Data Collection and Surveys
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Victoria Transport
Policy Institute
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Updated 4 January 2009
This chapter discusses how to collect data and perform surveys for TDM program planning and evaluation.
Data Collection and Surveys are important for TDM Planning and Evaluation. This information helps improve the effectiveness of TDM programs, and identify possible problems and opportunities for improvement.
The following data is typically collected:
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Before-and-after travel behavior data, such as
commute mode choice and Average Vehicle Ridership.
·
Information on takeback effects, such as additional
vehicle trips that participants make when they telecommute, or when they have
extra non-work days due to Compressed Workweeks.
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Participants’ reactions, including both positive and
negative feelings about the program and individual strategies.
·
Problems and barriers, including unanticipated
costs, spillover impacts (such as parking problems in nearby neighborhoods),
and opposition by some participants.
·
Costs to participants, such as additional home
heating and electricity consumption while telecommuting, and perceived
benefits, such as more convenient childcare scheduling.
·
Costs and benefits to employers, including program
administrative costs, and effects on productivity and recruitment.
·
Market information (i.e., surveys of potential
participants) to help determine Demand for potential new
transportation services and the effects of possible transportation
improvements, and to identify barriers and potential problems.
·
Parking and traffic counts.
This information can be used to produce an annual “State of the Commute” report, which describes TDM programs and resources, travel trends, and comparisons with other communities.
Data Collection and Surveys can be performed by a regional planning agency, a TDM Program, Transportation Management Association or a Commute Trip Reduction Program.
It is important that the data which is collected be comparable between different times and geographic areas. For example, it is helpful to use the same survey questions and evaluation methods for different worksites, and when performing surveys at different times, so the results are comparable. State, provincial or regional transportation planning agencies can develop standard evaluation procedures to insure data quality and consistency.
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TDM Performance Indicators Below are common Performance Indicators used to Evaluate TDM programs. These indicators can be defined for a particular time (such as peak-hour) and geographic location (such as a particular destination, district or region). · Awareness – the portion of potential users who are aware of a program or service. · Participation – the number of people who respond to an outreach effort or request to participate in a program. · Utilization – the number of people who use a service or alternative mode. · Mode split – the portion of travelers who use each transportation mode. · Mode shift – the number or portion of automobile trips shifted to other modes. · Average Vehicle Occupancy (AVO): Number of people traveling in private vehicles divided by the number of private vehicle trips. This excludes transit vehicle users and walkers. · Average Vehicle Ridership (AVR): All person trips divided by the number of private vehicle trips. This includes transit vehicle users and walkers. · Vehicle Trips or Peak Period Vehicle Trips: The total number of private vehicles arriving at a destination (often called “trip generation” by engineers). ·
Vehicle Trip Reduction – the number or
percentage of automobiles removed from traffic. · Vehicle Miles of Travel (VTM) Reduced – the number of trips reduced times average trip length. · Energy and emission reductions – these are calculated by multiplying VMT reductions times average vehicle energy consumption and emission rates. · Cost Per Unit of Reduction – these measures of cost-effectiveness are calculated by dividing program costs by a unit of change. For example, the cost effectiveness of various TDM programs could be compared based on cents per trip reduced, or ton of air pollution emission reductions. However, cost-effectiveness analysis that only considers direct impacts and a single objective may overlook additional costs and benefits to participants and society. For example, two TDM programs may have the same direct costs per unit of emission reduction, but differ significantly in terms of consumer costs, consumer travel options, traffic congestion, parking costs, crash risk and land use impacts. Evaluation studies can compare Performance
Indicator values before-and-after, over time (for example, over months or
years), with-and-without (for example, comparing performance indicators at a
worksite or area that has a TDM program with otherwise comparable sites that
do not have such programs, or with regional averages). A variety of methods can be used to collect the data needed for
performance evaluation, including general travel surveys and Statistics, participant surveys, parking lot counts,
traffic counts, and focus groups. Before-and-after and with-and-with
comparisons require the collection of good baseline data, or the use of
readily-available statistics. |
Benefits include improved TDM program effectiveness, early detection of possible problems, and justification for TDM program support.
Costs include administrative costs for gathering and evaluating information, and time/bother to participants for filling out surveys. Some employees may be uncomfortable answering surveys they consider personal or coercive.
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Establish data collection and evaluation plans early
during TDM program development.
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Develop a comprehensive evaluation framework that
considers direct and indirect impacts.
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Develop baseline data, if possible, before the
program is implemented.
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Survey TDM program participants regularly (annually
or semi-annually) to measure program effectiveness and identify possible
problems.
·
Provide convenient opportunities for participants
and other stakeholders affected by VTR programs to provide feedback by
telephone, comment forms and email.
·
Have data collection plans reviewed by program
evaluation experts. Review survey forms to insure that they are easily
understood.
·
Perform market surveys (i.e., of potential
participants) to determine Demand for alternative transportation, and identify
barriers and problems that limit their use.
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A doctor explains to his patient, “No wonder you feel run down, Mr.
Grover. We’ve done an extensive series of tests.” |
The Washington
State Commute Trip Reduction law provides several possible methods for
employers to track their employees’ commute trips, including participant
surveys, transit pass and ridesharing benefits, or parking lot counts. The state
provides a model survey, or employers can produce their own.
Commute Trip Reduction programs in
Many TDM organizations now use Internet-based surveys for evaluation, some based on third-party support services. Examples include:
Carpool.ca (www.carpool.ca/Questions.asp)
Perseus (www.perseus.com).
Self Surveys (www.selfsurveys.com).
Los Angeles-based RideLinks, Inc. offers a customizable Web-based employee
commute survey that requires no installation or training. From a remote
location (i.e. your office in N.Y. or our office in L.A.), you can implement
the survey at multiple sites (e.g. agency, employers, homes) and monitor survey
progress at each site in real-time. The online survey may be supplemented if
necessary with paper surveys as well.
The standard commute survey can be tailored for specific trip reduction
ordinances. The Average Vehicle Ridership is automatically calculated and
converted into mobile source emissions generated: CO, VOC, NOx. The report is
complete the same day the survey is closed. A demonstration survey is available
at their website (click on “Demo”- marked
with the blue-checked racing flags).
Portions of the section on Employee Trip Reduction program tracking and
evaluation from the BC Transit
Travel Options Manual are included below.
Program tracking and evaluation allows you
to determine how well your trip reduction efforts are doing in relation to your
planned targets and in relation to other organization’s Travel Option Plan
programs. Keep in mind that not meeting your targets does not always equate
with failure. You may have set your goals unrealistically high, or some facet
of your plan may be inappropriate to employees’ needs.
The process of program assessment or
evaluation, really takes place to some degree throughout the whole process; it
is an integral part of the process. Recall in our learning cycle of “think”,
“act”, “assess” and “reflect”, we learn best when theory is combined with
practice.
Evaluation is where you, as a Travel Option
Coordinator, and your organization as a whole, have an opportunity to learn
from your experience as it grows. Viewed in this light, program evaluation,
though often viewed as separate from the main stream of program activity, is in
fact a very important element to long-term program success. Evaluation is the
first step in the feedback loop that sees your program ‘learn’ and adapt even
as it is being designed and implemented.
Measure as often as you require to keep
interest up and to track progress. People are always interested to see evidence
of success or failure. This feedback in important for program profile.
As a minimum, an annual partial Employee
Transportation Survey is an essential part of your program tracking and
evaluation. Seek out enough information to compare each year’s Average Vehicle
Ridership and Employee Percentage Participation with the year previous, as well
as any other participation targets you may have set. Comparing data generated
each year will provide a clear picture of how your Travel Option Plan is
encouraging change in commuting habits.
An essential companion to the annual
employee survey, are informal, but semi structured interviews with both
participating and non-participation fellow employees. Semi structured
interviews are just interviews with open questions that you ask of each
interviewee. Open questions are used to encourage interview participants to
volunteer information that you may not have anticipated in your questions. Open
questions are questions for which there is no yes or no answer. For example,
“How would you describe your experience as a vanpool participant?” is an open
question. This will elicit more information than closed questions such as, “Was
your experience with the van pool good or bad?”
Canvass fellow workers about their
expectations and concerns about your company’s Travel Option Plan. Speak with
them in the lunchroom, place a more comprehensive questionnaire in the employee
newsletter and (of course) bring up the topic among your own carpool mates.
Keep a record of what they tell you, to see if any pattern emerges. The best
suggestions usually come from those who have to live the plan, day in and day
out.
