Travel survey: Help us plan for region’s transportation needs

Ever wonder how we project traffic on a roadway or how we project the impact of a new development on the surrounding roads? Well, knowing the travel habits of households in Southeast Michigan helps us to determine these calculations and other types of analysis. We can use your help to ensure the relationships we are using reflect as current a situation as possible.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and SEMCOG, are administering a travel survey program called MI Travel Counts. MDOT and SEMCOG have contracted with Westat, a nationally recognized survey research firm, to conduct the survey. We want you to be aware of the program and its benefits to transportation in Michigan.

The MI Travel Counts survey results will give us a better understanding of why people travel and how they plan their daily activities. From this, we can better forecast future trends and meet Southeast Michigan’s changing travel needs. The information gained from the survey will also be used to better identify projects that improve access to jobs, schools, healthcare, and other important daily activities.

So, how is this going to work? Randomly selected Michigan households will be contacted by U.S. mail and invited to participate in the survey by recording and then reporting their travel activities for one day. A small group of households will also be asked to participate in a Global Positioning System (GPS) survey.

It is our hope that you will accept and welcome this invitation if you are contacted. If you have any concerns, please contact me at SEMCOG. Please know that the information you provide is confidential and secure, as required by law.

Right now, a pilot survey is underway to make sure the survey instrument and processes work well. We’ll conduct surveys in April and in September. Invitation letters will be sent a month earlier.

More information will be coming, so please keep looking on the SEMCOG website for regular updates.