[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 180 (Monday, September 17, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47000-47001]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-20052]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-2017-0002-N-8]


Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its 
implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the new Information 
Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below. Before submitting this ICR 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is 
soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities 
identified below.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
November 16, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the ICR activities by mail to 
either: Mr. Robert Brogan, Information Collection Clearance Officer, 
Office of Railroad Safety, Regulatory Analysis Division, RRS-21, 
Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room W33-
497, Washington, DC 20590; or Ms. Kim Toone, Information Collection 
Clearance Officer, Office of Information Technology, RAD-20, Federal 
Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room W34-212, 
Washington, DC 20590. Commenters requesting FRA to acknowledge receipt 
of their respective comments must include a self-addressed stamped 
postcard stating, ``Comments on OMB Control Number 2130--NEW,'' and 
should also include the title of the ICR. Alternatively, comments may 
be faxed to (202) 493-6216 or (202) 493-6497, or emailed to Mr. Brogan 
at [email protected], or Ms. Toone at [email protected]. Please 
refer to the assigned OMB control number and title in any 
correspondence submitted. FRA will summarize comments received in 
response to this notice in a subsequent notice and include them in its 
information collection submission to OMB for approval.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Brogan, Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, Office of Railroad Safety, Regulatory 
Analysis Division, RRS-21, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE, Room W33-497, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 
493-6292) or Ms. Kim Toone, Information Collection Clearance Officer, 
Office of Information Technology, RAD-20, Federal Railroad 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room W34-212, Washington, DC 
20590 (telephone: (202) 493-6132).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520, and its 
implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 1320, require Federal agencies to 
provide 60-days' notice to the public to allow comment on information 
collection activities before seeking OMB approval of the activities. 
See 44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.8 through 1320.12. Specifically, 
FRA invites interested parties to comment on the following ICR 
regarding: (1) Whether the information collection activities are 
necessary for FRA to properly execute its functions, including whether 
the activities will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FRA's 
estimates of the burden of the information collection activities, 
including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used to 
determine the estimates; (3) ways for FRA to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information being collected; and (4) ways 
for FRA to minimize the burden of information

[[Page 47001]]

collection activities on the public, including the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology. See 44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A); 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1). FRA believes that soliciting 
public comment may reduce the administrative and paperwork burdens 
associated with the collection of information that Federal regulations 
mandate. See 44 U.S.C. 3501.
    The summary below describes the ICR that FRA will submit for OMB 
clearance as the PRA requires:
    Title: Driver Awareness of Emergency Notification System (ENS) 
Signage at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings.
    OMB Control Number: 2130--NEW.
    Abstract: FRA is interested in understanding more about drivers' 
awareness and understanding of the ENS signs posted at highway-rail 
grade crossings. ENS signs are placed at crossings so that if a driver 
encounters a malfunctioning crossing or an unsafe condition at a 
crossing the driver can call the number on the sign and use the posted 
crossing identification number to report the issue. If a driver were to 
become stuck on the tracks, the driver can also call the phone number 
displayed on the ENS sign to notify the railroad. This would help the 
railroad slow or stop any oncoming train and dispatch individuals who 
could help safely remove the stuck vehicle. Drivers may also choose to 
call the ENS number if they believe the crossing signage is damaged or 
obstructed. The study will help shed light on how drivers react when 
crossing infrastructure appears to be malfunctioning or when they 
become stuck on or near the crossing. This study will pay particular 
attention to whether drivers look for or attempt to make use of the 
information on the ENS sign.
    The proposed study will use the FRA Driving Simulator, housed at 
the Volpe National Transportation System Center, to study driver 
behavior, including drivers' potential interaction with the ENS 
signage, at a variety of gate types and ENS sign orientations.
    Participants will be asked to drive through a variety of scenarios 
to understand their behaviors under certain circumstances. The data 
collected in this portion will include:
    a. Information on the vehicle driver's behavior to determine what a 
driver does and where the driver looks when at a crossing equipped with 
a functioning warning system;
    b. information on the vehicle driver's behavior to determine how a 
driver responds to a malfunctioning crossing gate (e.g., violated 
safety signals, turned around and found another route);
    c. information on a driver's eye fixation locations to determine 
whether the driver notices an ENS sign or if the driver's eye fixates 
long enough to read it, when crossing warning systems are functioning 
properly or malfunctioning;
    d. information on a driver's response to an ENS sign to determine 
whether the driver would use the information on the sign to address the 
issue; and
    e. information on a driver's response to an ENS sign to determine 
whether the driver would use the information on the sign if the driver 
becomes stuck on the tracks.
    This study will evaluate each participant's awareness of the ENS 
sign and the purpose it serves as well as the participant's response to 
various functioning and malfunctioning highway-rail grade crossing 
warning systems.
    Type of Request: Approval of a new collection of information.
    Affected Public: Individuals.
    Form(s): N/A.
    Respondent Universe: 100 individual volunteer drivers.
    Frequency of Submission: One-time.

                                                Reporting Burden
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                                                                                   Average time
                 Form                      Respondent universe     Total annual    per response    Total annual
                                                                     responses        (hours)      burden hours
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Oral Interviews.......................  100 Volunteer Drivers...             100               1             100
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    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 100.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden: 100 hours.
    Under 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR 1320.5(b) and 1320.8(b)(3)(vi), 
FRA informs all interested parties that it may not conduct or sponsor, 
and a respondent is not required to respond to, a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.

Juan D. Reyes III,
Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2018-20052 Filed 9-14-18; 8:45 am]
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