MODULE 2

DATA COLLECTION AND INVENTORIES

Data Collection And Inventories: Collection of data - Organisation of surveys and Analysis,
Study Area, Zoning, Types and Sources of Data, Road Side Interviews, Home Interview
Surveys, Commercial Vehicle Surveys,
Sampling Techniques, Expansion Factors, Accuracy Checks
Use of Secondary Sources, Economic data - Income - Population - Employment - Vehicle
Owner Ship.

Contents
Collection of data ............................................................................................................................ 3
Organization of surveys and analysis ............................................................................................. 3
Study area.................................................................................................................................... 3
Zoning ......................................................................................................................................... 4
Types and sources of data ........................................................................................................... 5
Types of Movements............................................................................................................... 5
Data Collection ....................................................................................................................... 6
Type of Surveys ...................................................................................................................... 6
1. Home-interview survey. ...................................................................................................... 6
2. Commercial vehicle surveys ............................................................................................... 9
3. Taxi Survey ....................................................................................................................... 10
4. Road-side interview survey: ............................................................................................. 10
5. Post-card Questionnaire .................................................................................................... 13
6. Registration-number surveys. ........................................................................................... 13
7. Public transport surveys. ................................................................................................... 14
8. Tag-on-vehicle surveys. .................................................................................................... 15
Sampling techniques ..................................................................................................................... 15
1. Simple random sampling .................................................................................................. 16
2.Stratified random sampling ................................................................................................ 16
3.Multi-stage sampling ......................................................................................................... 16
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4.Cluster sampling ................................................................................................................ 17

5.Systematic sampling .......................................................................................................... 17
Non-Random Sampling Methods ............................................................................................. 17
Sampling error and sampling bias............................................................................................. 18
Expansion Factors ..................................................................................................................... 18
Sample Size and Accuracy Checks ........................................................................................... 19
Level of Precision ................................................................................................................. 19
Confidence level desired ....................................................................................................... 19
The degree of variability ....................................................................................................... 19
Inventory of transport facilities ..................................................................................................... 20
Inventory of streets ................................................................................................................... 20
Traffic volume .......................................................................................................................... 20
Travel time studies .................................................................................................................... 20
Inventory of public transport buses........................................................................................... 20
Inventory of rail transport facilities .......................................................................................... 20
Parking inventory ...................................................................................................................... 21
Accident data ............................................................................................................................ 21
Inventory of Land Use and Economic Activities (Use of secondary data)................................... 21
Inventory of Land Use .............................................................................................................. 21
Inventory of Economic Activities ............................................................................................. 21

Note References:
Kadiyali L R, Traffic Engineering and Transportation Planning Text Book
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Collection of data
The first stage in the formulation of a transportation plan is to collect data on all factors that are
likely to influence travel pattern. The work involves a number of surveys so as to have,
• an inventory of existing travel pattern
• an inventory of existing transport facilities
• an inventory of existing land-use and economic activities.
This stage of planning process entails voluminous work and involves huge cost and immense time
period. Standardised procedures and guidelines have already established for the smooth progress
of data collection.

Organization of surveys and analysis

Study area
To collect all information like travel pattern, land use, economic activities and transport facilities,
one need to know the boundary for the study area or planning area, and hence it is essential to
define the study area first.
Transportation planning can be at the national level, the regional level or at the urban level. For
planning at the urban level the study area should embrace the whole contribution, containing
the existing and potential continuously built up areas of the city.
The imaginary line representing the boundary of the study area is termed as the external cordon
line. The area inside the external cordon line determines the travel pattern to a large extent and as
such, it is surveyed great detail. The land use pattern and the economic activities are studied
intensively and detailed survey (such as the home-interview) are conducted in this area to
determine the travel characteristics. On the other hand, the area outside the cordon line is not
studied in such details.
Selection of External Cordon Line
1. The selection of the external cordon line for urban transportation planning should
be done carefully with due to consideration to the following factors:
2. The external cordon line should circumscribe all areas, which are already built up, and
those areas, which are considered likely to be developed during the planning period.
3. The external cordon line should contain all areas of systematic daily life of the people
oriented towards the city center and should in effect be the commuter shed.
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4. The external cordon line should-be continuous and uniform in its courses so that
movements cross it only once. The line should intersect roads where it is safe and
convenient for carrying out traffic survey.
5. The external cordon line should be compatible with the previous studies of the areas
studies planned for the future
Zoning
The defined study area is sub-divided into smaller areas called zones. The purpose of such a sub-
division is to facilitate the spatial quantification of land use and economic factors which influence
travel pattern. The data collected on individual household basis cannot be conveniently considered
and analysed unless they are aggregated into small zones.
Sub-division into zones further helps in geographically associating the origins and destinations of
travel. Zones within the study area are called internal zones and those outside the study area are
called external zones. In large study projects, it is more convenient to divide the study area into
sectors, which are sub-divided into smaller zones.
A convenient system of coding of the zones will be useful for the study. One such system is to
divide the study area into 9 sectors. Each sector is sub-divided into 10 zones. A sub-zone bearing
a number 481 belongs to sector 4 and to zone 8 in that sector and is sub-zone 1 in that zone.
Zones are modelled as if all their attributes and properties were concentrated in a single point
called the zone centroid. The centroids are connected to the nearest road junction or rail station by
centroid connectors. Both centroid and centroid connectors are notional and it is assumed that all
people have same travel cost from the centroid to the nearest transport facility which is the average
for a zone. The intersection from outside world is normally represented through external zones.
The external zones are defined by the catchment area of the major transport links feeding to the
study area.

