The Texas Transportation Institute has sent a survey to Harris County Toll Road Authority EZ Tag customers in an apparent effort to gauge future use of the Katy Freeway’s new “managed lanes” as toll lanes.
The survey, e-mailed to EZ Tag customers by the Texas A&M-based institute, asks about their use of the Katy Freeway, frequency of travel and how much a person would be willing to pay to use managed lanes to cut commute times.
Although the introductory page to the survey does not mention HCTRA and only refers to “improving” travel on the Katy Freeway, many of the questions ask whether or not the respondent would be willing to pay a toll to reduce travel time. A number of questions also ask about hypothetical prices and commute times.
“The Texas Transportation Institute is examining ways to improve traffic flow along the Katy (I-10) Freeway. We need your help with this,” the survey says. “While you are not obligated to answer the questions on the survey, the information you provide will be very valuable as we work to improve travel on the Katy Freeway.”
A short notice on the HCTRA website only says that TTI is conducting the survey and provides a link to the survey site.
The Internet-based questionnaire takes about 15 to complete. Respondents who give their contact information at the end of the survey are eligible for a random drawing to win a $250 gas card.
The questionnaire bears the name of Mark Burris, Ph.D., research director/associate research engineer for the Texas Transportation Institute.
