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

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1 Traveler information (TI) systems are diverse and rapidly evolving. It will be important for agencies and TI vendors to align development with the needs and expectations of the traveling public. The National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Project 08-82, Deployment, Use, and Effect of Real-Time Traveler Information Systems concerns: developing a better understanding of agency practices and rationales for disseminating real-time TI, assessing the effectiveness of these real-time information systems as it relates to traveler perception and use, and suggesting best practices for future facilitation of this information. SUMMARY Many studies of real-time TI effectiveness focus on user satisfaction (e.g., “NCHRP Synthesis 399: Real-Time Traveler Information Systems” by Deeter, 2009). The current approach goes beyond this limited assessment approach, instead using a variety of methods to not only understand satisfaction, but also behavioral outcomes (through self-report logs) and other low-cost methods. This combination of methods creates a better assessment of effectiveness in real-time TI systems and practices, while also providing better information from which to develop guidance for future approaches to real-time TI. The Westat-CATT team believes that the most critical aspects of this research, from a practitioner perspective, are the “gaps” between the agency’s processes for disseminating travelver information and the public’s expectations and needs. Another critical output of this research: Agencies are in dire need of guidance on how to measure the performance/impact of their TI programs. In addition, the project is providing a public use database of survey data collected throughout the effort for use by agencies in assessing the public’s views on TI. Research Approach The research approach used in this study closely parallels the overall research objectives: to analyze the deployment, perception, and use of real-time TI systems. First, the research team identified how and why agencies disseminate real-time TI. This involved developing and conducting an extensive web-based survey and several followup phone interviews to collect public agency TI provider information around three interrelated themes: 1. Determine agency perceptions regarding the rationale for why TI is provided and the mechanisms by which the information is delivered; 2. Determine what evaluation/assessment techniques are used by agencies to support the rationales for TI provision mechanisms; and 3. An attempt to identify impediments to evaluation assessment, unique practices in existing TI programs, and agency perspectives on the future outlook of TI. After focusing on how and why agencies disseminate TI, the research team used a variety of methods to explore outcomes from a traveler perspective including access to, perception of, and need for real-time information. This approach allowed us to not only understand TI user satisfaction and perception, but also behavioral outcome proxies (through self-report logs and recent timeframe surveys). Several questions of interest were identified: • What access do travelers have to real-time TI and what is their awareness of that access? • What is the public perception of real-time TI? • What characteristics do travelers need in real-time TI? • What are the gaps between what agencies provide and what travelers feel is important and need?

2 • How do agencies use real-time data in planning and operations activities and are these uses reaching the public with the intended effect? • What are the reasons travelers do not use available real-time TI? • Are there any self-reported behavioral changes due to real-time TI? If so, what are the most effective information type and medium to be used in changing traveler behavior? How do pre-trip and en-route patterns of using real-time TI differ? • How frequently do these changes occur? • In what ways do the changes occur (e.g., leave earlier, later, change route)? • If behavior does not change, then why not? Is it a system constraint (e.g., lack of alternative routes/transit options, unreliable information) or personal constraints (inability to adjust trip time due to appointments, etc.)? A particular area of interest for transportation managers and engineers is changing traveler behavior based on information disseminated. Ideally, one would like to have extensive empirical data on the actual changes in traveler behavior as a function of various types and sources of TI to directly measure the effect (and relative effectiveness) of TI. This is in fact quite difficult to do, particularly with a limited set of project resources. Our approach is to learn what we best can about multiple aspects of TI effects from a diverse set of sites. We believed the best approach to understanding travelers’ use, perception, and response to real-time TI was the combination of a variety of low-cost methods that have proven successful in the past. This “toolbox” consists of several components which can be inexpensively adapted to a particular site. This approach also has the advantage of not being cost prohibitive for agencies who would like to develop their own evaluation process and use some of the same tools. The detailed TI user assessment focused on four sites: a) Washington DC metro area (Rockville, Maryland), b) Orlando, Florida, c) San Francisco, California, d) New York City commuting area (Teaneack, New Jersey). Each site contained the following data collection approaches and was used in forming a comprehensive profile of traveler behavior and perceptions in the area (in this order): • Reference to agency interviews and surveys, as well as use of Geographical Information Services to target optimal corridors that contained heavy traffic and potential for alternate routing. • Web-based surveys with participants primarily targeted through zip codes in corridors of interest. • Two focus groups at each location: one group of real-time TI frequent or heavy users and one group of non-users or light users. • Traveler logs: Participants in each group were given a seven-day traveler log at the completion of each focus group, along with instructions for its completion. To supplement the more detailed assessment sites, there were two additional sites where the research team did not visit in person but collected data remotely utilizing web-based surveys. The two remotely assessed (survey only) areas were: Detroit, Michigan and Salt Lake City, Utah. Finally, after summarizing the information received from agency providers of TI and TI users, the information was compared to identifiy any gaps between what agencies perceive as effective TI practices and what travelers perceive as effective. The public was also asked to help define an ideal TI system and their detailed responses are included in Chapter 3. The research team also examined TI trends and the future of TI access such as having information integrated into our daily lives in such a way that requesting TI becomes virtually unnecessary. Summary of Key Findings This summary of key findings is based on the outputs of the research approach presented in the previous section and presented here in the order the research was conducted. Details of all research findings can be found in Chapter 3 and related appendices.