The following points are kept in view when dividing the area into zones:
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1. Land use is the most important factor in establishing zones for a transportation survey. The
traffic generated within the zones can be predicted, quantified and measured accurately;
only when origin and destination reflects the land use properly.
2. The zones should have a homogenous land use so as to reflect accurately the associated
trip making behavior.
3. Anticipated change in land use should be considered when sub-dividing the study area into
zones.
4. It would be advantages, if the subdivision follows closely that adopted by other bodies (
e.g. census department) for data collection. This will facilitate correlation of data.
5. The zones should not too large to cause considerable errors in data. At the sometime, they
should not be too small either to cause difficulty in handling and analyzing the data. As a
general guide, a population of 1000-3000 may be the optimum for a small area, and a
population of 5000-10000 may be the optimum for large urban areas. In residential areas,
the zones may accommodate roughly 1000 households.
6. The zones should preferably have regular geometric form for easily determining the
centroid, which represent the origin and destination of travel.
7. The sectors should represent the catchment of trips generated on a primary route
8. Zones should be compatible with screen lines and cordon lines.
9. Zone boundaries should preferably be watersheds of trip making.
10. Natural or physical barriers such as canals, rivers, etc. can form convenient zone
boundaries.
In addition to the external cordon lines, there may be a number of internal cordon lines
arranged as concentric rings to check the accuracy of survey data. Screen lines running through
the study area are also established to check the accuracy of data collected from home-
interview survey. Screen lines can be conveniently located along physical or natural barriers
having a few crossing points.
Examples of such barriers are river, railway lines, canals, etc.
Types and sources of data
Types of Movements
The basic movements for which survey data are required are:
1. Internal to internal.
2. External to internal.
3. Internal to external.
4. External to external.
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For large urban areas, the internal to internal travel is heavy whereas for small areas having a small
population (say less than 5000) the internal to internal travel is relatively less. Most details
of internal to internal travel can be obtained by home interview survey. The details of internal-
external, external-internal and external-external travels can be studied by cordon surveys.
Data Collection
The data can be collected:
1. At home.
2. During the trip end.
3. At the destination of the trip.
When collected at home, the data can be wide ranging and can over all the trips made during a
given period. The data collected during the trip is necessary of limited scope since the procedure
yields data only on the particular trip intercepted.
At the destination end, the direct interview types of surveys provide data on demand for parking
facilities and or the trip ends at major traffic attraction centers such as factories, offices and
commercial establishments.
Type of Surveys
The following are the surveys that are usually carried out:
1. Home-interview survey.
2. Commercial vehicles surveys.
3. Intermediate public transport surveys.
4. Public transport surveys.
5. Road–side–interview surveys.
6. Post-card-questioner surveys.
7. Registration-number surveys.
8. Tag-on-vehicle surveys.
1. Home-interview survey.
Home-interview survey is one of the most reliable type of surveys for collection of origin and
destination data. The survey is essentially intended to yield data on the following information:
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• Household information - information on household characteristics includes type of

dwelling unit, number of residents, age, sex, race, vehicle ownership, number of drivers,
family income and so on.
• Journey data - information on the travel pattern includes number of trips made, their origin
and destination, purpose of trip, travel mode, time of departure from origin and time of
arrival at destination and so on.
Based on these data it is possible to relate the amount of travel to household and zonal
characteristics and develop equations for trip generation rates.
It is impractical to interview all the residents of the study area. Since travel patterns tend to be
uniform in a particular zone. The size of the sample is usually determined on the basis of the
population of the study area. And the standards given by the Bureau of Public Roads as shown in
below table.

