United States Department of Transportation
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Travelers’ Use of the WSDOT Traffic Conditions Web Site: Customer Satisfaction Evaluation; Metropolitan Model Deployment Initiative: Seattle, Washington
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2000-01-28
[PDF-279.50 KB]
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Alternative Title:Metropolitan Model Deployment Initiative: Seattle, Washington:;Travelers' use of the Washington State Department of Transportation Traffic Conditions Web Site;WSDOT web use report;
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TRIS Online Accession Number:00927552
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Abstract:This report presents the results of an evaluation of public use of the Washington State Department of Transportation's (WSDOT) traffic conditions web site. This research was sponsored by the US Department of Transportation to assess customer satisfaction with the deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) products and services in selected metropolitan areas under the Federal Highway Administration's Metropolitan Model Deployment Initiative (MMDI) program. This report assesses traveler use of the WSDOT traveler information web site in Seattle and the greater Puget Sound area by using commercially available WebTrends log analysis software to analyze the web use log files that recorded individual activity on this site between May 1998 and April 1999. The URL for this web site is: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/PugetSoundTraffic/. The objective of this web use analysis is to better understand preferences for traveler information, the usage levels in the MMDI site areas for information provided through the Internet, the potential for reaching the traveling public via the Internet, and the patterning of use of traveler information. Customer preferences are revealed through actual usage of the web site, and these revealed preferences have been supplemented by other forms of data collection, including surveys and focus groups, conducted under the MMDI evaluation program. This report concludes that the WSDOT traffic conditions web page is very popular with travelers in the Seattle area, and is one of the most heavily used traffic information web sites in the nation. Unusually congested traffic, caused by severe weather or incidents, prompts significant "spikes" in usage of the web site, indicating substantial latent demand for real-time traffic information. The camera image pages are particularly popular among users. The daily patterning of use clearly indicates heaviest usage during the afternoon commute peak period. Coupled with information from focus groups with active web site users and an on-line survey of users, this analysis enriches our understanding of how travelers are using the Internet to obtain up to date traffic information in their efforts to deal with some of the most severe congestion in the nation.
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