NTL Record

Title Effectiveness of Disseminating Traveler Information on Travel Time Reliability: Implement Plan and Survey Results Report
Record ID 66726
Personal Name
Creator
Kuhn, Beverly; Krile, Robert; Ritter, Chloe; Higgins, Laura; Pate, Alan; Chu, Jimmy
Corporate
Contributor
United States. Federal Highway Administration; Battelle Memorial Institute; Texas A & M Transportation Institute; Resource Systems Group, Inc.
Publisher United States. Federal Highway Administration
Publication Date 20160101
Language English
Abstract Travel time variability is that characteristic of the transportation system that means a traveler's trip will vary from what is normally expected and will potentially take longer than planned. By helping travelers make travel choices that take into account travel time variability, agencies have the potential to reduce roadway congestion. Travel Time Reliability (TTR) information includes static data about traffic speeds or trip times that capture historic variations from day to day and enable individuals to understand the level of variability in traffic. A key component to addressing the reliability issue related to urban mobility is conveying this TTR information to system users so that they can make informed decisions about their travel. The challenge for transportation professionals lies in selecting the best means of conveying that information so that it is usable and effective to the traveler and other stakeholders. The Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP2) Reliability Project L14 established a preliminary set of suggested terminology and guidelines for conveying TTR information to road users so that they may make optimal travel choices from their point of view, such as whether to take a trip or not, departure time, mode choice, and/or route choice. Specifically, a Lexicon of phrases was developed for each of eight TTR terms, which contained detailed guidelines for TTR information that would most likely be understood and used by travelers. To help agencies and other transportation-related entities better deploy and use the recommended Lexicon terminology, a field study was conducted to test the phrases to demonstrate the technical and institutional feasibility of their use and determine the potential costs and benefits of using these products of L14. Overall, the field study found that the particular Lexicon phrases tested performed equally well. Only one survey question resulted in statistically significant differences between the Lexicon phrases. The biggest finding of the field study was that dissemination of TTR information via the 511 information channel was less preferred than via the Web or App access channels. In a few instances, the App access demonstrated superior responses over both the Web and 511 access.
Rosap ID dot:41198
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/41198
TRT Terms Traveler information and communication systems; Travel time
General Subjects Travel time (Traffic engineering); Telecommunication
Geographical
Coverage
United States
Contract Number DTFH61-12-D-00046-T5017
Report Number FHWA-HOP-16-066
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/66000/66700/66726/fhwahop16066.pdf
Alternative URL https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop16066/fhwahop16066.pdf; https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop1666/index.htm
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository