Credit-Based Congestion Pricing Survey for Austin Region

 

 

Section I General Questions

Instructions: Please read questions carefully and mark the boxes corresponding to your answers .

1. How long have you lived in Austin? 


2. What is your age (in years)? 


3. Your gender:  


4. What is your employment status? 

       Employed (Full-Time)

       Employed (Part-Time)

       Student (Full-Time)

       Student (Part-Time)

       Unemployed                             

       Retired                     

       Other   (specify)    (Skip to Question No. 8)


5. If you are employed/go to school, how flexible are your work/school hours?

      Very flexible

      Somewhat flexible

      Not flexible at all

      Other  


6. If you are employed, do you work primarily at home?

      Yes (Skip to Question No. 8)

      No    

      Other    


7a. If you do not work at home, how far do you travel to work or to school? (one way)

     mile(s)

 

7b. How long does this travel take during peak times of the day? (between 7:30-9:30 am and/or 4:30-6:30 pm)

     minute(s)

 

7c. How long do you estimate this trip would take without congestion? (e.g. at midnight)

    minute(s)


 8a. How many people live in your household? (include yourself, also include roommates, even if they are not related to you.)

    person(s)

 

8b. Of those living in your household, how many are licensed drivers? (please include teen-age drivers)

    person(s)


9. How many vehicles does your household use daily or almost daily? (include cars, trucks, vans, SUVs, motorcycles and work related vehicles)

    vehicle(s)


10a. How many trips do you make per week during peak hours? Peak hours are defined as  7:30 to 9:30 am & 4:30 to 6:30 pm.
    (
A trip is one journey from say, home to work place. The return journey will be counted as a second trip)
     trip(s) per week

10b. About how many of these peak hour trips each week are by the following means?

    (please try to make the total trips equal your answer in question10a)

    Walk         trip(s)

    Bus           trip(s)

    Bike          trip(s)

    Carpool      trip(s)

    Drive Alone trip(s)

    Other mode of travel (specify) trip(s)


11. If you ever carpool during peak hours, with whom do you carpool? (check all that apply)

      Never carpool

      Spouse

      Children

      Fellow workers

      Friends

      Others (specify)


12. How many times each week do you travel during peak hours for the following purposes? (Count round trips as two trips)

    Work         trip(s)

    School       trip(s)

    Child Care  trip(s)

    Shopping   trip(s)

    Recreation trip(s)

     Other purpose (specify) trip(s)


 

13a. Which of the above trips could you make at times other than during peak hours? (check all that apply)

      Work

      Childcare

      Recreation

      School

      Shopping

      Other  

13b. How many of the trips listed in Question No.12 could you rather easily alter to avoid driving on congested roads or during peak-periods? (this could mean selecting an entirely different destination)

     trip(s)


14. Using the map as a reference, please write in the zones (A3, F5...) for the following locations: (if they apply to you)

 

    Your home                         

    Your work or school            

    Childcare location               

    Your children's school(s)     

 

 


Section II Congestion Pricing

15. How many miles each week do you drive on the following highways during peak hours? (note

all that apply)

    IH-35                                                      mile(s)

    US 183 (Research Blvd)                           mile(s)

    LOOP 360 (Capitol of Texas Hwy)             mile(s)

    LOOP1 (Mopac)                                       mile(s)

    US290                                                     mile(s)

    HWY71 (Ben White)                                 mile(s)


16.  Consider that a toll of 25cents per mile is now charged on cars driven during peak hours on all of the freeways in Austin.  Assume that this new toll would allow you to travel continuously at the speed limit on all  freeways. (Walking, biking and bus travel are exempt from toll).

 

How would you change your travel?(check all that apply)         

      Drive less often during peak periods.

     Drive more often during the peak periods.

     Carpool more (with family members, co-workers, and friends) and share toll charges.

      Shift the time of work/school trips to:

Arrive earlier              Arrive later                 Leave earlier Leave later

     Change route to avoid the freeway or tolled section.

      Take the bus more often.

      Move my home closer to my work (or other location: ).

      Change my children's school/ daycare locations.

      Other   


For questions 17 - 20 imagine you are a driver in the given scenario, and please answer accordingly.

