KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering (2013) 17(4):837-849 Transportation Engineering

DOI 10.1007/s12205-013-0248-6
www.springer.com/12205

Evaluating Perceived Quality of Traffic Information System

using Structural Equation Modeling
Hooi Ling Khoo* and Ghim Ping Ong**
Received May 19, 2012/Accepted August 2, 2012

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Abstract
Megacities worldwide have been employing some form of traffic information systems to manage their road network and to
mitigate congestion. However, the full benefits of such systems can only be achieved if drivers perceive the system to be of adequate
quality for them to actually use the disseminated information in their travel choices. One way to evaluate the underlying quality of the
system is to conduct questionnaire survey, gather direct driver feedback and perform statistical analyses to derive attributes or
indicators such as driver awareness, utilization of traffic information and perceived effectiveness which are useful to agencies for
their planning and management activities. However many past works have treated the attributes to be independent and did not offer a
complete picture on the perceived quality of the traffic information system. This paper therefore presents the development of a
holistic structural equation model that can consider all potential attributes affecting perceived quality in a single framework.
Attributes considered in the paper include: driver awareness, driver utilization, perceived effectiveness, expectation, and perceived
necessity of the system. Using the traffic information system in Klang Valley, Malaysia as a case study, it is demonstrated that there
are causal and cross-loading relationships between the attributes contributing to perceived system quality and the attributes must be
considered in a comprehensive manner. In addition, the model offers a useful interpretation on the factors affecting road user
perception on the traffic information system, thereby allowing agencies to undertake appropriate measures to further improve the
level of user satisfaction.
Keywords: advanced traveler information system, structural equation modeling, quality, perceived effectiveness, utilization, awareness
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1. Introduction Message Boards (VMS) to convey the relevant traffic information

One function of the Advanced Traveler Information System
(ATIS) is to collect and disseminate timely travel information to
drivers within the transportation system. It is a major component
of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) and its implementation
within an integrated ITS framework allows improvements in the
management of transportation systems and reallocation of
limited resources. Using ATIS, drivers can choose the best times,
routes, and transportation modes to travel from an origin to their
destinations. Generally, there are two types of strategies used in
travel information collection and dissemination: reactive strategies
and predictive strategies. Reactive strategies (for example: Messer
and Papageorgiou, 1994) disseminate travel time information to
drivers based on real time traffic data collected from the network.
Under such strategy, no prediction on the subsequent traffic
condition is made. Examples of the application of this strategy
are the Integrated Transport Information System (ITIS) implemented
in Klang Valley region, Kuala Lumpur, and the Expressway
Monitoring and Advisory System (EMAS) used in Singapore.
Such strategies utilize internet, radio, television, and Variable
directly to road users. Predictive strategies (for example:
Papageorgiou et al., 1994), on the other hand, involve the use of
in-vehicle guidance systems in recommending the ideal routes
(usually based on a shortest travel time algorithm) for drivers.
Drivers often need to pay for the in-vehicle unit and subscribe to
the services provided by the information providers in order to
enjoy the full benefits of the in-vehicle guidance systems.
Since the introduction of ATIS in the 1990s, the reactive form
of traffic information system has gained wide acceptance by
many cities around the world, including those in the developing
countries such as Beijing (Chen et al., 2008), Guangzhou (Zheng
et al., 2010), Taiwan (Chen, 2007), Bangkok (Choocharukul,
2008), and Bandung (Sutandi, 2008). Because such systems are
often costly to install and maintain by the developing economies,
road user perception becomes an important indicator of potential
demand and is often cited by agencies as a means to justify the
implementation of a new system or improvement of existing
ones.
A high-quality traffic information system, from the road users’
perspective, should have the following attributes:

*Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, 53300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Corresponding Author, E-mail:
khoohl@utar.edu.my)
**Lecturer, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576 Singapore (E-mail: cveongr@nus.edu.sg)

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 Hooi Ling Khoo and Ghim Ping Ong

●
The travel time, incident and other traffic information pro-
vided by the system has to be accurate, reliable and useful to
drivers. More importantly, it must result in travel time sav-
ings for road users.
●
The system must be easily accessible (through different
medium) and has a wide coverage. Moreover, the informa-
tion provided must be easily understood by drivers, i.e., driv-
ers must be easily aware of the information provided by the
system to make informed decisions.
●
The information provided by the system should allow users
to make correct decisions in terms of departure time, mode
and route choices. This, in effect, refers to the utilization of
the traffic information provided by the system.
●
The system has to be deemed necessary by drivers for travel
and has to meet users’ expectations.
It is common in the literature to assess these attributes through
questionnaire surveys (such as Emmerink et al., 1999; MV2,
1997). By studying the respondents’ attitudes towards the attributes
of the traffic information system, the perceived quality of the
system can then be estimated. Table 1 summarizes some of the
relevant studies found in the literature. It is observed from Table
1 that some of the past studies (such as MV2, 1997; Lee et al.,
2008; Emmerink et al., 1996; Khattak et al., 1993) have either
explicitly or implicitly assumed the attributes to be independent
and cannot truly provide an overall picture on the road users’
perception of the quality of the traffic information system. For
example, some studies have used the drivers’ decision to change
route upon receiving a set of traffic information during pre-trip or
en-route travel as the sole surrogate for perceived system quality
(Emmerink et al., 1996; Khattak et al., 1993; Bonsall, 1992).
However, this measure does not consider the many externalities
that can also affect the route change decision, including the
perceived accuracy and reliability of traffic information, the
possibility of alternative routes and the ability to change departure
time (for the case of pre-trip travel). Similarly, the consideration
of only one traffic information dissemination tool cannot represent

