Citation

Nasri A, Zhang L, Fan J, Stewart K, Younes H, Fu C, Jessberger S. Transp. Res. Rec. 2019; 2673(11): 296-308.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0361198119850790

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

It is of interest to federal and state agencies to develop an advanced uniform method for estimation of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on local roads which can be used as a guideline for agencies nationwide. The purpose of this study is to propose advanced innovative approaches for estimating VMT on local roads and analyze the feasibility of applying these methods. The paper presents a methodology and procedure for estimating local road VMT using GPS vehicle trajectory data and an all-street road network and expands these methodologies and results to determine the minimum required GPS sample size. The Federal Highway Administration and other transportation agencies may consider using these methodologies as a future guide to update VMT estimates with minimal additional cost requirements. The key finding of the research is that it is feasible to use new GPS vehicle trajectory data to estimate VMT on non-Federal Aid System roadways. The sample size of this data allows the application of this new method across the nation. The accuracy of this method was tested for the State of Maryland. Once such statewide GPS data is obtained by a given state, the methodology can be easily applied to that state as well.

The purpose of this study is to investigate advanced innovative approaches for estimating vehicle miles traveled on non-Federal Aid System (NFAS) roadways and to analyze the feasibility of applying these methods nationwide. NFAS roadways, also known as local roads, are roads with the functional classes: urban, rural local, and rural minor collectors. VMT on NFAS roads constitute over 15% of the total VMT in the U.S.A., according to FHWA 2015 Highway Statistics Table VM-2 (1). Currently, local road VMT is a key data component in dealing with several issues, including reduction of emissions from the transportation sector, area-wide safety exposure analysis, variable VMT fees based on vehicle type and roadway class, and transportation revenue allocation. Current efforts and resources allocated to monitoring travel conditions and estimating the amount of travel occurring on local roads are relatively limited, however. As reliable estimates of VMT on local roads become increasingly important, agencies are investigating new advanced methodologies to estimate local VMT more efficiently and more cost effectively.

Language: en