Design of External Station Survey Methodologies for High Volume Locations

Project Description

External travel surveys collect important information on local travel needed by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for travel demand modeling. These surveys, often termed "roadside" surveys, are typically conducted at or near the boundaries of urbanized areas to collect information on the amount and characteristics of vehicles traveling into, out of, and through a defined study area. This research determined methodologies for collecting external survey data on high-volume facilities that are best suited for use in the TxDOT's Travel Survey Program (TSP). High-volume facilities have a significant impact on travel surveys in Texas. While only 8 percent of the survey stations are on high-volume facilities, traffic at these locations accounts for over 46 percent of the total traffic traversing study area boundaries.

Researchers recommended using a flexible approach where a variety of options are available to collect origin/destination information on high-volume facilities. For non-commercial vehicle surveys, they recommended TxDOT use a mailout by license plate. If a license mailout survey cannot be conducted, researchers recommended using of a license match survey in combination with intercept interview surveys at or near low-volume exit ramps. For surveys of commercial vehicles, results showed that continued use of intercept interview surveys would work well at facilities along high-volume routes such as rest areas, truck stops, and weigh stations that are located at or near the survey area boundary. The research found a number of high-volume survey methods are viable but typically not feasible for widespread use. Such methods may supplement data collection efforts of license match and mailout survey methods recommended for TxDOT's needs.

Project Publications

Evaluation of External Station Survey Methodologies for High Volume Locations 0-4869-1

Summary of High-Volume External Survey Methods for TxDOT 0-4869-S

TxDOT Travel Survey Program: External Surveys on High Volume Facilities 0-4869-P2

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