You are a driver who must commute every weekday (to work or school) during peak hours on a ten-mile section of freeway.  Credit based congestion pricing has begun, which will charge 25cents per mile for driving a car during peak hours. Biking, Walking, and Bus trips are all exempted from any toll.

Under the credit based congestion pricing policy you are given exactly enough credits ($100) to drive alone for all your regular work or school trips in the month.  You would have to pay for any other peak-period trips on that roadway during the month.  You would receive the dollar amount for any credits which you did not use by the end of the month, which are worth $5 per day for your 2-way, 20-mile trip.

17. How many weekdays in a month would you change your travel patterns   so that you could have extra credits left over at the end of the month? 
(Change in travel pattern could be change in time of day when you travel or change to other forms of travel such as bus, carpool, bike)

     weekday(s)


 18. Now, you are given enough credits to drive alone 15 weekdays a month.  Thus, if you drove yourself to work/school every weekday, you would have to pay for 5 weekdays per month out of your own pocket.  What minimum toll (in dollars), per day (round-trip), would cause you to consider alternate ways to commute at least for a few days a month?  

    Dollars($)


19. There is a bus you could take that will take 15 minutes more (each way, so 30 minutes total, each day) than driving to your destination.  At what toll price (in dollars), per day , would you take the bus instead of your car to save your driving credits ?

      Dollars($)


20. You are a driver who drives on a congested road to get to work.  This commute to work takes you 30 minutes.  A traffic policy may be implemented so that the road is much less congested and your commute would require 20 minutes each way. How much would you be willing to pay (in dollars), per day, for this 10 minute time savings ?

     Dollars($)


21.  Which of these policies do you strongly support to control congestion in Austin? (Check all that apply ?& please recognize that almost all non-pricing options will require some form of significant, though largely indirect, taxation. Some policies will take longer to implement, and those requiring taking of land generally will entail litigation.)

      Credit-Based Pricing

      More Buses

      Light Rail System  

      Flat Tolls

      HOV Lanes

      More Roads

      Parking Charges ($5 per day or more)

      Other

 


Section III  Your Experiences

22. Do you currently modify your travel plans to reduce your exposure to traffic congestion?

       Always 

      Often

      Sometimes

      Never  

      Other  


23 .  How do feel about traffic congestion in Austin?

      It's a problem

      It's a major problem

      It's a minor problem

      It's not a problem   

      Other         


24. What other problems do you perceive as worse (than traffic congestion) for Austin?

 

 


25. Did you hear of congestion pricing (where tolls are charged during peak periods to reduce congestion) before this survey? 

      Yes , where?    

      No                                       

      Other    


26a. Have you ever used toll roads?

      Yes

      No                                      

      Other  

  

26b.  If yes, did you use a transponder?

      Yes

      No      

      Other    


27. Rate each of the following credit-based congestion pricing issues on a scale of 1 to 3, where: 1 = very important issue; 2 = somewhat important issue; 3 = not important

    Ease of use  

    Fairness       

    Cost to Users

    Privacy        

         


28. What is your HOUSEHOLD's approximate yearly income? (Please note that all information will be kept highly confidential.  Income is a key variable for our predictions of travel behavior, since it influences time-money tradeoffs.)

      Under $15,000

      $15,000-$29,999

      $30,000-$49,999

      $50,000-$79,999

      $80,000-$119,999

      $120,000-$169,999

      More than $170,000

      Other    


29. What is your education level? 


30. Would you be interested in being notified of the results or this survey or speaking further with us on this issue?  If so please provide your email address (preferred) or work or home address:  

 


31 .  Do you have any comments for us? (Any concerns, questions, ideas for credit distribution, roads to price, times of day to consider?  Please share any suggestions or thoughts you have.)

 

 


32 .  Who referred you to this survey?

      By my friend named 

      By UT student who phoned or visited me. He/she is named 

      Other 


33 .  How did you hear about this survey?

      On Radio

      Telephone

      Email

      Solicited in person at home.

      Solicited in person outside home.

      From other web-page 

      Other 

      Transfer from hard copy to web format

 

   

 Thank you for your completion of this survey

We will strive to enhance transportation policy for you and the Austin community

 

 


Last modified: Sunday, 23 February 2003

For more information Sukumar Kalmanje

Created by Jianming Ma