[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 98 (Friday, May 21, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27850-27851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-12823]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration
[Docket No. FHWA-99-5660]


Notice of Request for Reinstatement of an Expired Information 
Collection: Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the 
intention of FHWA to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
to reinstate its clearance of an expired information collection 
identified below under Supplementary Information. The Nationwide 
Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS) is conducted periodically on 
behalf of the Department of Transportation (DOT) to obtain information 
on the travel patterns of the American public and how travel is 
changing over time.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 20, 1999.

ADDRESSES: All signed, written comments should refer to the docket 
number that appears in the heading of this document and must be 
submitted to the Docket Clerk, U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL-401, 400 
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001. All comments received 
will be available for examination at the above address between 10:00 
a.m. to 5:00 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays. Those desiring notification of receipt of comments must 
include a self-addressed, stamped envelope or postcard.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Susan Liss, (202) 366-5060, Office 
of Highway Policy Information, Federal Highway Administration, 400 7th 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Office hours are from 9:15 a.m. 
to 5:45 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS).
    OMB Number: 2125-0545.
    Background: Title 49, U.S.C. Sec. 301, authorizes the DOT to 
collect statistical information relevant to domestic transportation. 
Title 23, U.S.C. Sec. 307 authorizes the DOT to engage in studies to 
collect data for planning future highway programs. The data from this 
survey is used to analyze the amount and nature of personal travel on 
all modes by the American public. The information in the survey is used 
by FHWA and other DOT administrations to evaluate travel in terms of 
the mobility of various subgroups; the safety of vehicle drivers and 
passengers and pedestrians; the role of travel in economic 
productivity; and maintaining our mobility while protecting the human 
and natural environment. Many changes in travel and the related social 
patterns, such as the aging of the baby boomers, require that the DOT 
update the personal travel data on a periodic basis. Changes in 
household composition, the role of women, the

[[Page 27851]]

location of residences and workplaces, and unique travel issues of the 
elderly are reflected in changes in local and long-distance travel. In 
conducting the survey, the interviewers will use computer-assisted 
telephone interviewing (CATI) to reduce survey length and minimize 
recording errors. The FHWA and its survey contractors will ensure that 
personal identifying information is not included in the final data and 
that the survey results will be used for statistical purposes only. 
This survey will be coordinated with the American Travel Survey (ATS), 
conducted by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, which collects 
data on longer trips of approximately 50 miles or more over a one-month 
period. The data collected in the NPTS and the ATS will allow 
transportation professionals at the Federal, state and metropolitan 
levels to make informed decisions about policies and plans.
    Respondents: The household is the unit of observation, and 
approximately 25,000 households will complete the survey. Participation 
in the survey is voluntary. The survey households will be selected 
randomly by phone number. On the first call, certain basic information 
about the household is collected. During this initial contact, a 
specific date is assigned and travel diaries are sent for each 
household member to record a few items of information for every trip 
they take on that date. The day after the specified date, the second 
contact is made with the household to collect information recorded in 
their travel diaries. For children, an adult household member will be 
asked to report their travel. The household will be asked to provide 
the odometer reading of each household vehicle at the time of the 
interview. A third contact, about two months later, will be made to 
collect another odometer reading on each household vehicle.
    Estimated Average Burden Per Response: The estimated burden per 
household averages 70 minutes, which includes interviewing an average 
of 2.6 persons per household. The burden per person averages 20 minutes 
for the interview and another 7 minutes for keeping the diary and 
writing the odometer readings.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: The estimated total annual burden 
hours is 29,250.
    Frequency: The survey has been conducted by the DOT periodically 
since 1969. At the time of the most recent survey in 1995, it was 
decided that the survey would be conducted again in the year 2000. The 
NPTS 2000 will be conducted after June 2000 so as not to interfere with 
the scheduled Decennial Census.
    Public Comments Invited: Interested parties are invited to send 
comments regarding any aspect of this information collection, 
including, but not limited to: (1) The necessity and utility of the 
information collection for the proper performance of the functions of 
the FHWA; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance 
the quality, utility, and clarity of the collected information; and (4) 
ways to minimize the collection burden without reducing the quality of 
the collected information. Comments submitted in response to this 
notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB's 
clearance of this information collection.
    Electronic Availability: An electronic copy of this document may be 
downloaded using a modem and suitable communications software from the 
Federal Register electronic bulletin board service (telephone number: 
202-512-1661). Internet users may reach the Federal Register's WWW site 
at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su__docs.

    Authority: 23 U.S.C. 307; 49 CFR 1.48.

    Issued on: May 14, 1999.
Michael J. Vecchietti,
Director, Office of Information and Management Services.
[FR Doc. 99-12823 Filed 5-20-99; 8:45 am]
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