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Acknowledgments US Department of Transportation - BTS

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year. Also, expansion factors are used for roadways that are sampled rather than continuously monitored. Vmt byvehicle type is estimated using vehicle share estimates supplied by states.FHWA has established methods for collecting, coding, and reporting HPMS data in two manuals: Traffic MonitoringGuide (TMG) and Highway Performance Monitoring System Field Manual. The prescribed sampling process forcollecting highway volume data, which is used to estimate AADT, is based on statistical methods. However, inpractice, several factors affect the ultimate quality <strong>of</strong> the data. FHWA discusses many <strong>of</strong> these issues in their annualHighway Statistics report and other publications. However, <strong>BTS</strong> is not aware <strong>of</strong> any study or report that hasstatistically quantified the accuracy <strong>of</strong> vmt estimates. Some <strong>of</strong> the primary issues related to data quality are notedhere.1. The sampling procedures suggested in the TMG and HPMS Field Manual are designed to produce traffic volumeestimates with an average precision level <strong>of</strong> 80-percent confidence with a 10-percent allowable error at the statelevel. FHWA provides additional guidance to states through annual workshops and other avenues to help them followthese procedures as closely as possible. However, the actual data quality and consistency <strong>of</strong> HPMS information aredependent on the programs, actions, and maintenance <strong>of</strong> sound databases by numerous data collectors, suppliers,and analysts at the state, metropolitan, and other local area levels. Not all states follow the recommended sampling,counting, and estimating procedures contained in the Traffic Monitoring Guide, and the exact degree to which thestates follow these guidelines overall is unknown. However, FHWA believes that most states generally follow theguidelines.2. Estimates for higher-level roadway systems are more accurate than those for lower level ones, since trafficvolumes on higher-level roadways are sampled at a higher rate. The TMG recommends that traffic counts becollected for all Interstate and principal arterial sections on a three-year cycle. Under this scheme, about one-third <strong>of</strong>the traffic counts for these roadway sections in a given year are actually measured, while volumes on the remainderare factored to represent present growth. Although some States collect data at all traffic count locations every year,most use some variation <strong>of</strong> the TMG data collection guidelines. Volumes on urban and rural minor arterials, ruralmajor collectors, and urban collectors are collected using a sampling procedure. States are not required to reportvolumes for rural/urban local systems and rural minor collectors, though most do so. However, the methods used toestimate travel on these roadways vary from state to state since there are no standard guidelines for calculatingtravel on these roadways.3. Vmt estimates by vehicle type are less accurate than are estimates for total motor vehicle vmt for severalreasons:1) vehicle classification equipment can frequently misclassify vehicles (see B.A. Harvey et al, Accuracy <strong>of</strong>Traffic Monitoring Equipment, GDOT 9210, (Georgia Tech Research Institute:1995)); 2) vehicle shares are <strong>of</strong>tendetermined by methods or by special studies that are not directly compatible with HPMS data definitions and/orpurposes, and observed local-level vehicle classification counts are difficult to apply on a statewide basis; and 3)vehicle type definitions can vary among states.4. Vmt estimates for combination trucks in HPMS differ from survey-based estimates from the Truck Inventory andUse Survey (TI<strong>US</strong>), as much as 50 percent for some categories <strong>of</strong> combination trucks. Much <strong>of</strong> this discrepancyappears to be due to differences in truck classification definitions and biases introduced by data collection practices.See R.D. Mingo et al.1995. <strong>Transportation</strong> Research Record, No. 1511 (Washington, DC: National Academy Press),pp. 42-46.5. FHWA adjusts questionable data using a variety <strong>of</strong> standard techniques and pr<strong>of</strong>essional judgement. For example,national average temporal adjustment factors developed from HPMS and other national highway monitoringprograms are applied to State data, when necessary, to compensate for temporal deficiencies in sampling practices.Also, in estimating vmt by vehicle type, FHWA employs an iterative process to reconcile vmt, fuel economy (miles pergallon), fuel consumption, and vehicle registration estimates. Fuel consumption, total vmt by highway functional class,and registrations by vehicle group are used as control totals. This process limits the size <strong>of</strong> errors and ensures dataconsistency.6.Passenger-miles <strong>of</strong> travel (pmt) are calculated by multiplying vmt estimates by vehicle loading (or occupancy)factors from various sources, such as the Nationwide Personal <strong>Transportation</strong> Survey conducted by FHWA andTI<strong>US</strong>. Thus, pmt data are subject to the same accuracy issues as vmt, along with uncertainties associated withestimating vehicle-loading factors.Transit

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