ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS FOR IMPROVING MOTORIST ROUTE FOLLOWING. VOLUME I: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. FINAL REPORT

This study quantified the extent of excess travel due to inefficient highway navigation for non-commerical vehicles in the United States in terms of both distance and time. Estimates of the consequences of this excess travel in terms of vehicle operating costs, accident potential and lost time are presented. Potential remedial measures are described and evaluated. It was found that recoverable navigational waste amount to 6.4 percent of all distance traveled by non-commerical vehicles and 12.0 percent of all time spent in such travel. The estimated costs to individuals and to society of this excess travel is estimated at $45.7 billion considering only vehicle operating and accident costs and the value of time. Additional, unquantified but significant costs are incurred due to increased air and noise pollution and increased requirements for highway maintenance and operations. Excess travel due to deliberate waste, i.e. the use of non-optimizing route selection criteria, and excess time due to failures in real-time route selection were not addressed. This is Volume I of a four volume set. The other volumes are: Volume II, Final Report, FHWA/RD-86/030; Volume III, Appendices, FHWA/RD-86/031; and Volume IV, Literature Synthesis, FHWA/RD-86/032.

• Corporate Authors:

  KLD Associates, Incorporated

  47 Mall Drive, Suite 8
  Commack, NY  United States  11725-5717

  Federal Highway Administration

  Engineering Research and Development Bureau, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • King, G E
• Publication Date: 1986-6

Media Info

• Pagination: 17 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Economic impacts; Guide signs; Improvements; Route guidance; Travel budgets; Travel costs; Travel time
• Subject Areas: Economics; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Society; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00461801
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA/RD-86/029, KLD-TR-172, FCP 32N1-012
• Contract Numbers: DOT-FH-61-83-C-00115
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 31 1987 12:00AM