Deployment, Use, and Effect of Real-Time Traveler Information Systems (2013)

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT This work was sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, and was conducted in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), which is administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FTA, Transit Development Corporation, or AOC endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. DISCLAIMER The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research. They are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or the program sponsors. The information contained in this document was taken directly from the submission of the author(s). This material has not been edited by TRB.

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i LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ........................................................................................................ III CONTENTS AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................................... IV ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................ V SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................. 1 BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................................... 10 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 10 RESEARCH APPROACH ...................................................................................................................... 15 Questions and Variables of Interest ..................................................................................................................... 15 Materials and Methods ....................................................................................................................................... 17 Agency Survey ..................................................................................................................................................... 17 Agency Interviews ............................................................................................................................................... 17 Overall Traveler Assessment and Implementation Approach .............................................................................. 18 Site Selection ....................................................................................................................................................... 18 Sample Characteristics and Size ........................................................................................................................... 19 Focus Groups ....................................................................................................................................................... 20 Trip Logs .............................................................................................................................................................. 21 Traveler Surveys .................................................................................................................................................. 21 FINDINGS AND APPLICATIONS ....................................................................................................... 22 Section 1 - Deployment: Summary of Agency Surveys and Interviews ................................................................. 22 Agency perceptions regarding the rationale for why traveler information is provided and the mechanisms by which information is delivered ............................................................................................................................... 22 Measuring the impact of traveler information and traveler information’s benefits and impediments to evaluation assessment ............................................................................................................................................ 24

ii Unique practices in existing traveler information programs, and agency perspectives on the future outlook of  traveler information ............................................................................................................................................... 26  Additional information ........................................................................................................................................... 26  Section 2 ‐ Use/Perception: Summary of Traveler Focus Groups and Surveys ..................................................... 27  Information sources ................................................................................................................................................ 27  Information Types ................................................................................................................................................... 34  Section 3 ‐ Effect: Summary of Traveler Log Information and Supplemental Survey ............................................ 39  Features of an ideal system .................................................................................................................................... 43  CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTED RESEARCH .............................................................................. 45  Agency and Public Perception ........................................................................................................................... 45  Effective TI Program Features ............................................................................................................................ 47  Guidance on Assessing the Potential Effect of Information on Trip Behavior ...................................................... 48  How Transportation Agencies Can Facilitate Traveler Information in the Future ................................................ 49  Readily attainable ................................................................................................................................................... 50  Looking further into the future ............................................................................................................................... 51  Potential for Innovative and New Traveler Information ..................................................................................... 52  The future of traveler information ......................................................................................................................... 52  Dissemination technologies and applications......................................................................................................... 53  Information backbone ............................................................................................................................................ 55  REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 57  APPENDIXES ......................................................................................................................................... A­i 

iii List of Figures and Tables Figure 1. Site locations and data collection methods. ................................................................................. 19 Figure 2. Percentage of agencies disseminating TI by various methods.................................................. 23 Figure 3. Perceived traveler information system effectiveness in meeting agency goals. ...................... 23 Figure 4. Deployment of traveler information systems.............................................................................. 24 Figure 5. Reasons for disseminating real-time traveler information. ....................................................... 25 Figure 6. Factors hindering agencies’ abilities to effectively evaluate traveler information programs. ........................................................................................................................................ 26 Figure 7. Information source used to make a trip decision prior to start (web survey data). ............... 28 Figure 8. Information source used to make a trip change decision while in transit (web survey data). ................................................................................................................................................ 29 Figure 9. Traveler information type used to make a trip decision prior to trip start (web survey data). ................................................................................................................................................ 35 Figure 10. Information type used to make a decision to change trip while in transit (web survey data). ................................................................................................................................... 36 Figure 11. Trip changes by pre-trip traveler information source (traveler log data). ............................. 40 Figure 12. Trip changes by en-route traveler information sources (traveler log data). .......................... 40 Figure 13. Traveler information sources used when changing a trip in the last 3 days. ........................ 41 Figure 14. Traveler information types used when changing a trip in the last 3 days. ............................ 42 Figure 15. Most influential traveler information types. .............................................................................. 43 Figure 16. Cell phone and texting bans by state. ......................................................................................... 47 Figure 17. Information infrustructure and real-time traveler applications. ............................................. 56 Table 1. USDOT benefit metrics. ................................................................................................................. 13 Table 2. Prevailing dissemination technologies. .......................................................................................... 53

iv AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The research reported herein was performed under NCHRP Project 08-82 by Westat and the University of Maryland’s Center for Advanced Transportation Technology (UMD-CATT). Westat was the prime contractor and both organizations worked on the project throughout. Dr. Emanuel Robinson, Senior Research Scientist at Westat, was the Project Director and Principal Investigator. The other contributors to the project and authors of this report are Thomas Hans Jacobs, Director UMD-CATT (and UMD- CATT PI), Kathleen Frankle, Program Manager UMD-CATT; Michael Pack, Director of CATT Lab; and Nayel Serulle, Graduate Student. Dorothy Parnian and Carly Keane were UMD-CATT staff who helped with survey preparation and data compilation. Several Westat research staff who helped with instrument development, focus grup moderation, data collection, and report preparation throughout the project were (in alphabetical order): Kathryn Kulbicki, Neil Lerner, Elisha Lubar, Jeremiah Singer, and Judy Tang. The preparers would like to thank the NCHRP 08-82, Senior Program Manager, Nanda Srinivasan, and the review panel for their guidance and comments throughout the study and for the report. The panel is comprised of: Steven Smith (Chair), P.E., San Bernadino Associated Governments Matthew Coogan, New England Transportation Institute Gene Glotzbach, Florida DOT James Hogan, P.E., New Jersey DOT David Kinnecom, P. E., Utah DOT Lee Nedervold, Michigan DOT Dr. Pravin Varaiya, University of California, Berkeley Scott M. Sauer, California Department of Transportation Matthew Hardy, AASHTO Liaison Dr. David Luskin, FHWA Liaison Richard Cunard, P. E., TRB Liaison

v ABSTRACT This report presents the results of a study on the deployment, use, and effect of real-time traveler information (TI) systems. The main goals were to understand agency dissemination practices, assess the potential effectiveness of TI systems as it relates to traveler perception and use, and suggest best practices for facilitation. It also provides several key outputs to be used by stakeholders: a) survey/interviews of agency representatives, b) surveys and focus groups with travelers to better understand the public’s perception/use of TI, c) database of survey responses, d) comparative analysis of agency and public perceptions, e) recommendations of methods for assessing TI, including a “toolbox” of low-cost approaches, f) guidance for features of an ideal TI system, g) discussion of future TI, including cutting edge technologies. Agencies and the public agree that TI should be targeted, easy to use, relevant, clear, trustworthy, reliable, and accurate. Interestingly, there was a call for simple information that can be accessed by most people in a variety of locations (e.g., radio). We recommend features of an effective TI system. First, there should be a provision of TI focusing on non-recurring events. Second, a wide array of dissemination methods should be implemented. Finally, TI should align with needs and wants of the public. The report also includes guidance on how agencies can facilitate TI in the future, taking advantage of new technologies, new dissemination methods, and public-private partnerships.