Table 1. Summary of the Past Studies

Study Attributes Studied Key Findings
· Study the impact of VMS messages on route choice
· Factors influencing route choice:
Awareness - Frequency of drivers encounter arterial VMS
Peng et al. (2004)
Utilization - Drivers perception of VMS information as useful
- Drivers trust of information accuracy
· Radio is the most popular source of traffic
· 40% of the drivers listen to radio for pre-trip information and 60%-80% of them change route
· 65% of the drivers listen to radio during en-route trip
Richards and McDonald Awareness
· 50%-70% of drivers change route having received information from VMS
(2007) Utilization
· The diversion rate is sensitive to the types of message displayed.
· Perception of VMS usefulness can be affected by default message.
· 97% of the drivers aware of the existence of VMS
MV2 (1997) Awareness · 62% of the drivers understand the traffic information while only 46% of them divert
· 84% of the drivers perceived that the traffic information is useful
· Factors affecting VMS awareness:
- Content of message
Peeta et al. (2000) Awareness - Drivers’ economic characteristics
- Network spatial knowledge
- Confidence in displayed information
· 36% of drivers change their departure time while 63% divert to alternative routes
· 92% of drivers believe that the information is accurate and useful
Awareness
· 44% and 54% of drivers comment that the traffic information is very important at home and at
Raub (2003) Utilization
work respectively
Effectiveness
· 78% of drivers preferred to obtain traffic information from radio and TV
· 51% of drivers preferred to obtain traffic information from internet at work
·49% of drivers obtain traffic information from website while only 22% of them use it for their trip
· Factors affecting the utilization of the information:
- Regional context: More congestion doesn’t mean more people will utilize traffic information
Pierce and Lappin Awareness - Awareness: More aware to information from TV and radio
(2004) Utilization - Nature of trip: off peak hour trip less information needed
- Information quality: whether there is existence of traffic information on the trip
- Delay: traffic information is not used if no delay exist
- Availability of alternative: no diversion will take place if no available alternative routes
Caplice & Mahmassani Awareness · Older and female drivers are more listen to radio
(1992) Utilization · Commuter tend to switch route and departure time rather than route alone
· Use Fuzzy Logic to quantify and analyse drivers’ perceive satisfaction of VMS.
Lee et al. (2008) Effectiveness
· Measure drivers’ response in terms of route choice changes.
· Women less likely influenced by traffic information
· Drivers who have a possibility to arrive late are less inclined to change route
Emmerink et al. (1996) Utilization
· Level of satisfaction with alternative routes related to type & distance of road
· Radio and VMS has the same impact in influencing route choice

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 Evaluating Perceived Quality of Traffic Information System using Structural Equation Modeling

Study Attributes Studied
Khattak et al. (1993)
Spyridakis et al. (1991)
Abdel-aty et al. (1997)
Bonsall (1992)
Wardman et al. (1997)
Yim et al. (2002)
Xu et al. (2010)
Jou et al. (2005)
Table 1. (Continued)
Key Findings
· Information can encourage drivers to change route
· Information on travel times should be supplied on numerous alternative routes
Utilization
· Drivers are more likely to divert the more precise the information on the location of congested
road sections
· Drivers value saving in commuting time
· Drivers are more likely to change their routes from work than from home
Utilization
· Drivers are more likely to divert to known routes than to unknown routes
Awareness
· 2-4% of drivers are influenced by pre-trip information
Effectiveness
· 97.6% of drivers prefer to obtain traffic information from commercial radio, follow by VMS,
highway advisory, TV, phone
· Traffic information from ATIS could help to influence route choice
Utilization · Travel time is not dominant route choice criterion
· The reliability of the information delivered is important in influencing route choice
· Factors influencing route choice:
- Overall expected journey time
Utilization - Existence of toll road
- Congestion and long delay
- Route familiarity and scenic quality
· Impact of VMS information in route choice:
- Availability of alternative routes
- The content of the message
Utilization
- Local circumstances
- Drivers’ characteristics
- Previous network knowledge
· 30%-84% of drivers divert to alternative routes
· 13%-44% of drivers change their departure time
Utilization · Perceived benefits of the traffic information system are:
Effectiveness - Travel time saving
- Reduce anxiety
- Efficient travel planning
· Adopt the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to study drivers’ acceptance of the information
using the Structural Equation Modeling
· Attributes studied:
- Perceived ease of use
Utilization - Perceived trust of the information
- Perceived usefulness
- Driver socio-demographics attributes
- Information attribute
- Cognition of alternative route
·The real time traffic information with guidance and the quantitative type of real time traffic infor-
mation is preferable by drivers.
Utilization
· The model shows that male drivers and drivers with a higher income would be more likely to
switch to the best route

