Katy Freeway Survey

Welcome to the Katy Freeway Traveler Survey Website.

Thank you for your participation in the survey. Following is the summary of the answers to the survey. For additional questions or querries please email Dr. Mark Burris at MBurris@tamu.edu

Recent travel (trips) on the Katy Freeway both Towards/Away from Downtown Houston

What was the trip purpose for your last trip on the Katy Freeway?

Trip purpose Number of responses Percentage
Commute 1723 37%
Work related 875 19%
Recreation 1694 37%
School 69 1%
Other 277 6%
Total Complete Responses 4638 100%

What type of vehicle did you use for your last trip?

Vehicle type Number of responses Percentage
Motorcycle 34 1%
Passenger car, SUV, or pick-up truck 4519 97%
Bus 85 2%
Total Complete Responses 4638 100%

Number of people in your passenger car, SUV or pick-up truck for the last trip

Number of People in Car   Number of responses Percentage
1
 2816 63%
2
 1114 25%
3
 332 7%
4
 153 3%
5
 83 2%
Total Complete Responses 4498 100%

Were you the driver or the passenger during your last trip?

Driver/Passenger Number of responses Percentage
Driver 1312 77%
Passenger 382 23%
Total Complete Responses 1694 100%

Who did you travel with on this recent trip?

Co-passenger details Number of responses Percentage
Co-worker / person in the same, or a nearby, office building 324 17%
Neighbor 49 3%
Adult family member 1028 53%
Another commuter in a casual carpool (also known as slugging) 23 1%
Child 403 21%
Other 113 6%
Total Complete Responses 1940 100%

Did you use the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane on the Katy Freeway?

HOV lane use Number of responses Percentage
Used the HOV Lane 440 26%
Did not use the HOV lane 1246 74%
Total Complete Responses 1686 100%

How much travel time do you think you saved compared to travel on the main lanes?

Percieved Travel Time Savings on the HOV lane Number of responses Percentage
0 to 10 minutes 153 37%
15 to 20 minutes 171 41%
25 to 30 minutes 65 16%
40 to 60 minutes 25 6%
Total Complete Responses 414 100%

Do you own an electronic toll collection transponder - for example an EZ-Tag or TxTag?

Own a Toll tag? Number of responses Percentage
Yes 4396 95%
No 232 5%
Total Complete Responses 4628 100%

 

Traveler's Perception Regarding the Proposed Katy Freeway Toll Lanes

How did you hear about the propsed toll lanes?

Source of News about Toll Lanes Number of responses Percentage
HCTRA Website 363 7%
Katy Freeway Website 389 7%
Radio 900 17%
Mail 40 1%
Newspaper 1354 26%
METRO Website 111 2%
Family / Friend 717 14%
On the bus 45 1%
I don't remember 251 5%
Other 1045 20%
Total Complete Responses 5215 100%

Interested in using the proposed Toll Lanes?

Interested in usingToll lanes Number of responses Percentage
Yes 1903 43%
No 1019 23%
Maybe 1534 34%
Total Complete Responses 4456 100%

What interests you the most about using the proposed Toll Lanes?

Favored advantage of the Toll Lanes Number of responses Percentage
Being able to use the toll lanes for free as a carpool 462 13%
During the peak hours the toll lanes will not be congested 1241 35%
Travel times on the toll lanes are consistent and predictable 949 27%
The toll lanes are safer / less stressful than driving on the main freeway lanes 861 24%
Other 66 2%
Total Complete Responses 3579 100%

What are the primary reasons why you would not use the proposed toll lanes?

Reasons for not using the toll lanes Number of responses Percentage
Participation in a carpool is difficult / undesirable 173 7%
I do not have a credit card needed to set up a toll account 8 0.3%
I do not want a toll transponder in my car 15 0.6%
Access to the toll lanes is not convenient for my trips 172 7%
The toll lanes do not offer me enough time savings 228 10%
Toll lanes use is complicated or confusing 83 3%
I don’t like that the toll changes based on traffic/congestion level 358 15%
I have the flexibility to travel at less congested times 186 8%
I do not want to pay the toll for this trip 646 27%
I can easily use other routes than the Katy Freeway, so I’ll just avoid it if I think there is a lot of traffic 297 12%
Other 221 9%
Total Complete Responses 2387 100%

What are the primary reasons you are not sure that you would use the proposed toll lanes?

Reasons for not being sure of using toll lanes Number of responses Percentage
I do not know if I can get into a carpool 159 7%
I am not sure about putting a toll transponder in my car 21 1%
I don’t know if the toll lanes will save me enough time 686 29%
Toll lane use is complicated or confusing-I don’t understand this yet 157 7%
I might change jobs/home location by the time the lanes are in operation 88 4%
I do not know how much the tolls will be, so cannot say until I know 882 37%
I think maybe increasing gas prices will lead to fewer people driving, so traffic congestion will actually be less in 2009 than today 85 4%
Other 311 13%
Total Complete Responses 2389 100%

 

 

Demographic Information

Age group

Age (years) Number of responses Percentage
16 to 24 70 2%
25 to 34 769 19%
35 to 44 920 22%
45 to 54 1227 30%
55 to 64 830 20%
65 and over 283 7%
Total Complete Responses 4099 100%

Gender

Gender Number of responses Percentage
Male 2381 58%
Female 1694 42%
Total Complete Responses 4075 100%

Houshold type

Household type Number of responses Percentage
Single adult 782 19%
Unrelated adults 122 3%
Married without children 1085 26%
Married with child(ren) 1832 45%
single parent family 197 5%
Other 80 2%
Total Complete Responses 4098 100%

Including yourself, how many people live in your household?

Household size Number of responses Percentage
Single Person 604 15%
Two People 1524 38%
3 to 5 people 1792 44%
6 and more people 122 3%
Total Complete Responses 4042 100%

All together, how many motor vehicles (including cars, vans, trucks, and motorcycles) are available for use by members of your household?

Number of Vehicles Number of responses Percentage
1
 595 15%
2
 2015 50%
3
 941 23%
4 and more
 515 13%
Total Complete Responses
 4066 100%

What was the last year of school that you have completed?

Education  Number of responses Percentage
Less than high school 14 0.3%
High school graduate 215 5.3%
Some college or vocational school 1016 24.9%
College graduate 1946 47.6%
Postgraduate degree 893 21.9%
Total Complete Responses 4084 100%

What was your gross annual household income before taxes in 2007?

Income Number of responses Percentage
Less than $10,000 30 0.8%
$10,000 to $14,999 19 0.5%
$15,000 to 24,999 52 1.3%
$25,000 to $34,999 130 3.3%
$35,000 to $49,999 288 7.4%
$50,000 to $74,999 693 17.8%
$75,000 to $99,999 714 18.3%
$100,000 to $199,999 1432 36.7%
$200,000 or more 522 13.4%
Its easier to tell my hourly wage rate: 23 0.6%
Total Complete Responses 3903 100%
Copyright © 2006, Texas Transportation Institute, The Texas A&M University System