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One Trip Generation System for London: TRICS® Merges with TRAVL
The TRICS® Consortium and Transport for London are pleased to announce the imminent merging of the TRICS® and TRAVL systems, for the first time providing professionals in the transport planning and development management industry with a single, unified resource for trip generation analysis in the capital.
Effective from 1st April 2014, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the launch of the TRICS® project, key elements of the TRAVL database will be contained within a new data export facility live on the web, available to all TRICS® member organisations once logged in at www.trics.org. With use of the full TRAVL system being discontinued a few weeks later, whilst the TRAVL Bureau Service will continue to be available for a period of time following this, there will be plenty of time available for TRAVL members to switch over to TRICS® and enjoy the benefits of having access to two systems in one location, with all data being fully endorsed by Transport for London.
This merger is the result of successful discussions between the TRICS® Consortium, Transport for London and Systra Ltd (who have been maintaining and developing the TRAVL system for a number of years and who will continue to provide the TRAVL Bureau Service for an interim period following the merger). We would like to thank Systra in particular for providing a venue for our technical discussions, and for their professional contribution in
working to assure a smooth transition of TRAVL data into TRICS and the continuity of the service.
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A data export facility for historic TRAVL data
On Tuesday 1st April 2014, TRICS® version 7.1.2 will be made available to all TRICS® member organisations. Once logged in at the Members Area at www.trics.org, users will find a new “TRAVL Data Export” feature available. This will be a purpose-built stand-alone system for extracting key TRAVL data tables to exportable files in CSV format. Users of this feature will be able to filter by TRAVL land use type and PTAL range, and will be able to extract the following information for a user-defined list of selected TRAVL sites:
- Multi-Modal Survey Counts (by mode)
- Origin & Destination Postcode Survey Data
- Journey Purpose Survey Data
- Site and Development Information
This historic TRAVL database facility will continue to be available indefinitely with a secure data extraction facility that will allow users to manually calculate TRAVL trip generation rates as and when needed. All of the sites currently available within TRAVL will be included within this new, user-friendly facility, and guidance notes will be provided on the use of the new feature to ensure that TRAVL data can continue to be used for as long as users would like.
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Data collection in London given a boost
The merging of TRICS® and TRAVL provides a great opportunity for a significant data collection programme expansion within the Greater London region. This year’s annual TRICS® data collection programme is currently in progress as scheduled, but the subsequent 2015 programme will see a significant increase in the number of surveys undertaken across the capital. Investment is being put in place that will emphasise our commitment to data collection in London, with a wide range of the London Boroughs and development types being covered. The overall number of surveys undertaken in London will increase significantly, and will for future surveys include counts for London Underground, Overground, bus and Docklands Light Railway modes, as well as servicing and delivery vehicles. All recent (and future) surveys in London include a Public Transport Accessibility Level (PTAL) score, and all surveys include parking information as standard.
What’s more, for future data collection programmes in London we would like the London Boroughs to have their say in identifying potential sites to be surveyed. We want our future expanded TRICS® data collection programmes across the capital to be an interactive exercise, with local authorities across Greater London having a much-valued input into the process coordinated by Transport for London.
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One membership fee gives you two databases
Great news for existing TRAVL and TRICS® member organisations alike, is that for one single annual licence subscription to TRICS®, there will be the benefit of accessing data from two database systems. Historic TRAVL data will be protected and readily available, whilst at the same time all users will have the benefit of a TRICS® database of some 7,000 surveys across all regions of the UK and Ireland Ireland
and in the future, significantly more London sites.
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What this means for TRAVL users
Use of the TRAVL system as it currently exists is set to expire, along with current TRAVL user licences, a few weeks after the merger takes place, although the TRAVL Bureau Service will continue to be available for a while longer through Systra Ltd at
www.systra.co.uk. Once the TRAVL licences expire, current TRAVL users will be required to purchase TRICS® licences to obtain the benefits of both the TRICS® and TRAVL databases, and the expanded programme of data collection in London that will follow.
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Free month’s trial of TRICS® is available
We are pleased to offer, with no obligation, one month’s free trial of a full working version of TRICS® to any organisation, so that current users of TRAVL can get used to the procedures and features of the TRICS® system prior to the merger taking place. The trial can be set up quickly without any fuss, and anyone interested in this should email support@trics.org. All we will need from you are contact details and you can be logged in to TRICS® straight away.
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TRICS® training event to follow merger
The TRICS® Consortium and Transport for London want to make sure that the transition for current TRAVL users to the merged system is made as smoothly as possible. For this reason, we shall be setting up a training event for TRAVL users in London at which both the TRICS® system and the new TRAVL data extraction facility will be demonstrated. There will also be the opportunity to take part in a TRICS® “hands on” session following these presentations, an ideal opportunity for those new to the operations of TRICS®. Further information on this event will follow.
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What about other TRAVL data sets?
We are going to place the most important, key TRAVL data, across all surveys, into the new data export feature at
www.trics.org. However, we do recognise that there may be times when other, less often used data within TRAVL may be required. Transport for London will ensure that this additional information is securely stored and made available for access on request at travl@tfl.gov.uk.
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Any questions?
We value your feedback, and we are sure that you have some questions about this merger of the TRICS® and TRAVL systems as the date approaches. Please send them to Ian Coles, TRICS® Project Manager, at
ian.coles@trics.org, or you can contact Hannah Bishop at Transport for London directly at
hannahbishop@tfl.gov.uk.
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