the overall awareness of an integrated traffic information system
which often uses more than one tool. For example, some studies
(such as MV2, 1997; Lee et al., 2008; Peeta et al., 2000)
investigated effectiveness of VMS only.
While some of the past studies considered more than a single
attribute (or traffic dissemination tools) in their studies on the levels
of utilization, awareness and quality of traffic information systems
(Peng et al., 2004; Richards and McDonald, 2007; Raub, 2003),
many did not consider the interaction and correlation between
attributes or traffic dissemination tools. Pierce and Lappin (2004),
for example, had mentioned that driver awareness and perceived
information quality can influence the utilization (measured in terms
of propensity to divert to alternative routes), but the relationships
between these three attributes were never explicitly discussed.
In addition, different research studies adopted different
interpretations on the measures of driver perceived effectiveness
on the traffic information system. For example, Raub (2003)
used driver perceived information accuracy and usefulness as
surrogates for perceived effectiveness, Abdel-Aty et al. (1997)
used travel time reliability while Yim et al. (2002) considered
travel time saving, reduced anxiety, and efficient travel planning.
A comprehensive interpretation of perceived effectiveness is
therefore required to reconcile the various measures of perceived
effectiveness of traffic information systems.
Noting the need for a holistic model which can capture all
important and necessary attributes (including driver awareness,
utilization and perceived effectiveness), this paper presents the
use of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to investigate the
driver perceived quality of a traffic information system. The
model formulation and the structural modeling framework are
first presented and discussed. Using the Integrated Transport
Information System (ITIS) in the Klang Valley region, Malaysia
as a case study, a revealed preference questionnaire survey was
conducted and the results then presented in the paper. Structural

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 Hooi Ling Khoo and Ghim Ping Ong

equation models are next estimated to allow the identification of ξ is an ( n × 1 ) vector of the exogenous latent variables; ζ is an
key factors and variables affecting the awareness of the traffic ( m × 1 ) vector of random variables; β is an ( m × m ) coefficient
dissemination tools, utilization of the traffic information system, matrix for the latent endogenous variables, and Γ is an ( m × n )
driver perceived effectiveness, and most importantly, the overall coefficient matrix for the latent exogenous variables.
perceived quality of the traffic information system. The basic equations of the measurement models for the
endogenous and exogenous variables are shown in eqn. and eqn.
2. Structural Model to Evaluate Perceived Quality respectively (Bollen, 1989):
of the Traffic Information System
x = Λx ξ + δ (2)
2.1 Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) Approach y = Λy η + ε (3)
Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is a comprehensive statistical
where x and δ are column q-vector related to the observed
approach to test the hypotheses on the direct and indirect
exogenous variables and errors, respectively; Λ x is the ( q × n )
relations among observed and latent variables (Hoyle, 1995,
coefficient matrix for the effects of the latent exogenous
MacCallum and Austin, 2000). It is used to represent, estimate
variables on the observed variables; y and ε are column p-vectors
and test a theoretical framework (which is assumed to have
related to the observed endogenous variable and errors, respectively;
linear relations among the variables) and can be adopted to
Λy is a ( p × m ) coefficient matrix for the effects of the latent
understand the pattern of correlations among observed and latent
endogenous variables on the observed ones.
variables (Suhr, 2010) or to explain as much of their variance as
SEM has been adopted in many transport related study,
possible with the specified model (Kline, 1998).
especially in travel behavior applications (see Golob, 2003).
SEM differs from traditional regression modeling approaches
Studies such as Tardiff (1976), Golob et al. (1997), Golob and
by adopting a multivariate technique incorporating both observed
Hensher (1998), Morikawa and Sasaki (1998) used SEM to
and latent variables. In the SEM approach, multiple equations
model the travelers’ attitudes, perceptions, stated behavioral
are solved simultaneously to determine the parameter estimates
intentions, and actual behavior in travel. Besides, SEM was
through a formal model specification. The SEM model is then
also used in travel demand modeling (Simma et al., 2001),
tested using various goodness-of-fit tests to assess the model fit.
dynamic travel demand modeling (Fuji and Kitamura, 2000),
An advantage of SEM over the traditional regression approach is
activity-based travel demand modeling (Kuppam and Pendyala,
that it models the relationship between the latent variables which
2001), and driver behavior modeling (Ng and Mannering,
are not directly measured (by measured or observed variables).
1999).
In addition, it enables the analyst to conduct statistical tests on
the significance of the relationship hypothesized.
2.2 Proposed Structural Model and Measurement Models
Both exogenous and endogenous variables are considered in
Figure 1 shows the proposed structural model to evaluate the
SEM. Exogenous variables are independent variables which can
perceived quality of the traffic information system. The figure
exert an influence on other constructs under study and are not
also shows the proposed measurement models which are used to
influenced by other factors in the structural model. Endogenous
identify indicators for the latent variables.
variables are dependent variables that are affected by exogenous
and other endogenous variables. Both exogenous and endogenous
variables can be observed or latent. The SEM procedure starts
with establishing measurement models. The measurement models
are parts (or all) of a SEM model dealing with the latent variables
and their indicators. The relationships between the factors
contributing to the latent variables are established and confirmed
through the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Once the
measurement models are confirmed, structural model fitting is then
performed. The Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) approach
is adopted to estimate the coefficients (also known as factor
loadings) in the SEM. Various tests, such as Root Mean Square
Error Approximation Index (RMSEA), Comparative Fit Index
(CFI) and chi-squared, Parsimony Comparative Fit Index (PCFI),
can then be adopted to evaluate the goodness-of-fit of SEM.
The basic equation of the structural model is shown as follow
(Bollen, 1989):
η = βη + Γξ + ζ (1)
Fig. 1. Hypothesized Model for Perceived Quality of Traffic Infor-
where η is an ( m × 1 ) vector of the endogenous latent variables; mation System

