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Quantifying Roadside Rest Area Usage

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Quantifying Roadside Rest Area Usage Quantifying Roadside Rest Area Usage Dr. Per E. Gårder, PI Mr. Nicolas Bosonetto, Research Assistant Prepared for The New England Transportation Consortium November 27, 2002 NETCR38 Project No. 99-4 This report, prepared in cooperation with the New England Transportation Consortium, does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views of the New England Transportation Consortium or the Federal Highway Administration. i Technical Report Documentation Page 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recepient’s Catalog No. 1. Report No. NETCR 38 N/A N/A 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Quantifying Roadside Rest Area Usage November 27, 2002 6. Performing Organization Code N/A 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Dr. Per E. Gårder and Mr. Nicolas Bosonetto N/A 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10 Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering N/A University of Maine Orono, Maine 04469-5711 11. Contract or Grant No. N/A 13. Type of Report and Period Covered 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Technical Report: 1999-2002 New England Transportation Consortium 179 Middle Turnpike University of Connecticut, U-202 Storrs, CT 06269-5202 14. Sponsoring Agency Code NETC 99-4 Quantifying Roadside Rest Area Usage 15 Supplementary Notes N/A 16. Abstract This report outlines issues relevant to the design and operation of Interstate rest areas. The study concentrates on the New England Region and is sponsored by the NETC. Usage trends and motorists’ preferences were collected through a survey program conducted at eleven sites and with residents of all the New England states. Motorists in general see rest areas as a necessity, and favor keeping them, but many have issues with public safety and cleanliness. The results also show that restrooms are the primary demand but that road condition and tourism information services are rated as highly desirable by some rest area users. This report suggests a kiosk system to provide this information to travelers using a GIS interface. Other recommendations include region-wide comprehensive parking development and management, as well as improvements in waste water systems. Rest area improvements are essential to the New England tourism and freight sectors of the economy. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement No restrictions. This document is available to the public through the Rest area, Interstate, New England, prefer- National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161. ences, motorists 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 21. Price Unclassified Unclassified 113 N/A Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized ii QUANTIFYING ROADSIDE REST AREA USAGE Prepared by: Per E. Gårder, Professor Nicolas Bosonetto, Research Assistant Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering The University of Maine Final Report November 2002 For the New England Transportation Consortium Abstract: This report outlines issues relevant to the design and operation of Interstate rest areas. The study concentrates on the New England Region and is sponsored by the NETC. Usage trends and motorists’ preferences were collected through a survey program conducted at eleven sites and with residents of all the New England states. Motorists in general see rest areas as a necessity, and favor keeping them, but many have issues with public safety and cleanliness. The results also show that rest- rooms are the primary demand but that road condition and tour- ism information services are rated as highly desirable by some rest area users. This report suggests a kiosk system to provide this information to travelers using a GIS interface. Other rec- ommendations include region-wide comprehensive parking de- velopment and management, as well as improvements in waste water systems. Rest area improvements are essential to the New England tourism and freight sectors of the economy. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Mr. Nicolas Bosonetto and I would first of all like to thank the New England Transporta- tion Consortium for funding the project and providing assistance through its Technical Committee. Mr. Robert LaRoche of Maine Department of Transportation has chaired the Technical Committee. Other committee members were Mr. Joseph J. Amatore of Rhode Island, Mr. Mark K. Berger of the Mass Highway Department, Mr. Kenneth T. Kyle, of New Hampshire Department of Transportation, Ms. Karen Songhurst of Vermont (for- merly Head of the Association of Chamber of Commerces in Vermont) and Ms. Dionysia F. Oliveira, of the Connecticut Department of Transportation. From Connecticut De- partment of Transportation, comments were also received from Mr. Thomas E. Daly and Mr. Jeffrey T. Harper. From Vermont, Mr. Dick Foster, Director of Welcome & Infor- mation Centers provided valuable information. We would also like to thank the thesis committee members, Professors Bryan Pearce and Willem Brutsaert for their input and all others who participated in this project. We would especially like to mention Glenn Correll for his assistance in conducting field studies and Mary Burton from the Univer- sity of Maine. And we would like to thank our wives, Jill, Nicolas’s wife, for all her pa- tience, and Eva, my wife, for supporting me in this work even though she was unsuccess- fully trying to fight off metastatic cancer at the end of 2000. Much of what is presented in this report was also presented in a Master’s Thesis with the same title that Nicolas Bosonetto presented in December of 2000. Per Gårder iv TABLE OF CONTENTS TECHNICAL REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE ............................................................ii 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.......................................................................................... 1 2 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 3 2.1 Problem Statement.................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Objective of the Research ......................................................................................... 3 2.3 Organization of the Report........................................................................................ 4 3 BACKGROUND.......................................................................................................... 5 3.1 Services..................................................................................................................... 5 3.2 Interstate Rest Areas Types ...................................................................................... 6 3.3 Truck Parking............................................................................................................8 3.3.1 Truck Safety ................................................................................................................................8 3.3.2 Commercial Driver Rest and Parking Requirements.................................................................11 3.3.3 Rest Area Forum: Summary of Proceedings .............................................................................13 3.3.4 Media Coverage ........................................................................................................................13 3.3.5 State-Level Studies....................................................................................................................13 3.4 Rest Areas Away From Interstates ......................................................................... 15 3.5 Rest Area Commercialization................................................................................. 16 3.6 Rest Area Design .................................................................................................... 17 3.7 Security Concerns................................................................................................... 18 4 ECONOMIC ANALYSIS.......................................................................................... 18 4.1 Economic Benefits.................................................................................................. 18 4.1.1 Commerce .................................................................................................................................19 4.1.2 Tourism .....................................................................................................................................21 4.2 Financial.................................................................................................................. 21 4.2.1 Current Uses and Leases ...........................................................................................................21 4.2.2 Connecticut................................................................................................................................21 4.2.3 Maine.........................................................................................................................................22 4.3 Commercialization.................................................................................................. 22 4.3.1 Traffic Characteristics ...............................................................................................................23 4.3.2 Site Characteristics ....................................................................................................................23
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