[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 11, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59851-59853]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-16683]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
[Docket No. FHWA-2006-25976]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments
for a New Information Collection
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The FHWA invites public comments about our request for the
Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for a new information
collection, which is summarized below under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES: Please submit comments by November 13, 2006.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments within 30 days to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget,
725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention: DOT Desk
Officer. You are asked to comment on any aspect of this information
collection, including: (1) Whether the proposed collection is necessary
for the FHWA's performance; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden;
(3) ways for the FHWA to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity
of the collected information; and (4) ways that the burden could be
minimized, including the use of electronic technology, without reducing
the quality of the collected information. All comments should include
the Docket number FHWA-2006-25976.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James March, 202-366-9237, or William
Linde, 202-366-9637, Office of Transportation Policy Studies, Federal
[[Page 59852]]
Highway Administration, Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: National Evaluation of a Mileage-Based Road User Charge.
Background: Section 1919 of The Safe, Accountable, Flexible,
Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users of 2005
(SAFETEA-LU) requires the Secretary of the Department of Transportation
to submit annual reports and a final report to the Secretary of the
Treasury, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the
Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives; the
Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Committee on Finance
of the Senate on the results of an analysis of highway vehicle mileage
data collected to assess a mileage-based approach to collecting highway
use fees. Specifically, the Act requires:
SEC. 1919. Road User Fees.
(a) STUDY.--The Secretary shall enter into an agreement with the
Public Policy Center of the University of Iowa for an analysis and
report to the Secretary and the Secretary of the Treasury on a long-
term field test of an approach to assessing highway use fees based upon
actual mileage driven by a specific vehicle on specific types of
highways by use of an onboard computer--
(1) Which is linked to satellites to calculate highway mileage
traversed;
(2) Which computes the appropriate highway use fees for each of the
Federal, State, and local governments as the vehicle makes use of the
highways;
(3) The data from which is periodically downloaded by the vehicle
owner to a collection center for an assessment of highway use fees due
in each jurisdiction traversed; and
(4) Which includes methods of ensuring privacy of road users.
The Secretary has assigned the execution and management of the
agreement with the University of Iowa to the Office of Policy of the
Federal Highway Administration. This study will include 200
participants in the first year and 250 participants in the second year
in each of six geographic regions of the country who have been
recruited through radio, television, and print media. Persons selected
to participate in the field-testing will have agreed to have the
necessary on-board computer technology installed in their personal
vehicles for testing the mileage data collection technology. Field-
testing will be conducted over 2 years with a new set of participants
in each year, 1,200 in the first year and 1,500 in the second. The
participants will be asked to provide information every 2 months over
the course of their participation in the field test in order to collect
data that provides for an analysis of participant opinion on different
aspects of the field test, such as privacy of data, level of detail of
data transmitted to collection center, billing transmittal, among
others. The participants will have a choice of providing their
information by means of telephone, internet, or printed survey.
The FHWA published notice of this new information collection and
requested comments on the bi-monthly survey component of the study in
the Federal Register [71 FR 38206, July 5, 2006]. This notice includes
information on the recruitment and Global Positioning System
installation that was omitted in the initial notice, as well as the
information on the survey collection that was included in the initial
notice.
In order to meet the requirements of the Study, the Public Policy
Center must recruit and select field test participants. The recruitment
effort will include advertising in radio, television, and print media
seeking individuals to participate in the study. It is expected that in
order to achieve the University of Iowa's goal of selecting a total of
2,700 individuals, 1,200 in the first year and 1,500 in the second, to
participate in two field tests of 1 year each, the number of
individuals responding to the recruitment effort will be 15,000. Of
these, an estimated 12,000 will pass through the first qualification
screen and therefore be eligible to become candidates for participating
in the field study. Those eligible candidates selected to participate
in the study will receive training on the study and their participation
in it. It will be necessary to install on-board computer systems in the
vehicles of those individuals selected to participate, and to remove
the systems at the end of the individuals' participation in the study.
The transfer of data from the on-board computer system to the data
collection center will be done remotely and require no action on the
part of the field test participant.