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 Evaluating Perceived Quality of Traffic Information System using Structural Equation Modeling
2.2.1 Perceived System Quality Structural Model
The perceived quality of the traffic information system can be
treated as a latent variable since it cannot be directly observed but
can be inferred by other variables which are observable and
directly measured. The perceived quality can be assumed to be
affected by the driver level of awareness and utilization, and their
perceived effectiveness of the system, based on findings from the
literature (Emmerink et al., 1996; Spyridakis et al., 1991; Raub,
2003). Generally, if drivers perceived that the traffic information
system is more effective, there is a higher propensity for them to
believe that the current system has a sufficient enough quality to
meet their needs. This is also true for drivers who are more aware
of the various traffic information dissemination tools. A high
utilization level (i.e. higher propensity for drivers to change route
or time upon receiving the relevant traffic information) would
also mean that drivers implicitly trust the information provided by
the system and are more willing to make adjustment to their trips.
These latent variables not only affect perceived quality but may
also have some influence on each other and therefore needs to be
captured in the structural equation model.
Besides awareness, utilization and perceived effectiveness, the
perceived quality of the system is also influenced by the drivers’
perceived necessity of the system and their expectation on the
appropriate level of service. If drivers believe that the travel
information is necessary and important, there is a higher
tendency for them to continue using the information provided by
the system. It must be noted that a system which is popular and
well received by the public tends to receive much more attention
from the agency and can result in further justification to continue
investing in the system. This may have some positive correlation
to the perceived quality of the system.
The following assumptions (or hypotheses) are made for the
latent variables:
H1 : A driver with a high level of awareness will perceive the
system to be of a high quality.
H2 : A driver with a high level of utilization will perceive the
system to be of a high quality.
H3 : A driver who perceives the system to be effective will
also believe that the system is be of a high quality.
H4 : A driver with a larger household size, or higher vehicle
ownership, or longer trip distance tends to have a more
favorable perception of the system quality.
For the observed variables, the assumptions are:
HP-1: A driver who perceives the traffic information system to
be of a higher quality will have a higher propensity to
believe that the system is necessary.
HP-2: A driver who perceives the traffic information system to
be of a higher quality tends to have a higher expectation
on the performance of the system.
2.2.2 The Measurement Models
Factors affecting the latent variables presented in the previous
sub-sections are next investigated in the paper. Unlike previous
Vol. 17, No. 4 / May 2013
studies which investigate these latent variables independently,
this paper considers all of them simultaneously while attempting
to capture the relationships between them. The model describing
the relationship between a latent variable and their indicators is
termed as a measurement model.
2.2.2.1 The Awareness Measurement Model
The awareness measurement model captures the driver
level of awareness on the existing traffic information system
and whether they obtain their traffic information through the
existing traffic information system tools. A high level of
driver awareness might indicate that there is sufficient system
coverage. The awareness level can be investigated by
studying the frequency at which various traffic information
system tools are used by drivers to obtain travel information.
Three popular tools are considered, namely radio, internet,
and VMS. The following assumptions (hypotheses) are made
for the awareness measurement model:
HA-1: A driver with a higher awareness level to traffic
information dissemination tools tends to use radio
more frequently for pre-trip traffic information.
HA-2: A driver with a higher awareness level to traffic
information dissemination tools tends to use internet
more frequently for pre-trip traffic information.
HA-3: A driver with a higher awareness level to traffic
information dissemination tools tends to use radio
more frequently for en-route traffic information.
HA-4: A driver with a higher awareness level to traffic
information dissemination tools tends to use VMS
more frequently for en-route traffic information.
2.2.2.2 The Utilization Measurement Model
The utilization measurement model evaluates the drivers’
response, i.e., their decision to make use of the provided traffic
information and make changes to their original route and/or
departure time choices. Traffic information is assumed to be
utilized if drivers make changes to their trip having received
information from the traffic information system. The following
assumptions (hypotheses) are made:
HU-1: A driver with a higher utilization level has a higher
propensity to adjust his/her departure time upon
receiving the relevant traffic information.
HU-2: A driver with a higher utilization level has a higher
propensity to adjust his/her route upon receiving the
relevant traffic information.
2.2.2.3 The Perceived Effectiveness Measurement Model
Four criteria are used to evaluate driver perceived effectiveness
of the system. They are: perceived usefulness, perceived reliability,
perceived travel time saving and perceived information accuracy.
Perceived usefulness is concerned with the driver opinion on the
usefulness (and relevance) of the traffic information for their
trips. This includes benefits obtained from static information for
trip planning and guidance as well as real time traffic information in
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 Hooi Ling Khoo and Ghim Ping Ong