3 Findings from Agency Surveys: • 90 percent of the interviewed agencies disseminate information on non-recurrent events (i.e., incidents and roadwork) and over 85 percent of them provide CCTV and interactive maps illustrating roadway travel conditions. From the agency perspective, approximately 98 percent believe that information allows the traveling public to make better travel decisions. This emphasizes the concern that agencies have about how to provide sufficient information to travelers in order to enhance individual and system performance. However, only 30 percent of the agencies reported having evaluation data that demonstrate the benefits of providing information to the traveling public, and only 40 percent have an ongoing program for evaluating the provision of TI. Finally, there was a strong desire/need of the agencies to take advantage of smartphones and new social media (e.g., apps, Twitter, mobile webpage, etc.) in order to enhance the range and rapidness of information dissemination. While detailed findings on agency perception and use of TI are provided in the Appendix, selected highlights are shown below: • The most popular modes of dissemination are variable message signs (VMS), webpage (including mobile accessible), social media outlets, and 511 systems. • Agency perception of most the important information to provide to travelers includes CCTV video, roadway travel conditions (e.g., maps with speed/incident info), traffic incidents, travel times, parking availability, special events, weather, and roadwork. • The manner in which agencies disseminate information to the public is generally perceived as very effective with the exception of highway advisory radio (HAR). Agencies consider HAR the least effective TI dissemination technique even though 70% of the agencies surveyed use it. • Agencies mostly depend on 511 call statistics and, to a lesser extent, some form of traveler survey, to evaluate their systems. • While roughly 90 percent of surveyed agencies provide information on traffic conditions (e.g., roadway status, CCTV video, incidents, construction zones), less than 35 percent provide alternate route information (which is perceived as somewhat less important than other information provided to travelers). • Agencies express concerns regarding availability of funds and what they can do with the limited funds available, particularly in support of TI program evaluation. When asked about funding in the followup interview, common comments of the agencies included “there is never enough” and “we need more.” • Agencies support the notion that new social media and technology must be seized. In followup phone interviews with six agenecies, all indicated that they have a mobile device app and/or Twitter account. The latter was the most popular in some cases, but not necessarily perceived as the most effective. • When asked if there is any type of TI that they feel is effective but are not currently providing, agencies mentioned statewide travel times, detailed construction lane status information, and multimodal and route trip planning. Findings from Public TI Users: The traveling public is generally satisfied and uses numerous sources and types of TI (see Figures A and B). It is also clear that there are areas where travelers are calling for improvements (e.g., HAR), highlighting concerns (e.g., smartphone apps in the face of distracted driving concerns/laws), or unaware of available services (e.g., 511). Surprisingly, although travelers generally seek more detailed and complex information that often requires the latest technology, there was a common call for simple, reliable information that can be accessed by most people in a variety of locations (e.g., AM/FM radio). A supplemental survey was also deployed across all six cities to investigate recent trip changing behavior. The survey found that trip changes were rare; only 14 percent of respondents reported changing a trip in the past three days. Among those who did report changing a trip, the most popular information sources used when making trip changes included radio, smartphone apps, and VMS. Note that

4 smartphone app use was reported at a much higher percentage than the earlier survey asking about typical use, possibly due to better memory retrieval now when asked about most recent trips within the last three days. The least popular sources included arterial electronic roadway signs, social media, and on-board devices (possibly reflecting the lack of availability of these systems). Travelers reported the most used information types were traffic incident reports, travel times, and alternate routes. The least used were safety information, special events, and parking availability. Figure A. Information sources used when changing a trip in the last 3 days.

