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https://www.nationalacademies.org/trb/events

Development of Methods to Produce High-Quality Household-Based VMT Dataset

Household-based Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) is essential for Oregon Department of Transportation's (ODOT’s) strategic initiatives. Traditionally, ODOT has reported on-road VMT to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) by monitoring traffic on public roads, but new planning and modeling requirements now emphasize household-based, light vehicle VMT—tracking passenger vehicle travel by Oregon residents, regardless of location. A variety of policy actions may have an impact on resident-generated VMT. Accurate household-based VMT data is critical as ODOT implements new local and metropolitan reporting requirements, tracks VMT per capita as a Key Performance Target in the 2022 Oregon Transportation Plan, and reports vehicle type VMT to the legislature. Without this research, the agency lacks an empirical method for measuring household-based VMT. The research will establish a framework for developing a high-quality household-based VMT measurements by integrating available empirical data and evaluating each dataset’s strengths and weaknesses for monitoring household-based. This research will leverage Oregon’s 2023-2024 household travel survey, which collected 1- to 7-day travel diaries from 22,000 households—a rare opportunity, as such surveys occur only about every 13 years. Additional VMT data sources include DMV and DEQ odometer readings, which require evaluation for completeness, privacy, and accuracy; ODOT’s OreGO program, which provides high-quality VMT data but has limited participation and self-selection bias; and third-party data vendors, which have been used by other state DOTs but remain untested for accuracy in Oregon. This research will assess the strengths and limitations of these data sources and develop a methodology for integrating reliable household-based VMT data. If critical flaws are identified, it will provide recommendations to improve VMT measurement through future data collection and administrative processes.