This report presents the results of a one-year evaluation test of an Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) project known as Advanced Rural Transportation Information and Coordination (ARTIC) located in the Arrowhead Region of Northeastern Minnesota. The objective of the project focused on combining resources and streamlining dispatching operations for four transportation agencies: District 1 of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT), Minnesota State Patrol (MSP) District 3100, City of Virginia Dial-a-Ride, and Arrowhead Transit Services.
Before deployment of this project, the above agencies worked independently of each other, with overlapping functions, duplicate record keeping, and stretched already scarce resources that resulted in degradation of the quality of service to the public.
The focal point of this project is a centralized communications and dispatching center, where the dispatchers communicate with maintenance and emergency vehicles, and dispatch vehicles based on an integrated database that includes functionality, availability, and real time location of vehicles in the field.
This is the summary of the findings for the "Level of Investment in Various Systems" study conducted for District 8 by C. J. Olson Market Research, Minneapolis, MN 55415 during the months of February and March, 1995. Information was gathered from a total of 635 respondents residing throughout District 8 in a 13-15 minute phone interview.
The respondents included 403 general public, 49 government representatives, 28 economic development employee, 33 business and industry employees, 31 transit providers, 30 commercial carriers, 30 emergency service providers, and 31 elevator operators. All 12 counties in District 8 were represented m the sample of the general public resulting in statistical reliability at the 95% confidence level of a plus or minus 5% margin of error.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation, along with the Metropolitan Council, initiated a market research project to monitor the attitudes, tolerance and behaviors toward congestion in the Twin Cities' Metro Area. It was hypothesized that as traffic levels increase, drivers may grow increasingly less tolerant of congestion and, subsequently, make changes in lifestyle and residence.
The primary objective of this research was to obtain a baseline measure of congestion tolerance. An additional objective was to determine how congestion impacts the decision-making process for home buyers and renters.
A first draft of the questionnaire was designed by Carolyn Olson. It was approved and pre-tested, then reviewed and necessary revisions were made. First, 300 interviews were completed, using the probability sampling method. This resulted in statistical reliability of ±5.7% at a 95% confidence level. County quotas were then implemented and an additional 390 interviews were completed for a total of 690, resulting in a margin of error of ±3.7%. Finally, 341 interviews were completed with Movers for a total of 1,031 interviews completed (500 of which were with Movers). All interviewing took place at the Olson Phone Center from June 3, 1998 to August 12, 1998. A full discussion of the methods used is provided in the Methodology section of this report.
