Trav Info Evaluation: The Target Study Phase 1 Results

This paper discusses how traffic information is obtained and how the congestion of a major freeway affects travel behavior. Immediately following two congestion-causing major highway incidents south of San Francisco, telephone surveys were conducted of commuters who utilize the affected corridor of highway. The incidents took place two weeks apart on the same corridor of US-101, the first affecting southbound traffic and the second affecting northbound traffic. The travel behavior of commuters before and during their commute at the time of each incident was determined, including how they obtained traffic information and how the information influenced changes in route, mode of travel and departure time. The results of both surveys suggest that traveler behavior is largely unaffected by individual incidents of congestion. Furthermore, although a fair portion of commuters listen to traffic reports, they do not often modify their travel behavior in response. These surveys are the first two of several that will collectively provide insight into how travel behavior changes over time and will allow us to assess the impact of the TravInfo Traveler Advisory Telephone System (TATS) in the San Francisco Bay Area. Passwords: TravInfo traveler information commuter travel behavior