avoiding traffic congestion. Perceived accuracy deals with the improvement. Amos output lists the variables that relationships
driver perception on how accurate the provided traffic information (arrows) need to be added or subtracted together with their chi-
is when compared to the actual situation. Perceived reliability square value. The chi-square value is the estimated chi-square
describes the perceived variability of the traffic information value for the path (linked by the arrow). Usually, relationships
provided by the system and is a measure of road user trust on the (arrows) with high modification index are preferred for significant
information system. Driver perceived benefit of travel time improvement of the structural model. Nevertheless, this should be
saving is the estimated savings in travel time when he or she carried out carefully and with theoretical justification. Blind use
decides to make adjustments to their trips. of modification indexes runs the risk of capitalization of chance
The following assumptions (hypotheses) are made: and model adjustments which make no substantive sense (see
HE-1 : A driver who perceives the traffic information system Silvia and MacCallum, 1988). This step is repeated until the best
to be effective has a higher propensity to perceive the fitted model is obtained.
system to be reliable.
HE-2 : A driver who perceives the traffic information system 3. Case Study: The Integrated Transport Informa-
to be effective has a higher tendency to perceive that tion System in Klang Valley, Malaysia
system brings travel time savings.
HE-3 : A driver who perceives the traffic information system The Integrated Transport Information System (ITIS) in Klang
to be effective has a higher propensity to perceive that Valley region, Malaysia is adopted as the case study in this paper
the traffic information provided by the system is to demonstrate the use of structural equation modeling in evaluating
accurate. perceived quality of the traffic information system. The ITIS was
HE-4 : A driver who perceives the traffic information system developed by the City Hall Kuala Lumpur (CHKL), the governing
to be effective has a higher tendency to perceive the authority of the region, to mitigate the worsening congestion
system to be useful. problem. ITIS is a combination of the existing Advanced Traffic
Management System (ATMS) and Advanced Traveler Information
2.3 Development of the Structural Model using Amos SPSS System (ATIS). It collects the traffic data from the detectors and
The proposed structural model and measurement models are closed circuits television cameras installed on the roadways. It is
developed using SPSS Amos software (IBM Corporation, 2012) also equipped with the automatic incident detection system to
in 2 steps. In the first step, all the measurement models are detect the occurrence of unexpected incidents. Transport
developed and tested independently. The latent variables of the Management Centre (TMC) is set up to process, manage and
models are shown in circles while the observed variables are analyze the traffic data. The centre will then disseminate the
shown in rectangles respectively in Fig. 1. The proposed assumptions
(hypotheses) such as HA-1 to HA-4 for the awareness measurement
model, HU-1 and HU-2 for the utilization measurement model,
HE-1 to HE-4 for the perceived effectiveness measurement model,
and HP-1 and HP-2 for the perceived quality measurement
model is checked to ensure that they are statistically significant.
The p-values of the path coefficients of these models are
examined to determine the level of significance obtained. They
are removed from the models if they are found to be statistically
insignificant.
Goodness-of-fit tests are then carried out to ensure that the
overall measurement models are fitted properly.
In the second step, the measurement models are combined as
the structural model according to the assumed relationships, i.e.
H1, H2, H3, H4, HI, HII, HIII, and HIV, shown in Fig. 1. The
fitness of the model is then examined using various goodness-of-
fit tests. The model is considered well fitted and acceptable if it
can pass all the tests. However, this could not be achieved in the
first run. As such, the model could be improved in two ways.
First, the statistical insignificant relationship is removed. This is
applied to both the structural and measurement models. Although
the measurement models have been verified earlier, insignificant
relationship indicates that the variables do not fit well in the
structural model. Secondly, the modification indexes are examined
to find additional relationships (arrows) that required for model Fig. 2. The Klang Valley Area and the Study Area

