Tatsuya UEMURA*, Researcher Yasuaki MATSUDA**, Director for Road Research Yasuhiko KAJIYA*, Director Kazuhiro TANJI***, Chief

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1 USER NEEDS FOR ROAD INFORMATION IN HOKKAIDO - From User Survey Results of Northern Road Navi Website and Mountain Pass Information Experiment in Winter - Tatsuya UEMURA*, Researcher Yasuaki MATSUDA**, Director for Road Research Yasuhiko KAJIYA*, Director Kazuhiro TANJI***, Chief * Civil Engineering Research Institute of Hokkaido 1-3 Hiragishi, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo, , JAPAN Phone: , Fax: , uemura@ceri.go.jp **Asahikawa Development and Construction Department, Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport ***Japan Weather Association, Hokkaido Head Office, Road Weather Research Section SUMMARY In Hokkaido, Northern-Road Navi, a website that offers comprehensive region-wide road information has been in operation. In addition, an experiment was conducted on road information provision (Winter Pass Guide). Among monitors registered as experiment participants, it was found that 69% in midwinter modified their driving behavior based on the road information they received through the Winter Pass Guide, including changing their driving route and/or departure time, as well as abandoning their departure completely. INTRODUCTION Hokkaido, the northernmost region of Japan, is a popular tourist destination, attracting people from throughout Japan in summer. In winter, it sees among the heaviest snowfall in the world. Cities in Hokkaido are widely dispersed, relative to other regions of Japan, and they are linked by mountain roads through rugged topography. Because of this, the majority of road users traveling such mountain roads in summer do so for sightseeing, whereas those in winter, when the conditions are severe, do so because they have no other choice. It should be noted that winter roads in mountain passes have frequent snowstorm-induced poor visibility in addition to slippery snowy/ice road surfaces and severe weather changes. It is therefore deemed essential to support road users driving plans through the timely provision of appropriate road information. Possible channels for road information provision include, in addition to existing road message signs and highway advisory radio, mobile phones and Internet technologies. The use of rest facilities such as Michi-no-eki roadside rest areas and radio broadcasting are also important for information provision. In light of this, the Northern-Road Navi website has been in operation. This site offers comprehensive road information focusing on Hokkaido roads. In addition, an information provision experiment focusing only on mountain passes with severe winter climate was 1

2 conducted using a wide range of information channels. This experiment was called the Winter Pass Guide. In these information provision experiments, questionnaire surveys were given to information users. The questionnaires revealed a strong need for road information within Hokkaido, and benefits afforded to users by information provision. This paper presents these findings. COMPREHENSIVE ROAD INFORMATION WEBSITE: NORTHERN-ROAD NAVI Overview of Northern-Road Navi Northern-Road Navi is a website of comprehensive information on roads in Hokkaido (Figure 1). It is administered by the Civil Engineering Research Institute of Hokkaido under the auspices of major road administrators in Hokkaido, such as the Hokkaido Development Bureau, the Hokkaido Prefectural Government, the City of Sapporo, and Japan Highway Public Corporation. The website was established in July 1999, and has received approximately 870,000 hits so far. As of July 2003 it is recording more than 2,500 hits per day. Northern-Road Navi offers an inter-city distance and travel time query function as well as information on Michi-no-ekis and municipalities along their selected route. It also provides information on mountain passes and on scenic views the planned route affords. Figure 1. Northern-Road Navi ( 2

