Details:

Creators:
Coogan, Matthew ; Gibson, Lucy ; Campbell, Margaret
Coogan, Matthew ; Gibson, Lucy ; Campbell, Margaret Less -
Subject/TRT Terms:
[+]
Travel surveys
Publication/ Report Number:
10-013
Resource Type:
Tech Report
Geographical Coverage:
New England
Corporate Publisher:
New England Transportation Institute
Abstract:
The purpose of the New England Transportation Issues Study was to create a “portrait” of rural

transportation patterns in the Northeast. Applying the concepts of both “mobility” and “accessibility,” the

study explored the issue of “rural isolation,” and how perceptions of isolation differ given age and

location of residence in rural versus suburban and urban areas. The study was undertaken by the New

England Transportation Institute (NETI) in cooperation with the University of Vermont Transportation

Research Center (UVM TRC.) The partnership between NETI and UVM TRC, as expressed in a

Memorandum of Understanding in support of the research, allowed for the creation of a data resource of

benefit to both institutions. In particular, the two groups determined that the information and data

collected by each group will be jointly owned and available for both parties to use in current and future

research. This includes education and advocacy for rural transportation planning issues.

NETI is conducting a multi-year research project that seeks to improve the understanding of rural

isolation and levels of mobility in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. It examines in some detail the

potential for residents in isolated locations to move to a location nearer to traditional town centers,

examines the constraints to such a change in location, and applies the logic of both “smart growth” and

“livability” strategies to Northeastern rural states. The data collection described in this report is one part

of the larger effort.

The survey draft was submitted to FHWA/ USDOT OST in January 2008, who approved its transmittal in

February, 2008 to OMB, where it received final approval. The initially planned survey was to be

conducted by mail and web. In working with the UVM team, it became clear that the initial scale of the

proposed NETI survey effort would not be large enough to serve the more fine grained needs of the UVM

research process, which would examine certain question (such as the effects of seasonality on travel). In

response, the UVM and NETI agreed that UVM would contribute $60,000 to cover the cost of expanding

the sampling, designing, executing, tabulating and analyzing the NETI rural mobility study and the

processing of that survey, with NETI providing a parallel amount to serve as non-federal local share. In

2008, the UVM TRC submitted the research plan to the IRB process of the University, and has

undertaken the project following the procedures established thereby.

This report documents the survey research process undertaken, and documents the format of the data

describing the settlement patterns of the rural built environment developed as part of the NETI research

program.


Format:
PDF
Collection(s):
US Transportation Collection
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:de717bf6757b8a9a3b4cd5cba006efce530ad42969e684d32a5777f468976f1e
Download URL:
https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/21184/dot_21184_DS1.pdf
File Type:

Supporting Files

• No Additional Files

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