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 Evaluating Perceived Quality of Traffic Information System using Structural Equation Modeling

updated near-real time traffic information to drivers in the region
(CHKL, 2010).
Currently, the system covers all major roads in the Kuala
Lumpur federal territory. Over 200 km of roads (on 45 arterial
roads) are monitored (CHKL, 2010). The system was
developed at a cost of RM 365 million (~USD 100 million)
involving the installation of over 250 Closed-circuit Television
(CCTV) cameras for traffic monitoring at key intersections,
700 video-based vehicle detector stations, 140 Variable
Message Signs (VMS) and 1,600 units of vehicle tracking units
to serve as dynamic probes. There are various tools used in
ITIS to disseminate traffic information. The most common
tools are internet, radio, and VMS. The ITIS Portal (CHKL,
2010) provides real-time traffic information on roadways over
the internet. Recently, another website (www.llmtraffik.com.my) is
set up by the Malaysia Highway Authority (MHA) to provide
real-time traffic information on most of the expressways in the
Klang Valley region. Besides the internet, one can also rely on
either VMS or radio for updated traffic information. For
example, myFM (101.8 Hz) periodically reports traffic
conditions in the region between 7 am and 9 am in the morning
and between 5 pm and 8 pm in the evening daily.
3.1 Questionnaire Survey and Variables
A Revealed Preference (RP) questionnaire survey was designed
to evaluate the perceived quality of the ITIS system. The
questionnaire comprises four sections. Section I is related to the
socio-demographic and travel characteristics of the drivers.

Table 2. Model Variables and Survey Questions

Latent Variables Observed Variables
Gender, Race, Age, Monthly income, Education level,
Socio-demographic and
Vehicle ownership, Number of working adults in house
travel characteristics
Average travel distance
Q1: How frequent do you use radio to obtain traffic information before trip?
Q2: How frequent do you use radio to obtain traffic information en-route?
Awareness
Q3: How frequent do you visit ITIS Portal for traffic information?
Q4: How frequent do you read the traffic information on VMS board?
Q5: Do you change your departure time upon receiving of traffic information?
Utilization
Q6: Do you change to alternative route upon receiving congestion information?
Rate how agree are you on the following statements:
(1: strongly disagree; 2: disagree; 3: neutral; 4: agree; 5: strongly agree)
Q7: The ITIS system is useful
Perceived Effectiveness
Q8: The information disseminated from ITIS system is reliable
Q9: The information disseminated from ITIS system is accurate
Q10: The information help me save my travel time
Rate how agree are you on the following statements:
(1: strongly disagree; 2: disagree; 3: neutral; 4: agree; 5: strongly agree)
Perceived Quality
Q11: I think it is necessary to obtain traffic information before travel
Q12: The current ITIS system is good and up to my expectation

Table 3. Socio-demographic and Travel Characteristics of Respondents

Variables Category Percentage Variables Category Percentage
Male 51% <=2 18%
Gender
Female 49% Household size 3-6 68%
Malay 28% >=7 14%
Race Chinese 56% <=2 56%
Number of working
Indian 15% 3-6 42%
adults in a household
18-27 58% >=7 2%
29-38 24% 1 38%
Age 39-47 12% Vehicle ownership in 2 32%
48-57 5% a household 3 18%
>57 1% >=4 12%
<RM 1500 33% <=5 hours 35%
Average weekly
RM 1501-3500 49% 6-12 hours 46%
Monthly income travel time
RM 3501-7000 16% >12 hours 19%
>RM 7001 2% <=50 km 32%
Average weekly
High school 23% 51-150 km 42%
travel distance
Diploma 26% >151 km 26%
Education
Degree 44%
level
Master and above 3%
Others 5%

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 Hooi Ling Khoo and Ghim Ping Ong

Socio-demographic characteristics include gender, race, age, characteristics.

