Citation

Dabney JC, Dudek CL. Transp. Res. Rec. 1981; 808: 38-40.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1981, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Field studies were conducted in New Braunfels, Texas, to test the effectiveness of a highway advisory radio (HAR) system in diverting freeway traffic destined to a special event (the annual Wurstfest celebration) from the primary arterial routes to an alternate arterial route. Three types of HAR messages were tested. Origin destination data were collected and a questionnaire was administered to determine driver reactions and attitudes to the HAR route diversion and to identify factors that influenced the drivers' decisions to divert. The findings of the questionnaire study are summarized. The results indicated no differences in response to the three message types. Drivers less familiar with the area were more apt to divert when they heard a message. A high percentage (42 percent) of the drivers interviewed stated that they did not see the advance sign for HAR. Only 56 percent of those who saw the sign tuned to the station. A comparison of HAR tuning and diversion revealed that 67 percent of the drivers interviewed who tuned to HAR diverted to the alternate route.