|
Thank you for agreeing to participate in this
study! We've prepared this web page to help answer questions that
participants sometimes have regarding travel surveys. We hope you find
the information presented helpful. If you still have questions about
the survey after you've gone through this site, please call Stacey
Bricka at 1-800-447-8287, ext. 2240, or email her at sbricka@nustats.com.
The Transportation Outlook Regional Travel &
Congestion Survey is a comprehensive travel survey of 3,000 households
in the Kansas City region, which includes Missouri households from
Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties along with Kansas households
from Johnson, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte counties. The survey is sponsored
by the Mid-America Regional Council in association with the Kansas and
Missouri Departments of Transportation.
This study is part of a comprehensive
effort to improve travel in the region. By documenting travel by
households such as yours, we can create a computer model of regional
travel. This model is then used to determine the impact of various
transportation alternatives so that transportation planners can
prioritize transportation projects within the region and make the most
of limited dollars. The travel survey data will also be used as part of
the federally-mandated Long Range Transportation Plan being prepared
now for the Kansas City Region.
As part of the survey, travel information
will be collected from 3,000 households randomly selected from the 655,639
households in the region. As part of this study, each household member will
be asked to record all the locations he/she visited for a scheduled
24-hour period in a convenient travel log. Information recorded will
include the name and address of each location, what he/she did at that
location, how he/she got there, and the arrival and departure time for
each location.
This information will be used to paint a
realistic picture of why people travel, as well as how they make their
decisions and plan their daily travel activities. In this way, future
travel needs can be anticipated and facilities designed to meet these
needs, thus helping to boost the quality of life, while maintaining the
economic health and viability of the region.
Household travel surveys are conducted
because they:
- Describe travel trends in order to understand
how use of highways and transit facilities is changing,
- Identify areas where problems can be expected
in the current transportation network, and
- Provide a basis of travel patterns to use in testing
proposed solutions.
This research is necessary for the support
of transportation planning projects, including travel forecasts,
highway and transit feasibility studies, and prioritizing
transportation-related projects.
REMEMBER: The survey data will be used
solely to provide information on overall travel patterns. Your
household's information will be grouped with all the other households
and will not be analyzed individually. The information you provide as
part of the survey will be held in strict confidence and your
individual privacy will be respected. Individual data will not be
released to any persons or agencies, and will only be used when
aggregated with those of your neighbors.
Selection
of Households
Since it is not cost effective to survey
every single household within the region, a representative sample is
being taken that focuses on the geographic location, household size,
and number of vehicles available to each household. The sampling
procedure was designed by Dr. Karol Krotki, a nationally recognized
expert in sampling design. Each household in the sample represents
approximately 219 other households, so your participation is very
important!
Telephone numbers were randomly selected by
a computer. Since the method used is totally random, as in a lottery,
both listed and unlisted telephone numbers are used. Therefore, even if
a household has an unlisted number, it could be selected, since the computer
cannot distinguish the difference between a listed and an unlisted
number.
Since this is legitimate survey research
being conducted, it is exempt from any of the legislation regarding
sales calls. So even if
you placed your number on a “do not call” list, if we randomly selected
your household, we will still be able to contact you.
Most Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why do you need my household's income?
A: Since each participating household represents
approximately 219 households in the study area, we need to make sure
that we have the right mix of household income. Previous research has
shown that both the number of trips and the mode of travel vary greatly
based on household income. To get an accurate accounting of travel in
the region, we must collect information from households at all income
levels.
Q: What is
defined as a trip?
A: A trip is when you leave your current address,
whether it's your home or somewhere else, to go to another place.
Examples: leaving home to go to the grocery store, leaving home to go
to work, leaving work to go to lunch, transferring from one bus to
another, or stopping at the gas station on your way home from work. A trip can also be a walk or
bike ride around your neighborhood.
Q: How much detail
is needed on each place I visit?
A: The travel log asks for the name and address of
each place you go to, what you do at each place, how you get there,
what time you arrive and what time you leave. Your exact address
information will enable planners to "map" out where traffic
is most congested and at what times during the day so they can provide
solutions to these problems. If you do not know the exact street
address, please provide the most detailed information you can, such as
nearest intersection or cross street.
Q: What do I do
with the travel log after my household has completed it?
A: Once you and everyone in your household have
completed the logs, keep them together in one place (we recommend
keeping them near your phone.) A NuStats DataSource survey specialist
will call you to collect the information or you can call us at 1-877-261-4621.
After we've obtained your information over the phone, we do ask that
you keep them for a few more days, in case we need to call you back for
clarification.
If you
need additional information about...
- The project, please call:
Todd Ashby, 816-474-4240 or e-mail him at tashby@marc.org
- How to complete the travel log, please call
our:
Survey
Hotline at 1-877-261-4621;
- Anything else, please call:
Stacey Bricka
at 1-800-447-8287, ext. 2240 or e-mail her at sbricka@nustats.com.
REMEMBER: A
NuStats interviewer will call you the day after your assigned travel
date; please don't throw your travel log away until after we call to
collect the information.
|
