A USDOT University Transportation Center

Travel Times and Time Spent in Congestion

It has been suggested that commuters waste an average of 54 hours a year stalled in traffic.1 People waste countless hours of their lives in rush-hour backups, and traffic has gotten worse in major cities and forcing people to spend a considerable amount of time in congested traffic.1 A reduction in travel times and time spent in traffic indicates that most individuals have resulted in the use active transportation instead of car commuting, which has been considered the cause of increased traffic congestion and travel times.2

This indicator helps determine the effectiveness of the following objectives

  • Less Contamination
  • Less Emissions
  • Less Traffic Noise
  • Connectivity and Inclusion
  • Healthy Destinations
  • Less Traffic Violence
  • Active Transportation
  • Green Space

Data Collection

The National Travel Survey (NTS) collects information on people’s travel habits in England and Wales, including how often they travel, what modes of transport they use, and why they make particular journeys. In order to collect accurate and representative data, the NTS uses a range of methods, including face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews, and an online panel. A sample of households is selected for an interview each year, and households remain in the sample for four years.3 Another option is to use the Traffic Data Collection and Analysis System (TDCAS). TDCAS is a system operated by the Department for Transport in the UK that collects data from roadside detectors and uses it to produce estimates of traffic flows and speeds.4

Examples

Travel time measurement in closed toll highways

Soriguera (2010) suggested a novel method for calculating travel times. The suggested approach makes it possible to estimate travel times on individual highway segments using alternative origin-to-destination itineraries. Without making purchases on any form of infrastructure or technology, the system offered estimates of the travel times.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trb.2010.02.010

1. Cnn.com. [cited 2022 Jul 27]. Available from: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/22/us/traffic-commute-gridlock-transportation-study-trnd/index.html
2. Travel times - CMAP [Internet]. Illinois.gov. [cited 2022 Jul 27]. Available from: https://www.cmap.illinois.gov/about/2040/supporting-materials/process-archive/scenario-evaluation/scenario-outcomes/travel-times
3. Road congestion and travel time [Internet]. Gov.uk. 2013 [cited 2022 Aug 2]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/road-congestion-and-reliability-statistics
4. Pan, D., Hamdar, S.H., Campbell, J.L., Farrahi, A. Measuring the impact of motivations on travelers’ strategic decisions in different traffic conditions: Data collection, analysis, and modeling. Transp Res Rec [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Aug 2];2672(47):171–81. Available from: https://www.academia.edu/34898334/Traffic_data_Collection_and_Analysis