Average Vehicle Ridership is recommended as
the best single overall benchmark for your organization. When determined using
the standards of this manual, AVR is easily measured, easily understood, and
will enable you to compare your commuting patterns with that of other
organizations as well.
We also recommend you measure and set
targets using the “Employee Percentage Participation Calculation” described in
this manual. This calculation measures the alternative travel modes used by
employees as a percent of all employees. By using the Employee Percentage
Participation Calculation, you be able to assess, report and set new targets
about what percent of all employees in your workplace travel to work in the
different modes i.e. solo drivers, car and van poolers, transit riders,
cyclists, walker/joggers, and telecommuters.
Depending on the nature of your Travel
Option Plan, the travel options best suited to your organization and the
targets your Travel Option Plan set, you will likely develop your own specific
benchmarks to assess progress. These could include cost benefit analyzes,
changing employee perception and attitudes, or trace links between the program
and workplace productivity and employee absenteeism, for example.
Surveys are used to Measure
and Evaluate TDM programs, particularly Commute Trip Reduction and Campus
Transport Management programs. Their results can be compared with other Transportation Statistics.
Association for Commuter Transportation (www.actweb.org) is a non-profit organization supporting TDM Programs.
Auditor
General (2003), “Road Transportation in Urban Areas:
Accountability for Reducing Greenhouse Gases,” 2003 Report of the
Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Office of the Auditor General of
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (www.bts.gov) provides information on survey methodologies.
Center
for Urban Transportation Research (http://cutr.eng.usf.edu) provides TDM
materials and classes and publishes TMA
Clearinghouse Quarterly.
Lori Diggins, Eric N. Schreffler and Jennifer Gregory (2004), “Methodology for Regional Survey to Estimate Extent of Alternative Mode Switching from Voluntary Mobile Emissions Reduction Program,” Transportation Research Record 1864, Transportation Research Board (www.trb.org), pp. 144-152.
Carolyn Fallon (2004), Charles Sullivan and David A. Hensher, “Constraints Affecting Mode Choices By Morning Car Commuters,” Transport Policy, Vol. 11, No. 1 (www.elsevier.com/locate/tranpol), January 2004, pp. 17-29.
Sara J. Hendricks
and Nevine Labib Georggi (2007), “Documented Impact of Transportation Demand
Management Programs Through the Case Study Method,” Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 10, No. 4 (www.nctr.usf.edu/jpt/pdf/JPT%2010-4.pdf), pp. 79-98.
FHWA (2000), Transportation Performance Measures Toolbox, Operations Unit, Federal Highway Administration (www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov); available at www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/travel/deployment_task_force/perf_measures.htm.
METRO (2002), Regional TDM Program Evaluation Report, Portland METRO (www.metro-region.org). This is an example of comprehensive TDM program evaluation.
Performance Measurement Exchange (http://knowledge.fhwa.dot.gov/cops/pm.nsf/home), is a website supported by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and the Transportation Research Board to promote better transportation decision-making.
Craig Jesus Poulenez-Donovan and Cy
Ulberg (1995), Seeing the Trees and Missing the
RIDES (various years), Commute Profile, The Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Regional Rideshare Program (www.rideshare.511.org/research).
Peter R. Stopher and Stephen P. Greaves (2007), “Household Travel Surveys: Where Are We Going?,” Transportation Research A, Vol. 41, Issue 5 (www.elsevier.com/locate/tra), June 2007, pp. 367-381.
TravelSmart Survey Methods Website (www.TransportSurveyMethods.com.au) provides information on the survey methods used to evaluate the Australian Travel Smart programs.
TRB (2001), Performance Measures to Improve Transportation Systems and Agency Operations, Transportation Research Board (www.trb.org); available at http://gulliver.trb.org/publications/conf/reports/cp_26.pdf.
TC (2002), Commuter
Options: A Complete Guide for Canadian Employers, Transport
WSDOT (1999), Employee Transportation Coordinator Handbook, Washington State CTR Program (www.wsdot.wa.gov); available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/tdm/tripreduction/download/ETC_Handbook.pdf.
This Encyclopedia is produced by the Victoria Transport
Policy Institute to help improve understanding of Transportation Demand Management.
It is an ongoing project. Please send us your comments and suggestions for
improvement.
Victoria Transport Policy
Institute
www.vtpi.org info@vtpi.org
Phone & Fax
250-360-1560
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