5 Figure B. Information types used when changing a trip in the last 3 days. Participants were asked a direct question about features of an ideal real-time TI system. These were the main themes that emerged across all cities: • Reliable, real-time, and accurate information • Local and tailored to the travel corridor of interest and living area based on location (possibly GPS enabled), filtering irrelevant information • Detailed information such as specific lane closures, video images of traffic conditions, etc. • Time-stamped information so that the “freshness” is known • Automated alerts based on route or location of traveler • Accessible from a variety of sources (“universal means of accessing information”). Similarly, bundled suite of information types that one can choose from via most sources (e.g., traffic, road closures, construction, weather, public transit) • Alternate route and transportation information to improve decision-making • Radio as a mode should be included because it is accessible to almost everyone and more reliable in emergencies or places with cell signal obstructions – Including continuous updates on a dedicated station that clearly transmits information • Multimodal information, including transit • Information provided at key decision points (e.g., before entering a highway) • Dedicated apps, radio stations, and television stations • Integrated information regardless of jurisdiction for the traveler from Point A to Point B

6 Agency TI Providers and Public TI Users – Do Perceptions Match • be targeted, local, and relevant to the consumer; ? One of the more compelling aspects of this research project is having the ability to match agency and public perceptions of effective TI features. The research analysis reveals considerable consistency between agencies and the public in terms of what features are considered effective and which are considered less effective. Agencies and the public agree that TI should: • be easy to access and use, including when en-route; • be clear, concise, trustworthy information that is accurate and reliable; • include special event, construction/maintenance, or emergency information; and • use technologies that are widely available to everyone and easily implemented (e.g., radio). While there is general agreement in agency and public perception as to the effectiveness of TI and how it should be provided to the public, there are some notable examples of where these perceptions do NOT match. It is these instances (agreement on ineffectiveness and disagreement on effectiveness) that are of interest as they point to features where resources are needlessly being expended or where features might need considerable improvement. Some examples of perceived limited effectiveness and disagreements about effectiveness are: a) Highway Advisory Radio—This TI program feature is a good example of a dissemination method where both agencies and the public agree as to its limited effectiveness as implemented, b) Social Media and Apps—TI program features using social media and smartphone apps are receiving increased attention from agencies as they are considered both effective and a technology trend that must be taken into account. From a TI program perspective, these features are perhaps the most “cutting edge” in terms of state of the practice and the long term viability remains to be seen. From a public perspective, very few people are using social media and apps to receive TI c) 511 Phone Systems—Many agencies have implemented or are moving toward 511 phone systems as they are considered to be highly effective, but at the same time, state legislatures are moving to ban cell phone use while driving (and the public’s mindset is changing in the same direction). This may explain why a review of survey results indicates that making a 511 phone call is not deemed a particularly effective method of getting en-route TI. This may be the result of a conflict between developing state laws and public perceptions targeting cell phone use and the desire for en-route TI. Application to Practice Based on the findings of this study, several overall features of an effective TI system are recommended. First, there should be provision of real-time TI with a focus on non-recurring events. Second, a wide array of information dissemination methods should be implemented and used effectively. Finally, TI should align with demands of the public. Details of effective TI programs include: • Provision of real-time information concerning transportation system status focusing on non-recurring events—It is apparent that non-recurring events (including those that are unplanned such as traffic incidents or planned such as special events) are very important in terms of the type of information needed by travelers to make better decisions. In an effort to focus on the randomness of incidents and their impact on the consistency (or lack thereof) of trip travel times, the concept of travel reliability is becoming an increasingly important feature amongst TI providers. The challenge with travel reliability is conveying measures (e.g., buffer and planning indices/times) that are easily consumable by the traveling public. • A wide array of information dissemination methods are implemented and used effectively—When it comes to dissemination, TI cannot be too accessible. Not every traveler has the same needs and not every traveler will find value in every dissemination mechanism so an important feature of any

