Increasing traffic and inevitability, increasing freeway congestion, are of concern within the 8 county Metro area to both the Minnesota Dept. of Transportation and to area motorists. To help in the implementation of traffic management techniques, MnDOT is interested in tracking the motoring public's perception of the efficiency of the department management tools including awareness and usage of selected tools and general understanding of how they are used.
This study is the third in a series of annual motorist surveys. The objective remains that of measuring motorists perceptions of selected traffic management tools. This year, however, some measurements have been dropped to allow room for tracking respondents actual reported behavior when encountering several of the Department's traffic/incident management tools. These additions include behaviors resulting from freeway messages on electronic signs and behaviors recalled or anticipated as a result of stalls or accidents on freeways.
As population increases and shifts from year to year in the metro area, burdens on the freeway system also increase. At the same time, news articles and broadcasts continue to point to MnDOT as the source for planning and controlling freeways.
Against this background, MnDOT is interested in tracking the attitudes and opinions of the general public regarding the Department's activities in the areas of traffic and incident management within the eight county metro area. Specific objectives are to measure and to track on an annual basis the general public's perceptions of MnDOTs overall effectiveness
Traditionally, surveys of commuters have been analyzed by mode of commute, namely by SOV drivers, car or van pool riders and transit users. By examining responses to questionnaires separated into those three categories, a great deal of information has been obtained to help manage and refine the traffic management infrastructure.
Until now, little has been done to consider whether commuters can be categorized by how they view their commute as opposed to the mechanics of actual mode of commuting. Do some actually enjoy their commute and some dislike it irrespective of how they actually commute? Do some carpoolers share the same opinions about commuting as some SOV drivers or some bus riders? If this were the case, commonly held opinions of any of these groups can be examined with the purpose of understanding the different motivators influencing each group. This knowledge can be used, particularly in communications/ to help persuade commuters to consider alternative commuting options which, if adopted, can have a positive effect on improving traffic movement.