Following techniques are generally adopted for Home Interview Survey.

• Person to person full interview technique - Full interview technique involves
interviewing as many members of the household as possible and directly recording all
the information.
• Home questionnaire technique - In the Home questionnaire technique, the interviewer
collects only details of the household characteristics, leaving forms for household
residents to complete in regard to travel information. The completed forms are collected
by the interviewer after a day or two.
• Telephone survey - In the former the questionnaire is sent out by post before the survey
data and the replies are elicited by telephone. This method can be successful only in
areas of high telephone ownership.
• Postal survey - In the postal survey method, the questionnaire is mailed and the
households are requested to send their replies by post in reply-paid envelopes.
Advantage of Home Interview Survey:
• Relatively easy to administer.
• Higher accuracy rate can be obtained by this type of survey
• Numerous questions can be asked about a subject, giving extensive flexibility in data
analysis.
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• In general, higher response rates may be obtained from personal interview surveys than
from other surveys
• The home interview survey allows for considerable flexibility in the type of information
collected. Attitudes, opinions, open-ended verbal answers and other non-quantitative
information are much more readily collected in a personal interview survey than in a
questionnaire survey.
• The presence of an interviewer means that explanations can be given regarding the
meaning of questions or the method in which answers are to be given.
Disadvantage of Home Interview Survey:
• It is relatively time consuming.
• Respondents may not be fully aware of their reasons for any given answer because of
lack of memory on the subject, or even boredom.
• If sample is selected in an unbiased way, the survey data is not correct.
• This type of survey is more expensive than other survey type
• In some case there is scarcity of skilled manpower.
A typical survey format and the structured questionnaire is shown below.
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2. Commercial vehicle surveys

Commercial vehicle surveys are conducted to obtain information on journey made by all
commercial vehicles based within the study area. The addresses of the vehicle operators are
obtained and they are contacted. Forms are issued to drivers with a request that more they record
particulars of all the trips they would make. A typical questionnaire which elicits information on
the origin and destination of each trip is given in the following table:

Advantage of Commercial vehicle surveys:

• Commercial vehicles should be categorized with this survey for providing schedule
time for different sectors to avoid traffic congestion.
• Easily estimate the commercial vehicle of a specific area.
• Estimate the percentage of commercial vehicle and non-commercial vehicle.
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• Individual counting of commercial vehicles are helpful to find out inadequate amount
of individual categorized vehicle.
Disadvantage of Commercial vehicle surveys:
• It is a time-consuming survey.
• Field classification becomes hard during signal.
• Sometimes people don’t want to give personal information.
3. Taxi Survey
Large urban areas usually have a sizeable amount of travel by taxis. In such cases, a separate taxi
survey is necessary. The survey consists of issuing questionnaire’s or log sheets to the drivers
and requesting them to complete the same.
4. Road-side interview survey:
Road-side interview survey is one of the methods of carrying out a screen-line or cordon survey.
The road side interview survey can be done either by directly interviewing drivers of the vehicles
at selected survey points or by issuing prepaid post cards containing the questionnaire to all or a
sample of the drivers.
• The survey points are selected along the junction of the cordon-line or screen-line with the
roads. The cordons may be in the form of circular rings, radial lines of rectangular grids.
• For small towns, population less than 5000, single circular cordon at the periphery of the
town should suffice. The internal travel being light, the external cordon survey in that case
will give the origin-destination data.
• A population in the range 5,000 to 75,000 two cordon lines is necessary, the external cordon
at the edge of the urban development and the internal cordon at the limits of the central
business district. Road side interviews at the intersection of roads with these two cordon
lines should be able to fairly assess the patterns of travel in such cities.
• For large cities, the cordon-lines and screen lines may be more complicated, and the home-
interview technique cannot be dispensed with. Cordon line and screen line surveys by the
road side interview technique serve to check the accuracy of the home interview survey
data.
• For dual carriageways or roads with very little traffic the traffic in both the directions is
dealt with simultaneously. In other cases the traffic in two directions will be interviewed
at different times. If the survey covers most of the day it may be sufficient to interview
traffic in one direction only and to assume that the journeys in the opposite direction are
the same as in the direction interviewed.
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It is impractical to stop and interview all the vehicles. Convenient sampling methods to be adopted,
for instance, one in a fixed number of vehicles (every tenth, or fifteenth or twentieth) or select the
nest vehicle as soon as each
interview is completed.
Some of the layouts of the road
side interview are shown below.
One has to ensure that the
vehicles are stopped in the
interview bay without obstructing
flow of traffic and with prior
indication of warning signs.

