FHWA TOP Survey Virginia November 2005

Project Overview

Page 3 TOP Survey Objectives Understand the needs and expectations of travelers of nation’s / state’s / local region’s transportation system Measure the extent to which the existing transportation system meets those needs Update previous measures and provide new baseline measures for emerging issues Establish national and other benchmark data for participating states Identify travelers’ priorities for system improvement

Page 4 Virginia Objectives Establish key benchmarks for system performance Provide specific measures for travelers’ perceptions of: –Safety and changes in safety while driving –Management of transportation improvement projects –Interest in public participation and traveler information

Page 5 Research Approach – TOP Survey Interviews completed with more than 1,250 users of the state’s transportation system –18 years of age and older –Had at least some recent experience traveling on the system defined to include...  Roads  Public transportation  Pedestrian walkways / sidewalks  Bikeways Telephone survey methodology –Projectable to the general population –Includes listed & unlisted numbers  No cell phones

Page 6 Sampling Stratified by four transportation regions –Margin of error associated with a survey of this size is plus or minus about 2.8 percentage points –Within each region (n = 300), error is plus or minus 5.6 percentage points Survey length – 23 minutes –High response rates – 27 percent –High cooperation rates – nearly 60 percent of those contacted agreed to complete the survey

Page 7 Benchmarking The TOP Survey provides the unique opportunity to reliably benchmark Virginia’s data against a national sample Four levels of benchmarking data available –National –Census Region – South –Census Division – South Atlantic –Peer States  Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington

Key Findings: Travel

Page 9 Modes of Transportation Used Virginia is a state on the move, using the entire public transportation system –Virtually everyone in Virginia has access to a car that they use daily –Use of public transportation is somewhat limited, except in Northern Virginia where nearly half (46%) use public transportation % Using Mode (last year) # of Users (millions) Days / Week Use Personal Vehicle96% Walk Bicycle Public Transportation

Page 10 Miles Driven Annually On average, Virginia travelers drive 13,558 miles annually (excluding “none”) – slightly more than the national average –This equates to more than 67.1 billion miles traveled annually

Page 11 Types / Frequency of Regional Travel People use their local transportation system for many purposes –While the most frequent trips are commute trips, the number of non-commute trips is more than twice that of commute trips % Take Trip in Past Week # of Days / Week Estimated # of Trips (millions) Commute to Work65% Commute to School Take Children to School Business Errands Shopping / Personal Errands Recreation / Entertainment Visiting Friends / Family Medical Appointments Total Commute Trips38.9 Total Non-Commute Trips90.7 Total Trips129.6

Page 12 Long Distance / Extended Travel More than four out of five (82%) travelers took at least one trip outside their local region in the past year –On average, those traveling outside their region take three to four trips per year – equating to an additional 33.3 million trips

Characteristics of a High- Quality Transportation System

Page 14 Important System Characteristics All aspects of the system are important – that is, all have a mean above the mid-point on the scale By far the most important system characteristic is highway and roadway safety Also important: –Being able to travel easily –Efforts to reduce delays from traffic congestion and improve traffic flow –Bridge conditions –Pavement conditions –Planning

Page 15 Important System Characteristics (con’t) % Extremely ImportantMean * Highway / roadway safety73%9.32 General mobility Efforts to reduce delays from congestion Bridge conditions Efforts to improve traffic flow Pavement conditions Planning for future transportation needs Setup of work zones for safety and traffic flow Management of work zones to reduce delays / congestion * Mean based on 11-point scale where “10” means “extremely important” and “0” means “not at all important.”

Page 16 Important System Characteristics (con’t) % Extremely ImportantMean * Pedestrian safety and mobility Maintenance response times Consideration of the environment Amenities such as rest areas, etc Traveler information Visual appeal / appearance Bicycle safety and mobility * Mean based on 11-point scale where “10” means “extremely important” and “0” means “not at all important.”

Page 17 What’s Important – Benchmark VirginiaSouth Atlantic Peer States Overall Importance Highway / roadway safety General mobility Efforts to reduce delays from congestion Bridge conditions Efforts to improve traffic flow Pavement conditions Planning for future transportation needs Setup of work zones

Page 18 What’s Important – Benchmark VirginiaSouth Atlantic Peer States Management of work zones to reduce delays / congestion Pedestrian safety and mobility Maintenance response times Consideration of the environment Amenities such as rest areas, etc Traveler information Visual appeal / appearance Bicycle safety and mobility

Key Findings: System Quality

Page 20 Overall Quality Less than half (49%) of Virginia travelers are satisfied with the state’s transportation system –Satisfaction is only moderate and a significant number are neutral and dissatisfied

