The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), in cooperation with the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), is conducting a survey of Houston-Galveston area businesses to obtain information about the amount of traffic going to and from different types of businesses.

Visitors to some area businesses may soon be asked to participate in a brief travel survey being conducted by TxDOT. Over the next few months, TxDOT sponsored surveyors will be stationed at some area businesses to ask visitors to answer a few questions about their travel to the location. TxDOT would like to encourage all who are asked to participate in the survey, but emphasizes that participation is totally voluntary.

The purpose of this Workplace Travel Survey is to help local and state officials in deciding:

• Where new roads and transit service should be planned;

• What existing roads and transit routes should be improved; and,

• Which roadway projects being considered over the next few years will be of greatest benefit to the residents of the H-GAC study area.

TxDOT and H-GAC plan for transportation improvement projects every year for Houston-Galveston and the surrounding counties located within the H-GAC Study Area boundary. TxDOT and H-GAC develop a computer model of major roadways to help in planning and prioritizing area transportation projects. The model will evaluate future traffic conditions based on factors such as traffic generated by residents and businesses within in the study area and traffic coming from outside of the area. The survey will collect information on the amount of traffic going to and from local businesses needed as input into the model.

The Workplace Survey is being conducted along with a Commercial Vehicle Survey to study traffic amounts and patterns. A Household Survey was just completed.

Area businesses will be randomly contracted by phone and invited to take part in the survey. The Weighted Systematic Sampling Procedure will be used to select a business. All area businesses have an equal chance in being selected. TxDOT would like to encourage all employers who are called to participate, but again emphasizes that participation is totally voluntary. TxDOT says employers may find the survey informative and useful.

For more information about this study, contact Charlie Hall, TxDOT Travel Survey Program Manager, at 512-486-5120.