Surveys

The Household Travel Survey, an ongoing collaboration between the Houston-Galveston Area Council and TxDOT, is designed to capture a snapshot of travel behavior across the region. This survey gathers accurate, detailed travel data and serves as a crucial tool for forecasting future traffic volumes and assessing regional transportation plans.

The survey began in January 2023 and continued through March 2024, following a pilot phase conducted in November 2022. This is the first comprehensive survey of its kind in 15 years, the last being conducted from 2008 to 2009. A total of 15,374 households participated, with 10,519 providing valid, detailed travel behavior information. The number of valid active transportation survey records is estimated at 5,165. The survey has been completed and is now in the final report writing stage.

The Airport Ground Access Survey focused on quantitatively assessing the transportation choices and behaviors of passengers arriving at and departing from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (Hobby). The survey results for both airports provide essential data for travel demand model forecasts, which rely on this information to accurately represent the travel patterns of airport passengers and employees.

H-GAC managed the 3rd traffic data collection between 2022 and 2024. The purpose of traffic data collection is to update and validate travel demand model. The updated traffic count data provides an additional resource for transportation planners and local government entities. All data collection for volume, speed, and vehicle classification on non-freeway main lanes was conducted using tube counters. Using alternative data collection methods at these sites requires explicit approval from H-GAC. For freeway main lane sites, the data collection methodology proposed by the contractor and approved by H-GAC was implemented. The contractor was responsible for data quality assurance through rigorous checks against current and recent data available from TxDOT and H-GAC.

Data collection at designated sites occurred between January 19, 2022, and May 15, 2024, was scheduled to avoid local school holidays, college breaks, and other designated holidays as specified by H-GAC. All data collection activities occurred on weekdays, from Monday through Thursday, ensuring consistent and reliable data quality.

The second Origin-Destination (OD) Transit Onboard Survey, completed in 2022, was designed to collect statistically accurate information about transit passengers and their travel habits in the region. This survey generated reliable linked OD data needed by the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) and the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) to support travel demand modeling and transportation network simulations for regional long-range transportation planning.

The survey also assessed changes in trip characteristics and ridership profiles by comparing the 2022 results, collected after the COVID-19 pandemic, with data from earlier surveys conducted before the pandemic. Additionally, it aimed to meet Title VI Civil Rights requirements in accordance with the latest guidance from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) and the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) jointly conducted the first Origin-Destination (OD) Transit Onboard Survey in 2017. This survey aimed to collect statistically valid data from transit riders using light rail, fixed-route local buses, and commuter buses on weekdays (Tuesday through Thursday). The survey was designed to gather detailed information on travel patterns, trip purposes, and riders' demographic characteristics. It surveyed passengers across the fixed-route services of eight regional transit providers: METRO, Harris County Transit, The Woodlands Express, Fort Bend County Public Transportation, Connect Transit, Island Transit, Brazos Transit District, and Conroe Connection.

The survey data collected will support essential before and after studies for light rail transit, a requirement by the Federal Transit Administration to assess the effectiveness of transit projects. Additionally, this data will validate and calibrate the regional travel demand model, ensuring that it accurately reflects key transit markets and rider behaviors in the region. This validation helps planners make informed decisions about future transit services based on reliable forecasts.