The individuals selected to participate in the field testing will
be asked to provide information every 2 months over the course of their
participation in the field test in order to collect data that provides
for an analysis of participant opinion on different aspects of the
field test, such as privacy of data, level of detail of data
transmitted to the collection center, billing transmittal, among
others. The participants will have a choice of providing their
information by means of telephone, internet, or printed survey.
Respondents: Approximately 6,625 respondents to the multi-media
recruitment campaign are expected for the first year's effort and
approximately 8,375 for the second year's effort--a total of
approximately 15,000 for the two recruitment efforts.
Of the respondents to the recruitment campaigns, approximately
5,300 are expected to pass through the initial qualification screening
in the first year, and therefore eligible to participate in the field
testing, and approximately 6,700 in the second year, a total of
approximately 12,000 over the 2-year field-testing period.
Approximately 1,200 field test participants in the first year of
field testing and 1,500 in the second year for a total of approximately
2,700 over the 2-year field testing period will receive training on
study participation prior to their entrance into the field-testing
phase. They will have on-board computer systems installed in their
vehicles at the beginning of their participation and removed at the
conclusion of their participation. Over the course of the field-
testing, participants will be surveyed once every 2 months, for a total
of six collections from each over the course of their participation in
the study.
Frequency: Each field test year's recruitment, selection, and
training efforts will occur once, for a total of two efforts over the
course of the study.
Each participant will have on-board computer systems installed in
their vehicle once at the beginning of their participation and removed
once from their vehicle at the conclusion of their participation.
Each participant will be surveyed once every 2 months, for a total
of six collections over the course of their participation in the study.
Estimated Average Burden per Response: The average amount of time
spent by a prospective field-test participant in responding to the
multi-media recruitment campaign is expected to be 5 minutes. The
average time for individuals proceeding to additional screening for
inclusion in the study is expected to be 15 minutes. The total amount
of time for each individual spent in the recruitment process for
participants in the study is expected to be 20 minutes.
Respondents selected for inclusion in the study will spend 5
minutes on average scheduling the training session and the training
session itself will last 60 minutes. The total amount of time for each
individual spent in the training
[[Page 59853]]
phase of the study is expected to be 65 minutes.
The average amount of time required for participants to make their
vehicle available for installation of the on-board computer system is
expected to be 90 minutes. The average amount of time for removal is
expected to be 60 minutes. The total amount of time for each individual
spent making their vehicle available for on-board system installation
and removal is 150 minutes.
The average amount of time to respond to the first five bi-monthly
survey collections over the course of the field study is 15 minutes.
The average amount of time to respond to the exit survey collection at
the end of the field study is 30 minutes. The average total time spent
responding to surveys for participants over their involvement in the
study is 105 minutes.
The total amount of time for a respondent not selected to
participate in the study is expected to be 5 minutes.
The total amount of time spent by a field-test participant who
completes the study is expected to be 340 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Approximately 552 hours in the
first year and 698 in the second year for a total of 1,250 hours over
the course of the study for the response to the recruitment campaign.
Approximately 1,325 hours in the first year and 1,675 in the second
year for a total of 3,000 over the course of the study for the
additional screening to be selected for inclusion in the study.
Approximately 1,300 hours in the first year and 1,625 in the second
year for a total of 2,925 hours over the course of the study for
participant training.
Approximately 3,000 hours in the first year and 3,750 in the second
year for a total of 6,750 hours over the course of the study for the
installation and removal of the on-board computer systems to and from
the participants' vehicles.
Approximately 2,100 hours in the first year and 2,625 hours in the
second year for a total of 4,725 hours over the course of the study for
the survey collections.
Total annual burden hours in the first year are expected to be
8,277. Total annual burden hours in the second year are expected to be
10,373 for a total of 18,650 hours over the course of the study.
Electronic Access: Internet users may access all comments received
by the U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL-401, by using the universal resource
locator (URL): http://dms.dot.gov, 24 hours each day, 365 days each
year. Please follow the instructions online for more information and
help.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C.
Chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.
Issued On: October 3, 2006.
James R. Kabel,
Chief, Management Programs and Analysis Division.
[FR Doc. E6-16683 Filed 10-10-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P