The period and duration of the

survey are important matters that
need careful prior thought. A 24
hours count will not normally be needed, and the survey is often restricted to 16 hour (0600-2200
hours) or 12 hours (0700—1900 hours) in a day. For the remainder of the day, vehicular counts
are, however, made. In order to eliminate bias due to unusual conditions on any particular day, it
is the practice to obtain data for each week day (Monday-Friday).
For complete and reliable data to be obtained by the survey, it is necessary to frame and design the
questions with care. The enumerators must also be given adequate training and instructions to
avoid ambiguity in the answers and to ensure uniform pattern of data from different enumerators.
Pre-printed forms are used to record the answers. A sample form is shown below.
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Advantage of Road-side interview survey:

• Road side interview is an economic method of survey and yields accurate and reliable
data.
• Direct and accurate information is obtained.
• Well suited to conditions where personnel are limited.
• Stopping of drivers can create congestion and antagonize the public.
• Only the information about vehicular trips is obtained.
Disadvantage of Road-side interview survey:
• It is impractical to stop and interview all the vehicles. Sampling in, therefore is
necessary. For this reason, accurate results sometimes cannot be achieved.
• The number of samples depends on the number of interviewers and the traffic using the
road. It may become necessary to vary the sampling rate at the traffic flow changes.
• Since interviews may last for several minutes, vehicles must be stopped in an interview
bay so that traffic flow is not obstructed.
• The interviewers have no statutory powers to stop the vehicles and question the drivers.
This makes it necessary to seek the help of the police to control and direct the traffic
for being interviewed. But sometimes it becomes hard to get those helps from them.
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• Vehicles are delayed when being interviewed.

5. Post-card Questionnaire
In this method, reply-paid questionnaires are handed over to each of the drivers or a sample of
them at the survey points and requesting them to complete the information and reply by post. The
method avoids delay caused to the drivers by the direct roadside interview method but suffer from
the disadvantage that the response may not be good. For this reason, its use is not generally
recommended for developing countries. It is possible to get a good amount of information from
this method. The method is simpler and cheaper than many others.
As regards the selection of survey points and questions asked, the method is similar to the direct
road side interview technique. A good amount of publicity is needed before the actual survey in
order to get favourable response. It is reported that well planned and publicized post card
questionnaire surveys have yielded returns of 50% or more.
The postcard survey is designed to capture the origin, destination, purpose, and frequency of each
surveyed motorist’s trip as well as the number of people in the vehicle and other routes typically
used to make a similar trip.
Advantage of Post-card Questionnaire:
• It saves time.
• It is a low-cost method.
• The method avoids delay caused to the drivers by the direct roadside interview
method.
• It is possible to get a good amount of information from this method.
• The method is simpler and cheaper than many others.
Disadvantage Post-card Questionnaire:
• Response is not good.
• Sometimes it makes delay to reach the destination.
• It contains doubt about the accuracy level.