3 Needs for Winter Road Information based on Use of Northern-Road Navi A questionnaire survey was conducted on the Northern-Road Navi website regarding its use. The survey was posted from late summer to early winter (September 9 to November 4, 2002) and winter (February 14 to March 14, 2003) with valid responses numbering 589 and 207, respectively. 77% of summer and 78% of winter respondents are residents of Hokkaido, with male respondents accounting for 80% of summer and 81% of winter respondents. Although the purpose of using the Northern-Road Navi is mainly sightseeing, it is noted that there is an increased use of the website for business travel in wintertime. The survey identified information helpful in increasing safety and sense of ease for users of winter roads (Figure 2) (1). Distances and time search and Road information are popular, as is Mountain pass information. This confirms that Hokkaido has a great need for mountain pass information in wintertime, due to its severely cold and snowy climate. Q6. Do you think the information provided by Northern-Road Navi is helpful in increasing safety and sense of ease for users of winter roads? Road information (weather, road surface Extremely helpful conditions, etc.) Road information (traffic control, etc.) Quite helpful Helpful Graphic information (CCTV camera images, etc.) Somewhat helpful Traffic information (traffic congestion, etc.) Not very helpful Weather information (weather forecasts, etc.) distances and time search between main cities Not helpful Not helpful at all Mountain pass information % 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% No response Figure 2. Information helpful in increasing safety and sense of ease on winter roads, out of all the information provided by the Northern-Road Navi The survey included a question on whether each item in the mountain pass information of Northern-Road Navi was helpful in improving safety and sense of ease, and the responses of respondents who used such information were tallied (Figure 3). Of the mountain pass information, the live road image and the weather information on mountain passes were identified by a large majority as being helpful for safety and sense of ease. This indicates that information provision including live road images and weather in the mountain pass is effective in improving safety and comfort levels. Q.11: Do you think the mountain pass information is helpful in improving safety and sense of ease? Please answer each information item. [Only the responses by those who used the mountain pass information were tallied.] Mountain pass topography information (elevation and grade) Mountain pass snowy/icy period information Location of tire chain mounting area Mountain pass map information Mountain pass real-time road image Mountain pass weather % 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 10 Extremely helpful Quite helpful Helpful Somewhat helpful Not very helpful Not helpful Not helpful at all Figure 3. Mountain pass information on Northern-Road Navi identified as being useful in improving safety and comfort levels (information users) 3

4 EXPERIMENT ON ROAD INFORMATION PROVISION: WINTER PASS GUIDE Overview of information provision by Winter Pass Guide Between Asahikawa and Kitami, the two major routes are 1) the Sekihoku Pass section of National Highway 39 and 2) the Kitami Pass section of National Highway 450. The former has a high elevation, and severe weather conditions in its mountain pass. The latter has tunnels whereby a major section of the Kitami pass can be traversed. As shown in Figure 3, the difference in maximum elevation between these two routes is approximately 350 m. Even when severe snowstorms and icy surfaces occur at Sekihoku Pass, which is higher in elevation than the National Highway 450, many drivers traveling between Asahikawa and Kitami go through this pass. Therefore, providing road users with accurate weather and road information is considered helpful in their selection of a suitable route. Elevation (m) Asahikawa city Sekihoku Pass Elevation: approx m Kitataisetsu Tunnel Elevation: approx. 700 m National Highway 450 Elevation difference: 350 m National Highway 39 Kitami city Asahikawa Sapporo Kitami Distance (km) Figure 4. Outline of the two routes between Asahikawa and Kitami In the information provision experiment (Winter Pass Guide), road users were experimentally provided with information including that on road closures and weather as well as real-time road images through five different means: personal computer, mobile phone, radio broadcast, Michi-no-eki (information board), and road message signs (Figure 5). Information was included on the website, for Internet access by computers and mobile phones. For radio broadcasting, road information was broadcasted during regular programming in cooperation with a community radio station in Asahikawa. Also, users who stopped at Michi-no-ekis were provided information through information boards, and road message signs also relayed information. For registered monitors, who had been recruited in areas whose residents were judged likely to use the roads in this experiment, information was also distributed by to their mobile phones. The Winter Pass Guide makes use of not only recent IT technologies such as the Internet and mobile phones, but also existing infrastructure; it is special in that it assists road users through multiple channels of information delivery. 4

5 Prior to departure On the road Check website for road and weather conditions at home or the office prior to departure. At departure, check road and weather conditions of the route and destination. On the road, check road and weather conditions up to the destination by mobile phone. At rest facilities such as Michi-no-ekis en route, check road conditions of the route. During the trip, check road and weather conditions up to the destination on road message signs. Personal computer Community FM station Mobile phone Michi-no-eki Road message sign Information type Provided information items Remarks Webpage Community FM accessible by PC station Webpage accessible by mobile phone Michi-no-eki Road message sign Road information Closure information Information Weather condition manually Visibility condition entered Road surface condition Wind velocity Meteorological Temperature 17 sites observation data Snow depth (snowfall) Precipitation Image information Road images 11 sites Weather forecast Weather forecast Alerts, warnings information Forecast temperature Forecast snowfall Temperature 1-km mesh Grid weather Snowfall 1-km mesh information Visibility 1-km mesh Figure 5. Different channels of information provision and types of information offered in the Winter Pass Guide QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY To understand the need for road information provision in Hokkaido, the effect of such provision on travel behavior (route selection, change in departure time, trip postponement), and its benefits in securing safe driving during winter (change of seasonal tires or maintaining sense of ease), various questionnaire surveys were conducted concurrently with the Winter Pass Guide (Table 1). The questionnaires consisted of a questionnaire for people who accessed the website for road information, a general driver questionnaire distributed to road users in areas for which the road information was provided, and a monitor questionnaire for the registered monitors (by post) conducted once in early winter and again in mid-winter. Registered monitors were recruited mainly among drivers who used the roads covered by this experiment. Recruitment continued into the experiment period, producing nearly 500 monitors as the final count. 5

