TravInfo Evaluation: Traveler Response Element Broad Area Study: Phase 2 Results Analysis of Wave-2 Survey

Problem

TravInfo is a federally funded Field Operational Test (FOT) to deploy real-time traveler information in the San Francisco Bay Area. It aimed to develop a multi-modal traveler information system for the San Francisco Bay Area, combining public and private sector talents. The Broad Area Study was part of the TravInfo FOT evaluation. It addressed issues on how travelers obtain traffic/transit information and how the information influences travel behavior. Two waves of telephone surveys of Bay Area households were conducted, one in 1995 eight months prior to the start of the FOT, and one in 1998 three months after completion of the FOT.

The purposes of the Broad Area Study were to establish a baseline traveler behavior of Bay Area households based on traveler information and to assess the impact of traveler information on the entire Bay Area traveling population.

Findings

The surveys showed that there was little change in the way people obtain traveler information as a result of TravInfo. However, based on traffic information, more people modified their travel behavior in 1998 (after completion of the FOT) than did in 1995 (before the start of the FOT). As shown in the 1995 survey, most people changed departure time or took an alternate route. Mode shift (opting for a different method of transportation than usual) was fairly negligible in both surveys.

Another key finding was that two thirds of Bay Area travelers acquire traffic information at least when they expect a traffic problem; the vast majority of them listen to radio traffic reports, more frequently en route than do before leaving home or leaving for home. Regular users and occasional users of traveler information are evenly divided.

The 1998 survey showed that approximately 15 percent of Bay Area motorists modified their travel behavior each day; of those who learned about traffic problems on their planned routes from the radio, about 25 percent changed their travel behavior. In most cases, people tended to take an alternate route or change their departure time.

The surveys also showed that mode choice is closely related to auto ownership, income, gender, commute, miles driven, travel distance, and age group. Auto ownership, being male, higher number of miles driven per year, and higher disposable income all were associated with less likelihood to share rides. Being female, having a regular commute, longer travel distance, and being in the younger (18-24) or older (45-55) age brackets all were associated with higher likelihood to share rides.