6. Registration-number surveys.
Registration number plate survey consists of noting the registration numbers of vehicles entering
or leaving an area at survey points located on the cordon line. By matching the registration numbers
of vehicles at the points of entry and exit from the area, one is enabled to identify two points on
the paths of the vehicles. The method neither gives the origin or the destination of the trip nor
yields any other useful information such as trip purpose.
The area to be surveyed is defined, and the roads intersecting the cordon line, are identified. At
each survey point, one or two observers are stationed to record the data in each direction of travel.
If two observers are available at each point, one can call out the registration number of the vehicle
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and the other can record. Time should be recorded at regular intervals. If the actual times at entry
and exit are noted, an estimate of the journey speed of the vehicles can also be had. The types of
vehicles (car, commercial vehicle, bus etc.) as well as the full registration number (letters and
figures) are noted. If some sampling is necessary because of heavy traffic, only numbers ending
with pre-selected digits are recorded.
Manual method is organized by allotting data from each survey point to different persons who sit
around a table. The registration numbers of vehicles are called in turn and the persons having the
survey data at exit point match them with their entries. When a number is thus matched, the passage
of that vehicle in between the two points now known is entered on a suitable form. If any number
is not matched, the reason may be that the particular vehicle entered the survey area, but did not
move out during the survey period, or the number itself was recorded wrongly in the field. When
the movements of all the sampled vehicles have been thus determined the true traffic movement is
determined by applying the appropriate expansion factor.
Advantage of Registration Number Plate Surveys:
• The work does not interfere with the traffic in any way.
• It identifies the entry and exit points of traffic passing through the city.
• The registration number surveys can also provide journey time information for through
traffic.
• It provides information on journeys using a network to serve a large conurbation.
• It is useful for checking movements using alternative routes or to provide entry and exit
information for small junction or road improvement schemes.
• The drivers are not inconvenienced and there is a lower unit cost of observation.
Disadvantage of Registration Number Plate Surveys:
• A large number of observers are needed for this survey
• The journey information lacks detail about purpose and O-D of the trip.
• The processing of the information and analysis of the results can be complicated
• This method is time and cost consuming.
• The procedure of this method is cumbersome if done manually and hence the use of
electronic computer is often sought.
7. Public transport surveys.
In order to assess the number of bus passengers passing through an external cordon, the survey
can either be by direct interview with the passengers or by issuing post-card questionnaires. An
external cordon rail survey can be carried out by interviewing the passengers on trains.
Alternatively, pre-paid questionnaires may be distributed to persons residing at stations outside the
survey area. These questionnaires may also be collected at the stations inside the survey area.
Advantage of Public Transport Survey:
• Interviewers get information by direct interview through this method.
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• It helps to provide different types of mode which is needed to the public.

• It helps in transportation planning by people’s participation.
Disadvantage of Public Transport Survey:
• Direct interview is likely to result in large delays.
• It requires a large number of interviews which is difficult.
• Post-card questionnaires also eliminate delays.
• Post-card questionnaires contain an element of bias.
• It is likely to evoke poor response.
8. Tag-on-vehicle surveys.
In this method, at each point where the roads cross the cordon line, vehicles are stopped and a tag
is affixed, usually under a windscreen wiper. The tags for different survey stations have different
shapes and/or color to identify the survey station. The vehicles are stopped again at the exit points
where the tags are removed. The times of entering and leaving the area may be marked on the tags
in order to enable the journey times to be determined. If it is not possible to handle all the vehicles,
sampling may be resorted to. Regular sampling (such as every second, third, fifth ... vehicle) will
make it easier to determine the expansion factor. Otherwise, an additional observer may be
stationed at each survey point to take a classified count of the traffic. The parking areas are
surveyed at the end of the study period and the tags on parked vehicles collected
Advantage of Tag Surveys:
• The analysis of this method is simple.
• Errors are not very large in this survey.
• The method can also be extended to cover vehicles that enter the area but are parked in the
area during the rest of the study period.
Disadvantage of Tag surveys:
• It is a time-consuming method.
• It is never possible to survey all vehicles.

Sampling techniques
The need for sampling is based on the realisation that in transport studies one is often dealing with
very large populations. To attempt to survey all members of these populations would be
impossible. The object of sampling is to obtain a small sample from an entire population such that
the sample is representative of the entire population. It is therefore of some importance to ensure
that the sample is drawn with care to ensure that it is indeed representative.
The accuracy of sample parameter estimates, however, is totally dependent on the sampling being
performed in an acceptable fashion. Almost always, the only acceptable sampling methods are
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based on some form of random sampling. There are many types of sampling methods, each of
which is based on the random sampling principle. The most frequently encountered methods are:
1. Simple random sampling
2. Stratified random sampling
3. Multi-stage sampling
4. Cluster sampling
5. Systematic sampling
1. Simple random sampling
Selecting units out of a population such that each population
unit has an equal chance of being drawn. In this method, each
unit in the population is assigned an identification number and
then these numbers are sampled at random to obtain the sample.
Eg: select a random sample of 10 sampling units from this
population.