6 Table 1. Overview of questionnaire surveys Questionnaire Survey method Respondents General driver questionnaire Web questionnaire Monitor questionnaire (early winter) Monitor questionnaire (mid-winter) Postcards distributed at Michino-eki in the vicinity of the subject roads or to road-related organizations Through the website that provides information Posting of questionnaire survey to registered monitors Valid responses General road users 543 Website visitors 228 Registered monitors USER NEEDS FOR ROAD INFORMATION Status of road information use Figure 6 shows the number of hits for the experimental Winter Pass Guide website, which focused on mountain passes in winter. The use of the website Winter Pass Guide, which are known for severe weather conditions in winter, increased sharply at times of extremely adverse weather such as heavy snowfall and snowstorm. Thus it is found that the need for such information is great for mountain passes in winter. In Hokkaido, the snowstorm intensity greatly varies with even minor differences in topography and/or location; mountain passes experience particularly different weather patterns from those of urban areas. It can be said that this graph shows the efforts of road users in Hokkaido, who know firsthand of the area s rapid change in weather conditions, to obtain road information as an immediate response to such extreme weather. No. of hits to the Winter Pass Guide website /21 11/27 No. of web hits by PC 1/4 12/26 12/ /30 12/29 1/10 1/24 Explanatory notes Announcement of road closure Heavy snowfall alert Heavy snowfall/avalanche warning 1/30 2/12 2/14 3/4 3/9 3/ No. of web hits by mobile 21-Mar Mar-03 1-Mar Feb-03 9-Feb Jan Jan Jan Dec Dec Dec-02 1-Dec Nov Nov-02 1-Nov-02 Figure 6. No. of hits to the website Winter Pass Guide 6

7 Figure 7 shows statistics on the use of different information items on the website by computer or mobile phone. Of the information provided via Internet that was used, the most popular, excluding the main page, are real-time road images and road weather information. Of the number of hits on the website for PC, 30% are for real-time road image and 8% are for road weather information; for mobile phone, 15% are for real-time road image and 18% are for road weather information. Although mobile phones are limited in their graphic display capabilities, the live road image is apparently very often accessed. Use of mobile phones is likely to be prompted by advances in mobile phone technologies. No. of hits by PC 5% 5% 4% 42% 30% 8% 6% Main page Road closure Road weather information Live road image Weather forecast Grid weather information Meteorological observatoin data No. of hits by mobile phone Main page 12% 9% 27% Road weather information Live road image 9% Weather forecast Weather alert 10% 15% 18% Grid weather information Meteorological observatoin data Figure 7. Use of information items on the Winter Pass Guide website Purpose of using road information Figure 8 shows the uses of information obtained through the Winter Pass Guide. The most prevalent is the gaining of a sense of ease, selected by 87% of both web questionnaire respondents and registered monitor respondents. This is followed by route change, estimation of driving time, and change in departure time change. In other words, the information obtained from the Winter Pass Guide is used as in decision-making on route and driving plans. 7