Page 21 Overall Quality – Benchmarked Virginia is similar to other states in the South but travelers in Virginia are less satisfied than travelers in their peer states

Page 22 Grading the System Infrastructure Overall, Virginia’s system gets a C plus (C+) grade – overall mean of 2.32 –Like satisfaction this is somewhat below the national average overall as well as for states in the South The system gets the highest grade for the conditions of its bridges and visual appeal And its lowest grades for: –Bicyclist and pedestrian safety and mobility –Transportation planning –Efforts to improve traffic flow / reduce traffic congestion

Page 23 Infrastructure Grades – Above Average % A% A / B NetMean Overall Grade2.32 Bridge conditions16%63%2.68 Visual appeal Amenities Programs to improve safety Setup of work zones for safety / traffic flow Traveler information Consideration of the environment

Page 24 Infrastructure Grades – Below Average % A% A / B (Net) Mean Overall Grade2.32 Maintenance response times945%2.29 Pavement conditions Efforts to reduce delays from road work Efforts to reduce congestion / improve traffic flow Transportation planning Pedestrian safety and mobility Bicycle safety and mobility

Page 25 Infrastructure Grades by Region Two regions receive below-average ratings. RegionMeanGrade Statewide2.32C plus Southwest2.42C plus Northern Virginia2.36C plus Central2.28C plus Hampton Roads2.21C plus Grade scale from 0 = “F / Fail” to 4 = “A / Excellent”. Midpoint = 2.0

Page 26 Potential Issues by Region Hampton Roads –Efforts to reduce congestion & improve traffic flow –Efforts to reduce delays from road work –Transportation planning –Pavement conditions –Maintenance response times –Setup of work zones to maximize safety and traffic flow –Consideration of the environment –Amenities –Visual appeal

Page 27 Potential Issues by Region Central –Bicycle and pedestrian safety and mobility –Transportation planning –Pavement conditions –Maintenance response times Northern Virginia –Transportation planning –Efforts to reduce congestion and improve traffic flow

Page 28 Infrastructure Grades – Benchmark VirginiaSouth Atlantic Peer States Overall Grade Bridge conditions Visual appeal Amenities Programs to improve safety Setup of work zones Roadway safety (general) Traveler information Consideration of the environment

Page 29 Infrastructure Grades – Benchmark Virginia South Atlantic Peer States Overall Grade Maintenance response times Pavement conditions Efforts to reduce delays from road work Efforts to reduce congestion / improve traffic flow Transportation planning Pedestrian safety and mobility Bicycle safety and mobility

Page 30 Safety Virginians feel that roads are becoming less safe

Page 31 Reasons for Concerns About Safety Congestion and concerns about other drivers are the primary reasons Virginia travelers feel less safe

Target Improvement Opportunities

Page 33 Explanation of Quadrants Combined importance and quality –Maintain / leverage strengths –Address / place resources toward weaknesses / potential weaknesses Importance LowHigh Performance High Priority 4: Secondary Strengths: Maintain Current Level of Service Priority 1: Primary Strengths: Maintain / Improve Current Level of Service Low Priority 3: Potential Weaknesses: Improve if Resources are Available Priority 2: Critical Weaknesses: Target Improvement Efforts Here

Page 34 Target Improvement Areas

Page 35 Target Improvement Opportunities Statewide –Pedestrian safety and mobility North –Reducing congestion and improving traffic flow –Planning for future transportation needs –Reducing delays from road work Hampton Roads –Planning for future transportation needs –Pavement conditions –Maintenance response times –Reducing congestion and improving traffic flow –Reducing delays from road work

Page 36 Target Improvement Opportunities Central –Pavement conditions –Reducing congestion and improving traffic flow –Reducing delays from road work Southwest –Pavement conditions –Planning for future transportation needs –Consideration of the environment

Page 37 Potential Improvements Virginians would like to see more construction completed at night or during other off-peak hours StrategiesStrongly AgreeMean Construction at night63%4.33 Improve / expand existing public transportation Expand existing highways Offer new public transportation Build / expand pedestrian walkways Provide better quality traffic information Build / expand park-and-ride system Mean based on 5-point scale where “5” means “strongly agree” and “1” means “strongly disagree.”

Page 38 Options to Reduce Congestion Virginians are most likely to support programs that reduce the number of vehicles on the roads StrategiesUseMean Encourage telecommuting34%7.54 Increase availability of public transportation Provide incentives for carpooling Increase availability of HOV lanes Implement toll road alternatives Increase parking rates Mean based on 1-point scale where “10” means “use to great extent” and “0” means “do not use at all.”