2.Stratified random sampling

Stratified Sampling: Dividing population of nth units
into subpopulations of N 1, N 2, … N L units
according to differences in some defining
characteristic. To use stratified sampling, it is
necessary that some prior information about the
population is available before sampling takes place.
The prior information should also relate to the
variables which are to be measured in the survey. For
example, if one were attempting to measure trip
generation rates in a survey, then stratification on the
basis of car ownership would be more useful than stratification on the basis of the day of the week
on which the respondent was born (assuming both data sets were available prior to sampling).
3.Multi-stage sampling
In simple random sampling, the first stage in the process is to enumerate (give names or numbers
to) the entire population. While this may be feasible for small populations, it is clearly more
difficult with larger populations. For example, identifying every individual in a large city or a
nation is clearly a non-trivial task. In such circumstances, another variation of random sampling is
called for. Multi-stage sampling is a random sampling technique which is based on the process of
selecting a sample in two or more successive, contingent stages.
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Multi-stage sampling can be used in the design of on-board transit surveys. In such surveys, the
sampling unit is the transit passenger, but it would be impractical to have a sampling frame based
on the names of all transit passengers. Rather, the sample of transit passengers can be drawn in a
four-stage process, where each stage takes account of a different dimension in the transit passenger
population
• Stage 1: Geographically-stratified sampling of routes
• Stage 2: Sampling of vehicles from the selected routes
• Stage 3: Time-stratified sampling of runs on selected vehicles
• Stage 4: Surveying of all passengers on selected runs
4.Cluster sampling
Cluster sampling is a variation of multi-stage sampling. In this method, the total population is first
divided into clusters of sampling units, usually on a geographic basis. These clusters are then
sampled randomly and the units within the cluster are either selected in total or else sampled at a
very high rate. Like multi-stage sampling, cluster sampling can be much more economical than
simple random sampling both in drawing the sample and in conducting the survey.
5.Systematic sampling
Systematic sampling is a method of selecting units
from a list through the application of a selection
interval, I, such that every Ith unit on the list,
following a random start, is included in the sample.
The selection interval is simply derived as the
inverse of the desired sampling fraction.
For example, Figure 4.7 shows a systematic
sample drawn from our population of 100
sampling units, where 04has been randomly drawn
as the starting number.
Non-Random Sampling Methods
In addition to the above methods, which are based to a greater or lesser extent on random
probabilistic sampling, there are a number of other sampling methods which are not based on
random sampling.
The two principal methods are quota sampling and expert sampling.
• Quota sampling, as the name suggests, is based on the interviewer obtaining responses
from a specified number of respondents. The quota may be stratified into various
groups, within each of which a quota of responses must be obtained. This method, for
example, is often used when interviewing passenger disembarking from aircraft or other
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transport modes and for many types of street interviews where passers-by are stopped
and asked questions.
• Expert sampling, on the other hand, takes the task of sampling away from the
interviewer and places it in the hands of an "expert" in the field of study being addressed
by the survey. The validity of the sample chosen then relies squarely on the judgement
of the expert. While such expert sampling may well be appropriate in the development
of hypotheses and in exploratory studies, it does not provide a basis for the reliable
estimation of parameter values since it has been repeatedly shown that people, no matter
how expert they are in a particular field of study, are not particularly skilled at
deliberately selecting random samples.
Sampling error and sampling bias
There are two distinct types of error which occur in survey sampling and which, combined,
contribute to measurement error in sampled data.
• The first of these errors is termed sampling error, and is the error which arises simply
because we are dealing with a sample and not with the total population. No matter how
well designed our sample is, sampling error will always be present due to chance
occurrences. However, sampling error should not affect the expected values of
parameter averages; it merely affects the variability around these averages and
determines the confidence which one can place in the average values. Sampling error
is primarily a function of the sample size and the inherent variability of the parameter
under investigation.
• The second type of error in data measurement is termed sampling bias. It is a
completely different concept from sampling error and arises because of mistakes made
in choosing the sampling frame, the sampling technique, or in many other aspects of
the sample survey.
Sampling bias is different from sampling error in two major respects.
First, whilst sampling error only affects the variability around the estimated parameter
average, sampling bias affects the value of the average itself and hence is a more severe
distortion of the sample survey results.
Second, while sampling error can never be eliminated and can only be minimized by
increasing the sample size, sampling bias can be virtually eliminated by careful attention
to various aspects of sample survey design. Small sampling error results in precise
estimates while small sampling bias results in accurate estimates.
Expansion Factors
In order to derive the travel characteristics of the whole population from the data derived from
sampling, certain expansion factors are used.
For the home interview surveys, the expansion factor is calculated on a zonal basis as follows:
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𝐴 𝐶
𝐴 − 𝐵 (𝐶 + 𝐵 × 𝐷)
𝐸𝑥𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐹𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 =
𝐵−𝐶−𝐷
Sample Size and Accuracy Checks
Sample Size is based on statistical formulae. Determination of a sample size depends on Variability
of the parameters in the population Degree of accuracy required Population size.
Level of Precision
Sample size is to be determined according to some pre-assigned ‘degree of precision’. The ‘degree
of precision’ is the margin of permissible error between the estimated value and the population
value. In other words, it is the measure of how close an estimate is to the actual characteristic in
the population. The level of precision may be termed as sampling error.
The difference between the sample statistic and the related population parameter is called the
sampling error. It depends on the amount of risk a researcher is willing to accept while using the
data to make decisions. It is often expressed in percentage. If the sampling error or margin of error
is ±5%, and 70% unit in the sample attribute some criteria, then it can be concluded that 65% to
75% of units in the population have attributed that criteria.
Confidence level desired
The confidence or risk level is ascertained through the well-established probability model called
the normal distribution and an associated theorem called the Central Limit theorem.

