Within the UK, there is an increasing interest in `regional models' (i.e. those covering an area larger than a county) to examine the effects of long distance re-routing over a wide area. Large models require a lot of data that is expensive to collect. For this reason, whenever possible, traffic modellers should ensure that they make the best use of existing survey data. With a growing number of ongoing and planned multimodal studies, it will become increasingly important for Consultants who are developing models to assess alternative options and inform decisions on transport matters to have access to timely sources of existing movement data. The project has resulted in the establishment of a definitive dataset that will provide valuable assistance to transport planners. The Databank contains the location and attributed information with respect to origin-destination transport interview surveys and currently covers the following survey types: (1) roadside interview surveys; (2) public transport surveys; and (3) home interview surveys. The purpose of this paper is to: (1) explain the aims and deliverables of the National Origin-Destination Databank Project; (2) discuss how the project has evolved and the stages undergone to date; (3) discuss the project methodology; and (4) discuss the issues encountered during the project and solutions identified.
Abstract