Below are answers to some of the most common questions about participating in a travel survey.

What will be done with the data collected from the survey?

The data collected from households will be statistically summarized to describe a variety of travel patterns. For example, how many trips people make on average, where these trips come from and go to, what methods of transport are used on these trips, at what time of day are the trips made and so on. This information is vital in assisting the forecasting of travel for future populations. 

Will the information from the survey be available to the public? 

Yes. Key findings from the survey will be released to the public when processing and analysis is completed. This information will be broad in nature and will not be specific to any individual participant in the survey. These results will provide a general picture of travel behavior in the greater Triangle region.

Who will be surveyed?

All residents of the greater Triangle region are eligible for inclusion in the survey. Because this is a survey conducted by telephone, only households with telephones will be selected to participate.

How will households be selected for the survey?

Households will be selected for the survey by a random selection from all residential telephone numbers in the 12-county region. This includes telephone numbers that are listed in the telephone book and those that are not listed.

Is the survey mandatory? 

The survey is not mandatory, but participation by all selected households is encouraged so that the information obtained from the survey truly represents residents of all 12 counties.

What if I don’t feel comfortable answering some of the questions? 

You may decline to answer any question, but we promise strict confidentiality of the information collected. Your privacy will be respected. Your regional transportation planners rely on this important information on travel patterns and this survey is the only way to collect it.

What is meant by travel?  

For this survey, travel means any time a person leaves his or her home. This could be to go to work or to shop, to walk across the road to visit a neighbor or even just to go for a jog.

Why use a travel log?

After doing numerous travel surveys, we have learned that if people do not use a log to record their travel, they forget trips. It is really important that all trips, even short stops or those in the evening, are captured in the travel survey.

Why do I need to record a stop for coffee or to get gas on the way to work in my log?

A stop for coffee or to get gas on the way to work is part of a “trip chain" - which is an important part of people’s everyday travel. It affects where you travel, why you travel, when you travel, and how much you travel. To obtain an accurate snapshot of travel patterns in the two counties, we need to know how and when residents chain their trips.

How much detail is needed on each place I visit?

Detailed addresses are an integral part in analyzing where people are making trips. Your detailed address information (Address, City, State, Zip, and a cross street and/or landmark) will enable transportation planners and decision makers to “map out” where traffic is most congested, what roads are traveled most, and at what times during the day, to gain a better understanding of what improvements are needed. If you don’t know the exact address, give us the cross-streets for a major nearby intersection. A nearby landmark is always useful as well. If you’re able to look up an exact address, that is also extremely helpful! (Taking your log with you throughout your travel day is also helpful for remembering to write down exact addresses.)

What is a travel day?

Each household is assigned a specific travel day by the survey team. The household is asked to report what they do on this specific day, even if they feel that this day is not "normal" for them (for example, they do not travel at all). By having every household report about the specific travel day assigned to their household, we will obtain a good average of all the travel days. 

What if out-of-the-normal events happen on my assigned travel day that change my travel?

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

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 trying not just to describe the travel patterns in the region but also to understand why they occur. We know from previous studies that some things about people and households explain why they travel in certain ways. By collecting this information 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 income?

As explained above, some characteristics explain a lot about travel patterns. Income has been found to be a strong influence on the amount of travel people make. 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).  

What if I traveled out of the 12-county region on my travel day?

If you travel out of the counties on your assigned day, you will be asked to tell us the details of all your travel completed within the counties and where you first went when you left the counties (for example, a trip to the airport and then a flight to Washington, D.C.). If you return to the counties on the travel day, you will be asked to tell us about your travel after you return to the area.

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

Yes. We asked a number of questions about the vehicles in households so that we can get an idea of how these vehicles are used. It is important to know what type of vehicles are being used so that we can then estimate things like the fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions caused by daily travel patterns.

What if I don’t travel that much?

Many people feel that just because all they did on their “travel day” was cross the street to visit a friend or drive to the post office to mail a letter, this information would not be important. If fact, these people, as well as those who don’t travel at all on their travel day, are just as important as someone who did. Remember, the purpose of the survey is to get a complete picture of weekday travel patterns in the 12 counties. So on your travel day, it does not matter whether:

• You make lots of trips,
• You only leave the house once or twice, or
• You do not go anywhere at all.

What if I don’t drive a car?

This survey is interested in all types of travel – by car, walking, biking, skateboard, bus, etc.

What if I want to speak to a real person about this survey?

Feel free to contact Leta Huntsinger, Program Manager for the Triangle Regional Model at
919-513-7378 or by email at leta_huntsinger@ncsu.edu.

Or contact Stacey Bricka at NuStats, by phone (toll-free) at 1-800-447-8287 or by email sbricka@nustats.com.

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