The probability density function (p. d. f) of the normal distribution with parameters μ and σ is
given by

Usually 95% and 99% of probability are taken as the two known degrees of confidence for
specifying the interval within which one may ascertain the existence of population parameter (e.g.
mean). 95% confidence level means if an investigator takes 100 independent samples from the
same population, then 95 out of the 100 samples will provide an estimate within the precision set
by him.
The degree of variability
The degree of variability in the attributes being measured refers to the distribution of attributes in
the population. The more heterogeneous a population, the larger the sample size required to be, to
obtain a given level of precision. For less variable (more homogeneous) population, smaller sample
sizes work nicely.
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Inventory of transport facilities

The inventory of existing transport facilities should be undertaken to identify the deficiencies in
the present system and the extent to which they need to be improved. The inventory consists of:
a) Inventory of streets forming the transport network
b) Traffic volume composition peak and off peak
c) Studies on travel time by different modes
d) Inventory of public transport buses
e) Inventory of rail transport facilities
f) Parking inventory
g) Accident data
Inventory of streets
To formulate plans for future it is important to have a thorough understanding on the extent and
quality of road network. The major information required are as follows:
• Classification of the street system
• Length and cross sectional dimensions of road
• Type and condition of the road surface
• Capacity and other intersection details
• Control devices, structures, street furniture’s etc.
Traffic volume
data pertaining to traffic volume and its composition will needed to check the survey data collected
by home interview and cordon surveys.
Travel time studies
An estimate of travel times between different zones by various modes is necessary for transport
planning. Travel times are generally measured for the peak hour and off peak hour conditions.
Inventory of public transport buses
This should include information such as:
• Information on total no. of buses, their capacity, schedules, routes, operating speed,
terminals, number of passengers carried, economic picture of public transport system and
the fare structure.
Inventory of rail transport facilities
This should include information such as:
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• Information on length, capacity, schedules, routes, operating speed, terminals, number of

passengers carried, economic picture of rail transport system undertaking and the fare
structure.
Parking inventory
This should include information such as:
• existing on-street parking and off street parking facilities
• parking demand and the utilisation of existing facilities
• data on parking charges and the system used for charging
Accident data
Accident data over the past years will help to understand the nature and extent of the hazards
inherent in the present system and the need to improve the situation.

Inventory of Land Use and Economic Activities (Use of secondary data)

Inventory of Land Use
Since travel characteristics are closely related to the land use pattern, it is of utmost important that
an accurate inventory of land-use be prepared.
Data on intensity of usage of land for different purposes, such as residential, industrial,
commercial, recreational, open space, etc. in each of the traffic zones are to be collected from
concerned departments/organization. Town and country planning authorities, master plans which
are prepared for the survey area, aerial photography can be used as source of land use data.
Inventory of Economic Activities
Data on economic activities should be collected to include the following:
1) Population of the planning area and various zones.
2) Age, sex, and composition of the family.
3) Employment statistics.
4) Housing statistics.
5) Income.
6) Vehicle ownership.
Some of the data pertaining to economic activities can be collected from periodic census. The gaps
in the census data are later filled in by home interview surveys.
The population data helps in the estimation of the future trip making behaviour. Population maps
indicating the density, school enrolment, institutional population and sociological factors will
facilitate presentation of results and a better understanding of the travel pattern.
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