Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments for a New Information Collection

Cynthia Thornton
Federal Highway Administration
January 5, 2011

[Federal Register: January 5, 2011 (Volume 76, Number 3)]
[Notices]               
[Page 622-623]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05ja11-109]                         

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA-2010-0177]

 
Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments 
for a New Information Collection

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The FHWA has forwarded the information collection request 
described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for approval of a new information collection. We published a Federal 
Register Notice with a 60-day public comment period on this information 
collection on September 7, 2010. We are required to publish this notice 
in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Please submit comments by February 4, 2011.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments within 30 days to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 
725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention DOT Desk Officer. 
You are asked to comment on any aspect of this information collection, 
including: (1) Whether the proposed collection is necessary for the 
FHWA's performance; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways 
for the FHWA to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the 
collected information; and (4) ways that the burden could be minimized, 
including the use of electronic technology, without reducing the 
quality of the collected information. All comments should include the 
Docket number FHWA-2010-0177.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen White, (202) 366-9474, Office of 
Innovative Program Delivery. Federal Highway Administration, Department 
of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. 
Office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Experiments on Driving under Uncertain Congestion Conditions 
and the Effects on Traffic Networks from Congestion Pricing 
Initiatives.
    Background: The traditional way of financing the transportation 
system in the U.S. is currently being challenged and new revenue 
schemes are being evaluated for possible implementation. In addition, 
the growth in traffic volume overwhelms the ability to finance 
additional road capacity. Congestion pricing is gaining support across 
the world as a way to solve the congestion problem and thereby ease the 
congestion cost to the public and at the same time generate revenues 
that can be used to fund additional transportation capacity. While 
congestion pricing strategies have been implemented in several parts of 
the world, the implementation is still relatively limited in this 
country.
    This study will assess the responses to several congestion pricing 
schemes by asking volunteer participants to make driving choices under 
these schemes in an experiment. The study will present participants 
with a number of choice

[[Page 623]]

situations involving routes that vary in road pricing and travel time. 
Three basic types of experiments will be conducted: A field experiment 
using Global Positioning System (GPS) trackers; a multi-driver traffic 
simulation experiment; and a single driver simulator experiment. In 
addition to these experiments, participants will answer short 
demographic questionnaires and short surveys of their driving habits.
    The initial phase will consist of recruiting participants by 
sending out invitation letters to potential participants who are 
drivers on select routes in the Miami, Florida; Orlando, Florida; and 
Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan areas. Local toll road agencies have 
agreed to collaborate with the researchers in this phase. The 
invitation will ask those who are interested to complete a survey 
online. This survey is used to filter respondents based on how 
frequently they drive on the selected routes. A typical respondent will 
complete this survey in 30 minutes. Respondents who express interest in 
being part of the experiments will be asked to attend four face-to-face 
sessions. There will be a choice of times and locations for these 
sessions so as to make it convenient for the participant. In these 
sessions participants will be presented with lottery choices, betting 
tasks, and simulator driving tasks, in addition to a short 
questionnaire about their demographics and driving habits. These tasks 
are intended to observe characteristics in drivers that are important 
to their driving choices when roads are congested. The choice tasks, 
questionnaires and simulator driving tasks will require 4\1/2\ hours of 
the participant's time, spread over the four sessions. In addition, all 
participants' cars will be outfitted with a GPS device that can receive 
but not send signals, allowing us to collect information on driving 
habits. The installation is simple and will only take a couple of 
minutes. All driving data will be downloaded directly from the device 
to a computer. Sensitive data, such as the home and work locations of 
the drivers, will not be downloaded. Approximately two weeks will pass 
between each session; a time frame that is determined by the capacity 
of the GPS device's ability to store data of subjects' travel log. The 
total time required for instructing participants in the field driving 
task, installing the device, and downloading all the data will be one 
hour, spread out over the four sessions. All of the 1,200 participants 
will have their car equipped with a GPS while participating in the 
study. However, since we partition the study into three parts there 
will be a maximum of 400 cars that have GPS installed at any time in 
the field experiment.
    During the first two sessions participants will be given driving 
simulator tasks, lottery and betting tasks, and questionnaires. 
Participants will receive money for driving on the routes studied but 
tolls that vary across routes and departure times will be subtracted 
from this money. If a toll from the study is applied to a route that 
already has a toll, the existing toll is subtracted from the toll 
charge in the study. If the existing toll is higher than the toll 
charge in the study, the participant will be paid the difference from 
the study. Some routes will have no toll charge. Participants will also 
receive money in a similar manner for driving in the simulators, and 
for the non-simulator choice tasks. There will also be a fixed 
compensation for attending each of the four sessions, and for 
completing the entire study.
    A total of 1,200 persons will participate, divided across the three 
regions. 10 weeks will be needed to complete the 4 sessions for each 
group of participants. 100 of these participants will be expected to 
volunteer for an additional 10 week field driving period for additional 
monetary compensation. The sessions will be timed very carefully since 
the student research assistants helping the participants will not be 
available during final exam periods and certain breaks.
    Respondents: 1200 participants are expected to participate 
throughout all tasks.
    Frequency: In phase 1, a survey will be completed via the internet, 
followed by four face-to-face sessions and three two-week periods of 
driving with a GPS devise for most participants and twice that for a 
few selected participants. The face-to-face sessions will take place 
within a 10-week period. For those who are selected to double their 
participation there will be a break before starting the second period.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: The online questionnaire 
will require 30 minutes for a typical respondent. Two of the face-to-
face sessions will last two hours each, the third session will last one 
hour, and the final session will be completed in thirty minutes. This 
time covers the 4\1/2\ hours for the simulator tasks, the other choice 
tasks, and questionnaires, and the one hour for installing the GPS 
device, instructing participants in the field driving task plus 
downloading the GPS data to a computer. The average time allocation per 
participant is therefore expected to be 6 hours. For those who choose 
to double their participation there will be a need for an additional 
two hours spread across four sessions.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: Approximately 7,600 hours.
    6 hours x 1200 participants = 7200
    2 hours x 200 participants = 400

    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.

    Issued on: December 29, 2010.
Cynthia Thornton,
Acting Chief, Management Programs and Analysis Division.
[FR Doc. 2010-33294 Filed 1-4-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P