monthly income, education level, household size, number of
working adults and number of vehicles in the house. For the
travel-related characteristics, respondents have to estimate their
average weekly travel time and distance they spent on traveling
each week. Section II of the questionnaire is divided into three
sub-sections to study the awareness and the utilization of the
ITIS system, namely the internet, radio, and VMS. The
respondents are asked to rate their frequency in obtaining traffic
information from these tools (ranging from “Never” to “Once in
a month” to “Once in a week” to “Daily”). For radio, an
additional question is asked to check if the respondent is aware
of traffic information availability by other means (pre-trip and
en-route). Section III of the questionnaire is related to the
utilization of traffic information on their travels. Utilization of
traffic information is tracked by checking if drivers have made
changes in their departure time choice and/or route choice after
receiving information from each tool. In Section IV, the
respondents were asked about their opinion on the ITIS system.
They are required to express on a Likert scale (strongly disagree
to strongly agree, on a five-point scale) on the usefulness,
accuracy, reliability of ITIS and their expected benefit of travel
time saving from the implementation of ITIS. Besides, they are
asked to rate whether it is necessary to obtain travel information
and whether the system conforms to their expectation. Table 2
shows a list of questions asked in the questionnaire and the
respective latent variables studied.
The survey was conducted from October 2nd, 2009 to December
31st, 2009 in Klang Valley region. A team of 15 trained interviewers
conducted their surveys at shopping malls, petrol kiosks, schools,
and other facilities in the Klang Valley region. Target respondents
are drivers with valid licenses with sufficient driving experiences. A
total of 1506 respondents were interviewed during this period.
Table 3 summarizes the respondents’ socio-economic and travel
4. Results and Analysis
4.1 Questionnaire Survey Results
Table 4 shows the summary of the results obtained from the
questionnaire. It is observed that the awareness level of the traffic
information system availability is low in Klang Valley region
compared to findings from past studies. The frequency of the ITIS
tools used to obtain traffic information is 12% for internet, 22% for
pre-trip radio, 48% for radio en-route, and 58% for VMS.
Comparing against the findings from other countries: US, 22%
used internet (Pierce and Lappin, 2004), 97.6% used commercial
radio (Spyridakis et al., 1991), 50% on VMS (Emmerink et al.,
1996); in UK, 40% used pre-trip radio (Yim and Yagnace, 1996); in
Taiwan (Chen, 2007), 37% of the respondents are aware of VMS;
in Athens, 36.8% used pre-trip radio and 37.7% used radio en-route
(Tsirimpa and Polydoropoulou, 2009), it is obvious that the level of
awareness on the availability of traffic information via ITIS is low.
The level of utilization of ITIS tools (measured in terms of the
adjustment of departure time and route choice) is also low. Only
26% and 24% of the respondents expressed that they will shift
their departure time and change to alternative routes respectively.
About 17% of the respondents claimed that they would do both.
Compared to the findings from other countries: US shows that
13% to 44% of the respondents will shift their departure time
(Yim et al., 2002), 30% to 84% will change their route choice
(Yim et al., 2002); in UK, 50 to 70% will change route; in
Athens, 54% will change route (Tsirimpa and Polydoropoulou,
2009); in Bandung, 4% to 10% will change route (Sutandi,
2008), and in China, 33.5%-88.7% will change route (Chen et
al., 2008), the level of utilization in Klang Valley region is
relatively low. Table 5 presents the summary of the comparison.
Less than 50% of the drivers perceive the system to be effective.

Table 4. Results Summary of Questionnaire Survey

Items Percentage
Awareness
Internet 12%
Radio (pre-trip) 22%
Radio (en-route) 48%
VMS 58%
Utilization
Departure time change 26%
Route choice change 24%
Perceived Effectiveness
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree
Reliable 3.7% 35.9% 48.3% 9.6% 2.4%
Accuracy 3.3% 32.1% 48.3% 14.1% 2.3%
Travel time saving 4.1% 41.4% 38.3% 14.1% 2.1%
Useful 10.2% 46.2% 37.8% 4.1% 1.6%
System Performance
Expectation 8.2% 44.8% 38.3% 7.4% 1.4%
Necessity 4.3% 17.1% 55.4% 20% 3.2%

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 Evaluating Perceived Quality of Traffic Information System using Structural Equation Modeling

Table 5. Comparison of Awareness and Utilization of Traffic Information with Other Regions
Awareness
Country/Region Radio VMS Internet
Klang Valley, Malaysia 22%^ / 48%# 58% 12%
United States 97.6%^ 50% 22%
United Kingdom 40% NA NA
Taiwan NA 37% NA
Athens, Greece 36.8% ^/ 37.7%# NA NA
Utilization
Country/Region Departure Time Choice Change Route Choice Change Both
Klang Valley, Malaysia 26% 24% 17%
United States 13%-44% 30%-84% NA
United Kingdom NA 50%-70% NA
Athens, Greece NA 54% NA
Bandung, Indonesia NA 4%-10% NA
China NA 33.5%-88.7% NA
Note: ^ Listen to radio pre-trip, # Listen to radio en-route

There is a total of 39.6%, 35.4%, 56.4%, and 45.5% respectively
who agree that the system is reliable, accurate, useful, and creates
travel time saving. About 53% of the respondents mentioned that
the current traffic information system meets their expectation and
about 21.4% of the respondents felt that it is necessary to obtain
traffic information from the ITIS system before their trip.
4.2 Estimated Results and Goodness-of-Fit
The structural model developed to evaluate the perceived
quality of the ITIS is shown in Fig. 3. Compared to the initial
model presented in Fig. 1, the final model has four additional
causal relationships observed between the perceived effectiveness,
awareness, utilization, and socio-economic latent variables. It
was found that drivers’ perceived effectiveness can positively
affect level of awareness (i.e., drivers who perceive the ITIS is
effective has a higher tendency to be also more aware of the
traffic information dissemination tools). The level of awareness
is also found to be affected positively by the level of utilization

Note: 1. One-headed dotted line indicates cross loading, 2. Two-headed dotted line indicates correlation, 3. One-headed line indicates
causal relationship, 4. All variables with p<0.00; *indicates variable with p<0.05; ** indicates variable with p<0.5, 5. All the values
shown are the standardized estimates.
Fig. 3.The Structural Model to Evaluate the Quality of the Traffic Information System:

Vol. 17, No. 4 / May 2013 − 845 −

 Hooi Ling Khoo and Ghim Ping Ong

of traffic information (i.e. a driver who is more aware of the improvements.

