Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping Requirements; Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping Requirements; Agency Information

Collection Activity Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information

Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR

describes the nature of the information collection and its expected

burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period

soliciting comments on the following information collection was

published on May 21, 1999 [64 FR 27850].

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before November 17, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Susan Liss, (202) 366-5060, Office

of Highway Policy Information, Federal Highway Administration, 400 7th

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Office hours are from 9:15 a.m.

to 5:45 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: 2000 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS).

OMB Number: 2125-0545.

Type of Request: Reinstatement of an expired information

collection.

Affected Public: Individual members of the public. The household is

the unit of observation, and approximately 25,000 households will

complete the survey.

Abstract: The NPTS is conducted periodically on behalf of the

Department of Transportation (DOT) to obtain information on the amount

and nature of personal travel on all modes by the American public and

how travel is changing over time. The information in the survey is used

by FHWA and other DOT administrations to evaluate travel patterns in

terms of the mobility of various subgroups; the safety of vehicle

drivers and passengers and pedestrians; the role of travel in economic

productivity; and maintaining our mobility while protecting the human

and natural environment. Many changes in travel and the related social

patterns, such as the aging of the baby boomers, require that the DOT

update the personal travel data on a periodic basis. Changes in

household composition, the role of women, the location of residences

and workplaces, and unique travel issues of the elderly are reflected

in changes in local and long-distance travel. This survey will be

coordinated with the American Travel Survey (ATS), conducted by the

Bureau of Transportation Statistics, which collects data on longer

trips of approximately 50 miles or more over a one-month period. The

data collected in the NPTS and the ATS will allow transportation

professionals at the Federal, state and metropolitan levels to make

informed decisions about policies and plans.

Frequency: The survey will be conducted once during the period from

July 2000 through August 2001. This survey was last conducted in 1995.

Estimated Burden: The estimated burden per household averages 70

minutes, which includes interviewing an average of 2.6 persons per

household. The burden per person averages 20 minutes for the interview

and another 7 minutes for keeping the diary and writing the odometer

readings. Including a pretest, the total estimated annual burden is

31,122 hours.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory

Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20503, Attention: DOT Desk Officer. Comments are invited

on: whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the

proper performance of the functions of the Department, including

whether the information will have practical utility; the accuracy of

the Department's estimate of the burden of the proposed information

collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the

information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the

collection of information on respondents, including the use of

automated collection techniques or other forms of information

technology. A comment to OMB is most effective if OMB receives it

within 30 days of publication of this Notice.

Issued on October 12, 1999.

Michael J. Vecchietti,

Director, Office of Information and Management Services.

[FR Doc. 99-27091 Filed 10-15-99; 8:45 am]

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