Information on how people travel, including where they go, when, why, and with whom, helps planners and policy makers understand how the current transportation system is being used. It also can be used to develop models of possible future travel as new roads are built, transit service is expanded, options for walking, biking, and rolling are added, and more jobs and housing is added to the community.
Travel studies are conducted every 10 years or so, and with the changes in how people work, shop, and travel since the last study in 2010, and especially since the pandemic, it is time again!
Household across Oregon will be receiving an invitation to participate in the Oregon Travel Study starting in September. These households will be randomly selected and mailed an invitation. Options for participating include a seven-day survey using a smartphone app, or a one-day survey where the data is collected via a website or by phone.
The data will be used to help policymakers and planners prepare the roads, bikeways, and transit systems throughout Oregon for the future, by providing information to help in making decisions of where to make investments.
There are two phases of the Oregon Travel Study:
- Phase 1 took place in the Spring of 2023, from April through June. A small number of households were recruited, about 2800 in Oregon and approximately 200 within Salem-Keizer, to test and refine the recruitment process and revise the questions as necessary. The data will be combined with data from Phase 2.
- Phase 2 starts in September and runs through November in 2023, and then in Spring 2024, from March until June. During this phase, the target is to have over 18,000 households in Oregon and approximately 1600 within Salem-Keizer complete the study.
Reports summarizing the data will be available in late 2024 or early 2025 after the consultants (RSG – Resource Systems Group) perform the necessary quality checks and assurances. All data collected is considered confidential and will be treated as such. Identifying personal information is removed and access to the final data records is limited.
Partners in the Oregon Travel Study include the Salem-Keizer Area Transportation Study, the Oregon Department of Transportation, the Albany Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Bend Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Corvallis Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Middle Rouge Metropolitan Planning Organization, Portland Metro, and the Rogue Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization.
For further information, please visit the project website: https://oregontravelstudy.com/