Who Uses Toll Roads? An Analysis of Central Texas Turnpike Users

The report characterizes with the greatest detail both the passenger and commuter users as well as non-users of the Central Texas Turnpike System recently opened in November 2006 in Austin, TX. The process of analysis includes a review of literature of other tolling facilities in the nation, where focus is given on studies of similar nature regarding demographics of users both among passenger and commercial motorists. This background study also touches on the general environmental justice impacts of tolling facilities. The report continues by using survey data taken both prior to and after the construction of the turnpike system in regards to preference and usage by local residents. The last portion of the report concerns the analysis of actual transaction data from the Central Texas Turnpike System – where transactions are linked to account type, axle count and billing zip code. This actual data coupled with the stated preferences of the surveys provides a detailed look into the characteristics of a typical toll road user in the Central Texas area. These findings are presented and discussed in detail.