Table 6-1 - Transportation Data Needs
Monday, September 10, 2012
Table 6-1 - Transportation Data Needs
| What data are needed on passenger and freight transportation? | How are these data useful for public policy, infrastructure planning, and market analysis? |
|---|---|
| Who travels? How much travel? What moves? How much moves? | Shows source of transportation demand and most direct beneficiaries of transportation investment. |
| Why do people travel? How valuable is the material being moved? | Indicates relative importance of serving the demand for transportation. |
| How far do people travel? How far do goods move? | Provides an aggregate measure of transportation consumed. |
| From where to where? | Shows location of transportation facilities and services consumed; geographic regions and corridors affected. |
| What is the main mode used? | Provides basic input for debates on intermodal issues. |
| What other modes were used? | Indicates demand for intermodal connections and local access. |
| Do the links, nodes, and service providers cover current and anticipated origins and destinations? | Is a basic system performance measure. |
| How much of the system capacity (links, nodes, vehicles, and services) are consumed by current and anticipated travel and goods movement? | Indicates physical capacity of the system to provide service for basic transportation demand. |
| How timely is travel and goods movement between origins and destinations? (Traveltime, system speed) | Shows how effective the system is for the user; is a major component of user satisfaction, economic productivity, and international competitiveness. |
| How reliable are the trips and goods movements between origins and destinations? | Shows how effective the system is for the user; is a major component of user satisfaction, economic productivity, and international competitiveness. |
| How much does it cost to provide transportation services and infrastructure? | Indicates the efficiency of the transportation system. |
| How much do shippers and travelers spend to use services and infrastructure? | Shows how efficient the system is for the user; indicates the consequences for economic productivity and international competitiveness; provides input for market analysis. |
| How much of the costs for services and infrastructure are covered by users, the public sector, or others? | Provides input for analyses of investment, cost allocation, and privatization issues. |
| How likely is the traveler to be hurt or luggage lost or damaged? How likely is the shipment to be damaged, lost, or stolen? | Indicates safety and security. |
| Who is the service provider? | Identifies the direct beneficiaries of transportation investment; provides accountability. |
| What is the financial condition of the service provider? | Identifies the ability of providers to maintain and improve performance and safety, susceptibility to foreign ownership and legal complications. |
| If the travel is for business, what industry is being served? For goods movement, who are the shippers and receivers? | Identifies the economic sectors receiving direct benefits from transportation investments. |
| Who else is dependent on the travel or the shipment? | Identifies others receiving direct benefits from transportation investments. |
| How much damage is done to the physical infrastructure and which users are causing the damage? | Establishes investment needs; indicates where costs should be allocated among users and others. |
| What is the risk of health-related mishaps? | Identifies safety risks; can present special risks for hazardous materials. |
| What are the effects on air and water quality, noise, and other environmental concerns? | Mandated by environmental legislation; provides information for the ongoing debate between environmental concerns and interstate commerce. |
| How much energy is consumed? | Provides basic information on energy conservation and for national security issues and global climate change. |
| Who and what are affected by these externalities? | Identifies the societal and environmental consequences of transportation, in addition to how endangered species are affected. |