What if out-of-the-ordinary events happen during my assigned travel period that changes my travel?

Even if the assigned travel period turns out to be out-of-the-ordinary for you, or anyone in your family, it is important that you still record your travel in the travel logs for the assigned period.

Why do you want to know about the characteristics of people in the household?

We ask a number of questions about households and the people in them because we are not only trying to describe travel patterns but also understand why they occur. By collecting household characteristics along with travel patterns, we are able to better understand why people travel the way they do and this also enables us to estimate future travel patterns as the population grows and changes.

Why do you need to know about my household’s income?

As explained above, some characteristics explain a lot about travel patterns. Household income has been found to be closely related to how people travel. It is also useful when trying to explain the social implications of various transportation investments. Be assured that the information about income is kept strictly confidential and will not be used for any purpose other than in connection with explaining travel patterns (view the Privacy Statement for this survey).   In addition, when income details are used, it is only when combined with the incomes reported by the 15,000 other participating households.

What if I traveled out of the Chicago region during my travel period?

If you travel out of the region during your assigned travel period, you will be asked to tell us the details of all your travel and activities completed within the region and where you first went when you left the region (for example, a trip to the airport and then a flight to Washington, D.C.). If you return to the region during the travel period, you will be asked to tell us about your travel and activities once you’ve again returned to the region.

Will any of the information collected be useful for environmental issues?

Yes. We asked a number of questions about the vehicles in households and how those vehicles are used during the travel period. It is important to know what type of vehicles are being used so that we can then estimate fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions resulting from daily travel patterns. Improving air quality by reducing vehicle emissions is an important part of regional transportation planning and decision-making.

What if I don’t travel very much?

Many people feel that just because all they did during their “travel period” was visit a friend or go to the post office, this information would not be important. In fact, these people, as well as those who don’t travel at all during their travel period, are just as important as someone who did. Remember, the purpose of the survey is to get a complete picture of travel patterns throughout the week. So during your travel period, we’d like to know even if you didn’t travel at all.