 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
The trip characteristics for automobile traffic are derived from the data collected at all survey stations and represent travel patterns between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM on an average weekday. Surveys were conducted in October 1999 at eighteen locations in the study area including points along US Route 30, PA Route 741 and PA Route 340.
US 30 and its nearby roadways carry a mix of drivers with many different trip purposes. The result is an assortment of traffic surges throughout the day with varying driver experiences and expectations.
Fifty-four percent of automobile traffic is through traffic, with no origin or destination within the study area. The average automobile occupancy within the study area is 1.53 persons/vehicle. Almost 68 percent of traffic was a single occupant vehicle. Twenty-two percent had two persons in the vehicle. Compared to other similar projects, this vehicle occupancy ratio is high, reflective of the significant portion of the traffic stream that cited recreation and shopping, multiple passenger activities, as the purpose of the trip.
County Line Traffic Survey
Traffic surveys were conducted by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) to collect current information on traffic volumes and determine the origin-destination travel patterns, travel activity, and travel mode of vehicles crossing the nine-county DVRPC boundary. The traffic surveys at PA 41, Gap Newport Pike and US 30, Lincoln Highway, were two of fourteen stations surveyed around the region during the summer of 2001. The survey was conducted with the assistance of the Lancaster County Planning Commission.
For a summary of the results of this study click here.
Survey Results - Truck Travel Characteristics
Travel characteristics for trucks were obtained through use of data collected as part of a truck interview survey. Surveys were conducted in October 1999 and in July 2001 at various locations in the study area including points along US 30, PA 741 and PA 340. At the PA 340 and PA 741 locations, trip characteristics are representative of truck travel between 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM. At the US 30 site, the data represents 24-hour truck travel patterns. Information regarding local businesses and truck use was found through utilization of the truck generator survey.
Heavy trucks constitute 15.5% of the average traffic stream, which is higher than the statewide average of 11.5% for rural arterials. Of the total survey responses received regarding truck vehicle usage, three-quarters of the truck traffic is four and five axle semi-trailers.
Agriculture products and building materials were reported most often as the type of material carried by the trucks traveling within the study area
About 35 percent of the agriculture and building materials products being shipped within the study area originated within Lancaster County.
Between 30 and 35 percent of the truckers on US 30 indicated that their dispatcher selects the route for them.
On US 30, 35 percent of the truck traffic indicated that they could have used the Pennsylvania Turnpike for their trip instead of US 30.
Eighty-four percent of the truck trips traveled between two locations outside the study area, using roads in the study area as a through route.
The 24 businesses within eastern Lancaster County participating in the truck generator business survey reported on the activity of 365 trucks arriving and 400 trucks departing per day.
Truck Generation Survey
A Truck Generation Survey was also completed. This survey asked trucking companies that operate in the project area about where, when and how frequently their trucks use area roadways. Over forty percent of the surveys sent out were returned and the information has been compiled and evaluated.
For a summary of truck related surveys click here.
Applying the Survey Results
Taken together, the results of the Origin and Destination and Truck Generation surveys provide a clearer picture of current traffic patterns in the Route 30 study corridor. Traffic engineers use this data to project how future travel demands will impact the current roadways, identifying future problem areas. PENNDOT and its consultants then designed project alternatives that will meet the community’s current and future transportation needs.