7 effective TI program is a diversity of dissemination methods. Also, it is not critical that an agency be responsible for all dissemination mechanisms. Many agencies focus on providing a usable website with timely and reliable information, but also provide data to third parties (at no cost) so that additional outside resources, ideas, and capabilities can be used to create new and innovative dissemination mechanisms. Effective use of a dissemination method is also important. For example, when using websites, it is important to keep clutter to a minimum so that uses can quickly find the information they need. Many websites include extensive headers, footers, and menus with extraneous links that can distract from the primary information that users seek. • A TI program should be evaluated for its effectiveness—The definition of effective is “successful in producing a desired or intended result.” Desirable results may include benefits to transportation network performance, and improved trip decisions, travel times, and satisaction levels for individuals. Evaluating a TI program to determine if it is successful in producing desired or intended results is not a straightforward proposition. While agencies expend a great deal of effort determining transportation system performance (see Appendix for a list of evaluation measures), they typically do not use these measures to determine the specific contribution of their TI program to overall transportation system performance. There are many components of a TI program, some of which are more easily evaluated than others. Agencies today evaluate their TI programs using data collection techniques such as 511 call statistics, website hit statistics, and a variety of traveler input survey methods using their 511 systems, web and e-mail forms, and to a lesser extent, traveler focus groups. These collection techniques are being used, to some extent, to evaluate effectiveness of TI content including information timeliness, accuracy, availability, accessibility, and decision-making. While information helps with decisions regarding departure time, destination choice, mode choice, etc., there is also benefit to travelers of just knowing why they might be in a delay and what the impact may be to their trip. Not knowing, for example, why they are stuck in congestion adds to driver frustration or anxiety (especially in some locations where they may be in a tunnel or fear an emergency event). TI should align with demands of the public—The traveling public has certain demands and expectations regarding an effective TI system. When there is alignment between the public’s desires and goals, and the agency’s information services, the system can be optimized and the public can be satisfied. Facilitating TI in the Future • Data Accessibly—Data collected but not used can be a waste of good resources. It can also be an inefficient use of resources to develop an application internally that can be done cheaper by someone else. In order to enhance an agency’s ability to provide accurate and reliable TI, they should allow easy access to the data they collect so that developers, media outlets, universities, the private sector, and others can obtain success without severe bureaucratic navigation. A process should be put in place that has the required steps to access agency data. This would assist both internal staff as well as external agencies. Access agreements should be kept as simple as possible. The data should be made available with little or no access fees. When agencies design their databases, it should be done with a focus on using technologies and standards that will make the data more easily accessible. : Agencies are already providing a wide array of TI systems, but new technology, particularly in the private sector, provides opportunities to substantially advance the effectiveness of TI systems. Agencies can facilitate providing TI in the future. Readily attainable facilitation topics include: • Private Sector Partnering—As discussed above, sometimes providing TI can be accomplished more effectively through a public-private partnership that includes the added potential benefit of obtaining free services or even revenue generation. It is imperative that agencies keep an open mind about partnership opportunities with the private sector. Every state has its own laws about what can and can’t be accomplished through private sector partnering but many states have been able to receive free 511 services through private sector partnerships. Agencies can also partner for the development of a mobile app. Private sector partnerships will also benefit by making agency data easily accessible.

