The National Household

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The National Household Travel Survey
Heather Contrino US Department of
Transportation Federal Highway Administration
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About the NHTS

• Only national data source on travel demand and
  travel behavior of the American public.
• Measures travel by US households for all modes
  and all purposes
• Survey conducted since 1969

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NHTS uses a classic travel diary as a memory
jogger
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And obtains trips from one address to another by
all modes
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NHTS Core Data Content

• Households
• Persons
• Geography
• Vehicles
• Trips

Major Contribution Linkage between people,
travel and vehicles
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2008 NHTS provides trends over 40 years of core
content
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New 2008 NHTS Content

• Congestion
• Interstate use and tolling
• Telecommuting opportunity and frequency
• Work arrival time and flexibility
• Safety
• Safe Travel to School
• Travel impacts of disability
• Energy and Environment
• Shopping by Internet and deliveries to the
  household
• Hybrid/Alternative fuel vehicles
• Fuel costs by vehicle type and travel behavior
• Intermodalism
• Access, egress, and travel party size
• Frequency of walk and bike
• Motorcycle ownership and use

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The NHTS Program

• National Study
• Serves the department, congress, and
  administration
• Resource for State and metropolitan areas (MPOs)
  and transportation community
• 40 years of trend data on U.S. travel behavior
• Sample size of 25,000 households
• Add-On Program
• Service to States and MPOs since 1990
• Allows States and MPOs to purchase additional
  samples for their local area
• Program participation has doubled every survey
  year
• (Sample size of 125,000 households for 2008)

2008 NHTS Travel Data for 150,000 Households
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2008 Add-On Program
125,000 Add-On Samples
Vermont DOT
Wisconsin DOT
South Dakota DOT
New York State DOT
Cedar Rapids, IA
Iowa DOT
Indiana DOT
Omaha, Nebraska
California DOT
Virginia DOT
North Carolina DOT
Tennessee DOT
Piedmont Region
Maricopa, AZ
South Carolina DOT
Pima, AZ
Georgia DOT
Texas DOT
Florida DOT
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2008 NHTS Schedule

• April 2009 - Data collection completed
• June 2009 - Final unweighted data for QA
• August 2009 - Add-On GIS files
• August 2009 Draft final weighted file for QA
• October 2009 Final weighted data and
  documentation
• Add-Ons receive final data
• January 2009 Public use data set
• On-line analysis tool available for 2008
• March 2009 Final full documentation and users
  guide

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• How can NHTS help you?

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Identifying Trends in Demand
Huge growth in travel since 1969, however demand
(number of trips) has leveled off over the past
decade
Base NHTS data series, travelers 16
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Understanding Mode Use
Purpose Distribution of Transit Trips
Source 2001 NHTS
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For interpreting and using JTW looking at mode
loyalty
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Measure how access impacts behavior
Source NHTS series since 1969
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Quantify the link between demographics and
mobility
This is the daily range of travel for a high
income African American
This is the daily range of travel for a
low-income African American
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And demographics and safety
Base NHTS data on driver miles by age and FARS
fatalities
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See how the transportation system works together
Source 2001 NHTS
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And when and why people drive
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To look at changes in the fleet mix
Hybrid/Alternative Fuel Vehicles by State
Source NHTS 2008 preliminary
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And forecast future demand
Estimated on current VMT/person from NHTS and
Census population forecast
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• How other areas use the NHTS

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Safety Planning - California

• Pedestrian Fatalities per Mile of Exposure

Source 2001 FARS pedestrian Fatalities and NHTS
2001 miles walked
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Model Calibration - Wisconsin

• HBW Observed Vs Predicted Trip Length Frequency

Source 2001 NHTS Bruce Aunet, WI DOT
Cambridge Systematics Inc.
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Air Quality - New York

• Vehicle Starts, Trip Lengths by Time of Day and
  Vehicle Utilization

Source 2001 NHTS
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Performance Measures - Virginia
Mode
Trip Length Distribution
Trips by time of day
Source 2001 NHTS
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Special Studies - Florida

• Hurricane Evacuation Planning
• Weekend and Holiday Travel Planning
• Event Planning
• Seasonal Resident Impact

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NHTS Products

• State Profiles
• Policy Briefs
• Trends Database
• Transferability
• On-line Analysis Tool
• Risk Assessment Tool
• AAA Traffic Safety Foundation

NHTS Trends CD-ROM
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Accessing NHTS Products
Contact Heather Contrino, FHWA

• State Profiles
• Policy Briefs http//ornl.gov/publications.shtml
  issueBriefs
• Trends Database To be posted soon
• Transferable data for trip generation
• http//fmip.ornl.gov/nhts/
• Risk Assessment Tool
• http//www.aaafoundation.org/trafficSTATS/
• On-line Analysis Tool http//nhts.ornl.gov
• SAS Data Set http//nhts.ornl.gov/download.shtml

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Thank You! Heather Contrino Heather.Contrino_at_dot.
gov
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Future Program Goals

• Methods
• Coverage and Response Rates
• Cellular phones and non-contacts
• Periodicity
• Real time reporting environment
• Continuous study design/annual reporting
• Relevant Content
• Establishing regular, reliable performance
  measures
• Maintaining trends while addressing new policy
  and planning questions