The 1997/1998 Regional Travel - Household Interview Survey (RT-HIS)

The 1997/1998 RT-HIS is a regional travel survey jointly funded by NYMTC and the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA). It was the first comprehensive regional travel survey conducted in the metropolitan region by either MPO since the 1963 survey which was conducted by the Tri-State Regional Planning Commission. Over 11,000 households from 28 counties in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut participated in the 97/98 RT-HIS survey.
Each of the 11,000 households were randomly selected within selected population segments and asked to complete a travel diary for a selected travel day. A diary was filled out by each member of the household. Information was requested on each trip taken by the individual on that day including their trip for work, shopping, school, recreation, and other activities. The information included the time the trip started and ended, the initial location and destination of each trip, what travel mode they used, who they traveled with, and how much their trip cost. This extensive database includes information on nearly 100,000 trips, and was initially used by NYMTC’s consultants to develop the Best Practice Model. The survey results of the RT-HIS have produced a series of reports which are listed and summarized in the following section:

List of Reports

Summary of Results (1.1 MB, 20 pages)	Travel in the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Area, A Summary of Results from the 1997/98 RT-HIS, is a primer created for the general public outlining the various markets and mode choices made by residents of the metropolitan region. It includes summaries of the purpose and times of travel, the scalar estimate of the amount of travel throughout the region, and comparative rates on an average personal scale.
Executive Summary (356 KB, 29 pages)	The Executive Summary: A Summary of the General Final Report provides an overview of the RT-HIS purpose, methodology, and findings from the final report.
Final Report (1.3 MB, 221 pages)	The General Final Report is intended to serve as the primary RT-HIS comprehensive document for general distribution.
User's Manual (619 KB, 89 pages)	The RT-HIS Users Manual is created for the users of the data set. It describes the methodology employed, addresses data strengths and weaknesses, and provides instructions for proper application of data weights.
Methods and Implementation (981 KB, 152 pages)	The RT-HIS Methods and Implementation documents survey methods, interviewing outcomes, response rates and notable events.
Comparative Analysis: Weekday and Weekend Travel (457 KB, 66pages)	The RT-HIS Comparative Analysis: Weekday and Weekend Travel Analysis provides reports on weekday travel comparing household trip rates, mode shares, purposes of trips, time of day, trip distances, times and speeds, vehicle occupancy with a special analysis of weekend travel in the region.
2000 Benchmark of the 1997/98 Household Interview Survey (745 KB, 33 pages)	The RT-HIS: Update 2000: Updated Weighting and Expansion Factors Final Report uses the 2000 U.S. Census data to enhance the Regional Travel Data based on the 1997/98 RT-HIS using the updated 2000 data as the "benchmark". The approach taken in this project re-weight RT-HIS data and replicates the methods employed in the original survey weighting, but takes advantage of the more current and comprehensive data available with 2000 Census.
Travel Patterns (153 KB , 8 pages)	Travel Patterns is a discussion of travel statistics for the residents of the NYMTC region, focusing on distance traveled by trip purpose, by region, and by mode. This was compiled from analysis of the 1997/98 RT-HIS before any updates were done.