visit during your peak business hours to observe actual conditions—is traffic flowing or gridlocked? Are turns easy or difficult?

Factor in seasonality and trends. Published traffic counts may not reflect recent changes (new development, road construction, shifting commute patterns). Use the data as a baseline and supplement with current observation.

For related analysis, see Foot Traffic and Brand Rankings, GrowthFactor Score and Insights, and Trade Area Analysis.