8 • New Data Sources—Agencies should consider using outside sources such as having an outside organization provide probe data to supplement agency data sources. This third-party data combined with the agency’s own data could be used to support their TI activities as well as other management, operations, and planning functions. The costs of internally adding and maintaining additional cameras or sensors should be compared to the cost of having a third party provide the additional data. If additional data is contracted by an outside party, the agency should maintain open dialog because technology changes so rapidly. • Partnering with Other Agencies—In order to provide the most complete informational picture to users, agencies should endeavor to work with neighboring agencies to fuse data from multiple sources. It is especially important in regions where multiple state and local jurisdictions exist. • Evaluation—Since the traveling public is the ultimate consumer of TI, it is important for agencies to measure the effectiveness of their TI programs. Most agencies provide TI to the public but don’t measure its effectiveness. How will an agency know how to manage their TI program if they do not know how effective it is? Therefore, it is important to actually program specific funding to evaluate the TI program. The evaluation should focus on the users’ experience and use of TI. This will allow the agency to actively manage and evaluate their TI program from the user’s perspective. One reason that thorough evaluation of a TI program is rarely undertaken is a lack of efficient, scienticially derived techniques to quantify operational impacts of TI programs. A research effort to develop such techniques could benefit transportation agengies nationwide. Research could also be conducted to assess how to mitigate driver distraction that is associated with users receiving TI while driving. • Distribution Mechanisms—Each user gathers TI in a different way so it is important that agencies provide the information in a variety of ways. Agencies should support a wide range of distribution mechanisms/opportunities in order to reach the maximum amount of users. As discussed earlier, because technology changes so rapidly, it is important that agencies also have the ability and flexibility to provide new types of TI as the environment demands. • Improve Existing Traveler Information—TI provided to users can always be better. Agencies should strive to continually improve the reliability, timeliness, coverage, and quality of its existing TI and the resources used to disseminate the information (e.g., highway advisory radio, VMS, etc.). Facilitation goals with longer time horizons are also discussed in the report, as well as future TI technologies. Smartphones and other mobile devices are the current favorite for advancements in TI primarily due to the ease at which new applications can be deployed to powerful networked devices. As soon as new data sources become readily available, developers can innovate and create new applications that are quickly vetted by hundreds of thousands of users. Advancements in these mobile platforms come quickly. Smaller, increasingly powerful devices, with more accurate GPS, higher quality cameras, longer battery life, and more brilliant displays are developed every few months. Yet, the advancements in TI will be less reliant on hardware, but rather on tighter integration between other services including personal calendars, entertainment, education, and automatic analysis of our travel behavior—estimating our every need without making a single request. For example, the next “killer app” won’t be an app at all, but rather an integrated calendar service that 1) knows where you are, 2) knows where you need to be, 3) knows what the conditions are along the way, 4) alerts you when it’s time to leave—showing you the best route to take, and 5) automatically reroutes you along the way as conditions change. It should be noted that several of these technologies operate within the smartphone space. While the research team notes limitations in utilizing smartphone apps, the reader should be mindful of the usefulness of smartphones if the technology allows for safe deployment (e.g., in-vehicle docking with central stack information displays and voice controls). It should be recognized that, while smart phones will continue to play an increasing role in TI dissemination in the future, radio-based TI dissemination will continue to play a major role. Components of agency TI systems, such as surveillance/detection systems continue to be needed for non-TI related

9 operational reasons (e.g., for volume monitoring, ramp metering, etc.). VMS will also continue to be needed to meet a range of TI needs. At the same time, agencies may need to re-evaluate continued investment in what they and the public perceive to be less effective TI delivery mechanisms like HAR. While traditional agency-run systems will continue to be required, private industry will continue to deliver effective, personalized products to better meet real-time TI needs and this provides transportation agencies more flexibility to focus resources on other TI components or operational needs. While industry has not developed the ideal, personalized TI system quite yet, this evolution is occurring, and should be part of agency considerations in their own TI and traffic surveillance investments. In short, transportation agencies can benefit from advances made in the private sector and need not be threatened by them. Assessing the Effects of TI on Trip Behavior • Focus groups targeting certain travelers : Assessing the effects of TI on trip behavior requires alternative approaches used in combination with more traditional methods. We propose a “toolbox” method. This approach combines a variety of focused, targeted, and low-cost methods that evaluate different aspects of a TI program. It is also a desirable approach due to the variety of dissemination methods, traveler characteristics, and information types. The toolbox should consist of several components which can be inexpensively adapted to a particular site and can provide insight into the effectiveness of a TI program. The list below describes basic approaches: • Traveler logs • Targeted surveys • Interviews • Use available data where possible Summary of Research Results & Products a) national survey and targeted interview of agency dissemination practices and beliefs, : The results of this research project provide an important glimpse into the decision-making and opinions of agencies and the public with respect to real-time TI systems in cities across the country. It also provides several important products that can be used by stakeholders in the TI domain. These are discussed in more detail in this report, but include: b) large scale surveys and focus groups with the traveling public in several locations across the country to gain a better understanding of the public’s perception and use of TI, c) a public use database of survey responses for future analysis, d) analytical discussion of the match between agency and public perceptions, along with identification of gaps for policies, e) recommendations for methods to use in assessing a TI system, f) guidance for features of an ideal TI system and how agencies can facilitate information dissemination, g) discussion of the future of real-time TI, including cutting edge technologies and deployment approaches.