Thought you might be interested some good news floating around regarding the NHTS. NHTS Information Update On February 19, 2008 the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) national sample reached a funding milestone. Sufficient funds have been secured to ensure the continuation of this important national study on the travel and transportation needs of the American public. Interviews with 25,000 households across the United States will begin in March. According to Heather Contrino, NHTS Program Manager in the FHWA Office of Policy, "The information provided by the NHTS is so important to programs, policy, and planning across the transportation community. I cannot thank the entire user community enough for its overwhelming support." NHTS is the nation's flagship survey for obtaining information on how, and why, the American public travels. Over the past four decades the NHTS has grown from a single national level survey to one that allows local areas to buy more data, or add-ons, for their areas. Up until February 19th, it was uncertain that there would be a national survey yet 18 areas were scheduled to be "in -the-field" with their surveys March 1, 2008. The issue for the national sample boiled down to money. During the last transportation reauthorization process which produced transportation funding under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) legislation, the discretionary research funding source for the NHTS was zeroed out and a scramble to find money began. That scramble ended Wednesday, or at least one major hurdle was overcome. The NHTS has had a long history of struggling to get on a fixed operating and revenue schedule. Surveys have been completed in 1969, 1977, 1983, 1990, 1995 and 2001--and now 2008. The issue of funding for NHTS is somewhat ironic given its benefits in relation to its costs. While the country is out debating on how to spend trillions of dollars on transportation infrastructure and what we want our country to look like 50 years from now, we have difficulty spending a few million on the information that would help make wise decisions. To conduct the NHTS a total of $6 million was needed. This represents a bare bones approach to conducting the study. Interviews with 25,000 households allowed for detailed population group analyses (e.g. older drivers, new immigrants, teen safety) and area specific reporting including statewide performance measurement, urban/rural comparisons, and analysis of regional trends. Funding for the study was provided by the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, and the AARP. In terms of the Add-ons, a total of 19 States and Metropolitan Planning Organizations "ponied-up" $21 million for 128,000 additional household samples. "Including state and metro participation, this is the largest national household travel survey in the history of the program. We are so excited to see new data and how recent events like gas prices, hybrid vehicles, new immigrants, and baby boomers leaving the workplace are impacting travel choices and overall transportation demand" remarked Contrino. Additional information about the NHTS can be found at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohpi/nhts/index.htm -- Ed Christopher 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) FHWA RC-TST-PLN 19900 Governors Dr Olympia Fields, IL 60461