MDOT launching public survey to collect travel data

MDOT launching public survey to collect travel data vital to
transportation planning in the state

Fast facts:

• MDOT is launching a household travel survey, MI Travel Counts, this week.
• Randomly selected households in Michigan will have the opportunity to participate via smartphone application, web or telephone.
• Data collected from this survey will provide information on how travel behavior has changed over the past 10 years and inform forecasts to help shape Michigan’s transportation system.

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is kicking off a household travel survey that will provide information necessary to set transportation priorities for the next 20 years. Starting April 15, randomly selected households across Michigan will have the opportunity to provide details regarding how they travel.

The survey, MI Travel Counts, will be conducted by nationally recognized research firm Resource Systems Group, Inc. (RSG) on behalf of MDOT. Survey results will help transportation planners better understand how, when, where, and why people travel in and around the state of Michigan. Last conducted in 2015, this update will help planners account for the many changes in travel that have occurred, like the prevalence of remote work, the increase in online shopping, and greater use of ridesharing and delivery services.

Randomly selected households will receive an invitation to participate in the survey via U.S. Mail. Upon accepting the invitation, household members will provide demographic data and then report their travel either via a smartphone application, online or by telephone. The information provided to MI Travel Counts will be anonymized and aggregated to calculate statistics for study purposes.

This survey will be conducted in three phases. The first is scheduled from April 15 through early June, with additional phases anticipated in spring 2025 and fall 2025.

Invited households will be selected at random across the state, with survey materials available in English, Spanish and Arabic. Participation is possible through smartphone application, web or telephone. For more information about MI Travel Counts, visit www.MITravelCounts.com.

About RSG:

RSG conducts research on behalf of public and private sector clients using software applications, smartphones, websites, surveys, computers, tablets, and other means of collecting data. They specialize in designing, implementing and applying sophisticated data-driven models with in-depth analytics to help clients understand why people and systems do what they do.