Page 39 Transportation / Traveler Information Travelers feel they have adequate access to transportation news But they are interested in getting more –63% say they are interested in getting information on transportation and travel They feel they have greatest access to –Road advisories –Traffic congestion updates They feel they have the least information transportation plans and updates Mainstream media continues to be the primary source for information on transportation

Planning for the Future

Page 41 Value for Tax Dollars Virginians have mixed opinion as to whether they are getting their money’s worth on what is spent to build and maintain the state’s transportation system

Page 42 Value for Tax Dollars by Overall Quality Those satisfied with the quality of the system are more likely to feel they are getting good value for their tax dollars.

Page 43 Support for Projects Virginians generally support additional transportation projects – notably those to build or expand public transportation services. Build / Expand Public Transportation Pedestrian Walkways More Roads Bike Lanes % Extremely Likely27%25%21%20% % Likely % In the Middle % Not Likely Mean *7.07 (BCD) 6.77 (AD) 6.59 (AD) 6.06 (ABC) Mean based on 11-point scale where “10” = “extremely likely to support” and “0” = “not at all likely to support.”

Page 44 Support for Projects by Region In general, travelers in Northern Virginia are more likely to support all projects – but notably those that promote the use of alternative modes NorthHampton Roads SouthwestCentral Mean * Overall Support Public Transportation Pedestrian Walkways Roadways Bike Lanes Mean based on 11-point scale where “10” = “extremely likely to support” and “0” = “not at all likely to support.”

Page 45 Support for Projects by System Quality Those who are extremely satisfied with the current system are more likely to support future transportation projects

Page 46 Support for Projects by Current Value Those who feel they are getting good value for their tax dollars are more likely to support future transportation projects

Page 47 Interest in Being Involved in Planning Virginians feel it is somewhat important for citizens to be involved in prioritizing transportation projects

Page 48 Preferred Means to Provide Input While most Virginians prefer providing input through surveys and/or elections, one out of three express interest in public meetings

Project Management

Page 50 Attitudes Toward System Management Two out of three Virginians feel projects are not completed on time –Even more feel that projects are not completed within the budget

Page 51 Project Completion Rates by Region Hampton Roads travelers are the most likely to feel that projects are not completed on time

Page 52 Project Completion Rates by Region Hampton Roads travelers also feel the state has gotten worse in terms of completing projects on time

Page 53 Budget Management by Region There are no differences by regions in terms of Virginians’ attitudes toward budget management

Page 54 Improvements in System Management Virginians see some improvement in the management of project schedules –They feel that the management of project budgets has gotten worse

Page 55 Improvements in Project Completion Rates by Region Hampton Roads travelers feel the state has gotten much worse in terms of completing projects on time

Page 56 Improvements in Budget Management by Region Hampton Roads travelers also feel the state has gotten much worse in terms of completing projects within budget

Page 57 Satisfaction with Opportunity to Express Concerns Virginians feel that they have the opportunity to express concerns regarding problems with transportation projects

Key Take-Aways

Page 59 Key Take-Aways Virginians are moderately satisfied with the state’s transportation system But –Virginia’s systems ranks below key benchmark statistics nationwide and in the south –And there are clear areas for improvement System strengths include –Bridge conditions –Setup of work zones for safety and traffic flow  Setup of work zones for safety and traffic flow is a critical weakness in Southwest Virginia –Highway safety  Safety is a potential problem in both Southwest Virginia and in Hampton Roads

Page 60 Key Take-Aways Critical weaknesses include –Pavement conditions –Planning for future transportation needs –Pedestrian safety and mobility (Central) –Improving traffic flow (Central, North, Hampton Roads) –Reducing congestion (North, Hampton Roads) –It is clear that travelers distinguish between efforts to improve traffic flow – i.e., general movement of traffic – versus efforts to reduce congestion

Page 61 Key Take-Aways Potential Weaknesses –Bicycle safety and mobility  A greater issue for those who are attempting to bicycle  Has interrelated consequences for other system characteristics –Maintenance response times  A greater problem in the North where maintenance response times directly impact congestion and traffic flow

Page 62 Key Take-Aways There is relatively strong support for additional transportation projects –Notably for expanded / improved public transportation services –But support is highly related to  Current satisfaction with the system  The extent to which travelers feel they are getting value for the tax dollars that are currently being expended Virginia needs to do a better job of communicating its successes

Page 63 Key Take-Aways Despite Virginia’s efforts, travelers still feel that transportation improvement projects are not completed on time and they cost more than budget –Moreover, the majority do not feel there has been much in the way of improvements Virginia needs to –Continue is focus on better project management systems  Notably in Hampton Roads region –More widely communicate its successes

Q&A / Discussion