Synthesis Study of Costs and Trip Rates of Recent Household Travel Surveys

Travel surveys are a staple of transportation planning. They are conducted regularly by regional planning agencies and states, sometimes in conjunction with larger national surveys. Their primary uses are in describing local travel patterns, updating travel models, evaluating major project proposals and monitoring travel trends. Since the last time the Hartgen Group conducted a survey, many improvements in travel survey methods have been implemented, most notably the use of smartphones which measure trips across multiple days. Additionally, lower response rates have been so prevalent that some agencies are now using convenience sampling to ensure adequate representation from all market segments. Both of these have added cost and the effects on trip rates and representation are somewhat confounded due to the different survey modes. Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is currently conducting Household Travel Surveys (HTS) and long distance (LD) surveys over a 10-year period. Over the five years the survey has been fielded, the percentage of smartphone ownership and participation has increased. However, the response rates from the address-based random sample have decreased to the point that the issue of moving to a convenience sample has arisen. To date, ODOT has not allowed convenience samples. However, if findings from an updated synthesis demonstrate that there is little difference in survey responses, then ODOT may allow convenience samples in order to obtain a more representative population. To assist ODOT in ensuring the utilization of the most effective and appropriate HTS and LD survey methods, research is needed. The goal of this research is to enhance the fielding of ODOT's HTS and LD surveys and their sample design. The objectives of this research include the following: (1) update the 2009 synthesis report, Costs and Trip Rates of Recent Household Travel Surveys, conducted by the Hartgen Group; and (2) develop a Power-BI database and a supplemental MS Excel spreadsheet of all data utilized in the analysis including data from the 2009 synthesis report, missing data obtained to address any gaps in the 2009 report, and new data collected since the 2009 report.

• Record URL:
  https://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Planning/SPR/Research/reportsandplans/Lists/Final%20Reports%20All/AllItems.aspx?View={7D4D0273-6FC5-48A5-AD17-9CC3A7E83DA0}&FilterField1=State%5fx0020%5fJob%5fx0020%5f%5fx0023%5f&FilterValue1=136516

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $122574
• Contract Numbers:

  37846

  115881

  136516

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Highway Administration

  Office of Planning, Environment and Realty (HEP)
  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Ohio Department of Transportation

  Research Program
  1980 West Broad Street
  Columbus, OH  United States  43223
• Project Managers:

  Spriggs, Jennifer

• Performing Organizations:

  Ohio University

  226 Stocker Center
  Athens, Ohio  United States  45701
• Principal Investigators:

  Khoury, Issam

• Start Date: 20230912
• Expected Completion Date: 20250112
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Costs; Households; Methodology; Sampling; Travel surveys; Trip generation
• Geographic Terms: Ohio
• Subject Areas: Planning and Forecasting; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01891035
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Ohio Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 37846, 115881, 136516
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 25 2023 1:51PM