8 Uses of information obtained in the information provision experiment (multiple answers allowed) Change or cancellation of departure date Change in departure time 31% 45% 49% 51% Change of route 56% 65% Preparation, such as tire change Sense of ease or mental preparation for the trip by knowing the conditions of the pass in advance 15% 24% 87% 87% Estimation of driving time (ease of planning) Nothing particularly useful Other 0% 0% 2% 1% 56% 49% Monitor questionnaire (residents of the areas covered by the experiment) Web questionnaire 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Figure 8. Uses of information obtained from Winter Pass Guide Driving behavior change based on road information The registered monitors of Winter Pass Guide were questioned on the changes they had made based on the information they obtained in the experiment. Figure 9 shows the number of monitors who changed their behavior. There were 135 registered monitors who traveled on the road sections in question (aggregate of 999 trips) in early winter and 163 (aggregate of 2114 trips) in mid-winter. 60 monitors (44%) reported having changed their driving behavior, including cancellation of departure date, change of departure time, or route change in early winter, and 113 (69%) did so in mid-winter, showing that many drivers modified their behavior in response to road and weather conditions. In the total number of trips made by the monitors, the total number of changes made based on the information provided was 13% in early winter and 17% in midwinter. It means that 13% of trips made in early winter and 17% in mid-winter may have avoided foul weather or traffic impediments thanks to the information provision. Hokkaido drivers routinely change between summer and winter tires between those seasons. When they mount the winter tires depends on their planned trips or weather conditions. As a reflection of this situation, in addition to those behavior changes mentioned, there were as many as 60 information users who made preparations such as tire switching in early winter based on the information they received. Thus, the information service provided by the Winter Pass Guide is found to be effective in assisting the selection of appropriate driving behavior and promoting advance preparations which match the prevailing conditions, in addition to psychological effects of comfort and mental preparedness. 8

9 Early winter (No. of drivers who traveled on roads covered by the experiment: 135) 75 56% 60 44% Monitors who made a change or cancellation of departure date, departure time, or route Monitors who made no changes in their behavior Mid-winter (No. of drivers who traveled on the roads 50 31% covered by the experiment: 163) % Figure 9. Behavioral changes cited as resulting from information obtained from the Winter Pass Guide CONCLUSIONS In Hokkaido, a cold snowy region, snowstorms often produce poor visibility and frequently occur as localized. Running down the center of Hokkaido is a major mountain range where weather conditions on roads tend to differ greatly from those in urban areas. In light of this, road information has been provided through Northern-Road Navi, a website for comprehensive region-wide road information provision in Hokkaido. The following results were obtained from the questionnaire surveys conducted on users of the website with respect to winter road information provision: The main use of Northern-Road Navi is for pleasure trips, but use for business travel increase in winter. Many drivers cite road information and/or mountain pass information as the information must helpful in improving safety and comfort levels in winter driving. Separately from Northern-Road Navi, an experimental program on information provision using various delivery channels, called Winter Pass Guide, was conducted. It was intended for areas with mountain pass roads where severe weather conditions occur and with several possible routes. Questionnaire surveys on the users of the Winter Pass Guide found the following needs for mountain pass information in winter and specific benefits of such information provision: Comfort or mental preparation is the most cited reason for accessing the information, but the information is also utilized for departure time and route changes, and estimation of driving time. 69% of information users (registered monitors) changed their driving behavior based on the information they obtained in the program, thus verifying its effect of supporting driving. 17% of all trips made in mid-winter by information users (registered monitors) had behavior change prompted by the information provided, thus the users responded to traffic impediments or the deterioration of weather conditions. In regions like Hokkaido, visibility reduced by snowstorm is not necessarily confined to specific road sections; an alternative safety approach could be to learn in advance which sections have severe weather conditions and avoid driving on such sections altogether. In other words, by providing road information along the planned route, road users are 9

10 encouraged to make changes in their route or driving time, or to decide whether to set out on a trip, thereby increasing the safety of their driving. Based on this idea, the Winter Pass Guide, which was limited to the Asahikawa-Kitami routes, provided a wide range of information from pre-departure to travel en route through websites designed for PCs and mobile phones, and through distribution, FM broadcasts, rest facilities, and road message signs. It is confirmed that the information so provided not only acted as a reference for driving plans of road users but also triggered specific changes in travel behavior. Hokkaido has many other mountain passes where winter weather conditions are severe, and the expansion of information coverage to include such mountain passes should be addressed. It will be also necessary to measure in monetary value the non-tangible effects of comfort and mental preparedness as a result of information provision, to compare their evaluation with other benefits. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We owe much to Mr. Naotoshi Kanemura of Sapporo Information Network Co., Ltd., regarding the questionnaire surveys on Northern-Road Navi. Our sincere thanks also go to members of Administered by Hokkaido Society for the Study of Road Information, with whose collaboration the Northern-Road Navi has been administered, as well as to the road users who kindly participated in the surveys of Northern-Road Navi and Winter Pass Guide. REFERENCES (1) Yasuhiko Kajiya, Tatsuya Uemura, Yuji Yamagiwa, Road Information Needs in Hokkaido from Northern Road Navi Web Site : From the Results of Northern Road Navi User Survey, 27th Conference of JSCE Infrastructure Planning, June