Described are the design, conduct, and results of a cordon line highway survey for the delaware valley region. The survey was successfully conducted in 1989 by the delaware valley regional planning commission (dvrpc) in cooperation with the state departments of transportation, county planning departments, and turnpike and bridge commissions. The purpose of the survey was to update traffic data collected in 1960 by the penn-jersey transportation study for the development of regional highway plans, especially for facilities in the growing areas near the cordon line of the region. In order to minimize cost and traffic delay, selected motorists at 26 sampled cordon line stations were interviewed or handed survey questionnaires and requested to return the completed forms to dvrpc, postage paid. Questions dealt with trip origin, destination and purpose, vehicle type and registration, and highways used by motorists to reach the destinations from the survey points. The survey on each highway was conducted for2 days, 1 day to sample traffic in the morning peak and off-peak, and another in the evening peak and off-peak hours. The survey results indicate that traffic volumes and patterns have changed significantly since 1960. The findings are being used to validate dvrpc simulation models for forecasting external and through trips, and to develop plans and programs for improving highway facilities throughout the region. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1305, Finance, planning, programming, economic analysis, and land development 1991.
Abstract