traffic information dissemination tools will also tends to use the The standardized factor loading and the standardized path
system in their route and departure time choices). It was found coefficients between latent variables are also shown in Fig. 3.
that the respondents’ background could affect the awareness These standardized coefficients represent the strength of the
level as well. The utilization level, on the other hand, has negative relationship, which could assist in understanding the determinate
relationship with the perceived effectiveness. This indicates that factors affecting the perceived quality of the system. A goodness-
many of the drivers who utilize the information given perceived
that the system is not effective and the agency might need to Table 6. Fitness of the Structural Model for the Traffic Information
review the existing system for further improvement. System Quality
The final model has also detected the presence of cross loading Indices* Criteria*
Value of Indices
effects between observed variables as well as between latent in Model
2
variables. Drivers who perceived the information provided is x ⁄ df <5 3.782
accurate also tend to use the information in changing routes. Root Mean Square Error of
<0.1 0.043
Approximation (RMSEA)
Drivers who are willing to adjust their departure time are also Goodness-of-fit Index (GFI) >0.9 0.976
found to be those who are more concerned about the length of Parsimony Normal Fit Test (PNFI) >0.5 0.629
their journey time. As such, they have a higher tendency to check Parsimony Goodness-of-fit Index (PGFI) >0.5 0.586
on the updated traffic information en-route via VMS. Drivers Incremental Fit Index (IFI) >0.9 0.938
who perceived that the ITIS system is necessary for their trip are Comparative Fit Index (CFI) >0.9 0.937
found to perceive the system as useful, indicating that they might Closer to 1,
Normed Fit Index (NFI) 0.918
have relied on the system to plan for their trips. Besides, drivers the better
who have a higher level of awareness also have higher expectation Adjusted Goodness-of-fit Index (AGFI) >0.9 0.961
towards the system as they expect the agency to make continuous Note: *Refer to Kline (1998)

Table 7. Hypothesis Testing Results

Hypothesis Coefficients (β) p-value Test Result
System Quality Structural Model Significant but
-0.75 0.00
H1: A driver with a high level of awareness will perceive the system to be of a high quality. negatively related
H2: A driver with a high level of utilization will perceive the system to be of a high quality. 0.35 0.00 Significant
H3: A driver who perceives the system to be effective will also believe that the system is be of
0.45 0.00 Significant
a high quality.
H4: A driver with a larger household size, higher vehicle ownership, longer trip distance tend
0.66 0.00 Significant
to have a more favorable perception of the system quality.
HP-1: A driver who perceives the traffic information system to be of a higher quality will have
0.88 0.00 Significant
a higher propensity to believe that the system is necessary.
HP-2: A driver who perceives the traffic information system to be of a higher quality tends to
0.34 0.00 Significant
have a higher expectation on the performance of the system.
Awareness Measurement Model
HA-1: A driver with a higher awareness level to traffic information dissemination tools tends 0.57 0.00 Significant
to use radio more frequently for pre-trip traffic information.
HA-2: A driver with a higher awareness level to traffic information dissemination tools tends
0.29 0.00 Significant
to use internet more frequently for pre-trip traffic information.
HA-3: A driver with a higher awareness level to traffic information dissemination tools tends Significant but
-0.09 0.013
to use radio more frequently for en-route traffic information. negatively related
HA-4: A driver with a higher awareness level to traffic information dissemination tools tends
0.03 0.383 Not significant
to use VMS more frequently for en-route traffic information.
Utilization Measurement Model
HU-1: A driver with a higher utilization level has a higher propensity to adjust his/her 0.62 0.00 Significant
departure time upon receiving the relevant traffic information.
HU-2: A driver with a higher utilization level has a higher propensity to adjust his/her route
0.72 0.00 Significant
upon receiving the relevant traffic information.
Perceived Effectiveness Measurement Model
HE-1: A driver who perceives the traffic information system to be effective has a higher 0.66 0.00 Significant
propensity to perceive the system to be reliable.
HE-2: A driver who perceives the traffic information system to be effective has a higher
0.89 0.00 Significant
tendency to perceive that system brings travel time savings.
HE-3: A driver who perceives the traffic information system to be effective has a higher
0.24 0.00 Significant
propensity to perceive that the traffic information provided by the system is accurate.
HE-4: A driver who perceives the traffic information system to be effective has a higher
0.45 0.00 Significant
tendency to perceive the system to be useful.

− 846 − KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering

 Evaluating Perceived Quality of Traffic Information System using Structural Equation Modeling
of-fit checking for the structural model developed is shown in
Table 6. It is observed that the structural model fulfills all the
criteria indicating that the model obtained is statistically appropriate.
It is crucial to check the construct reliability of the structural
model and evaluate the correlation between latent variables and
between the latent variables and the measurement models. The
Composite Reliability (CR) test and Average Variance Extracted
(AVE) test were performed and the CR test value and the AVE
value are found to be 0.732 and 0.553 respectively. Since both
parameters exceed their respective critical values (0.7 for CR test
and 0.5 for AVE test), the developed structural model is
considered to be reliable and the obtained relationships shown in
Fig. 3 statistically significant.
4.3 Hypothesis Testing
The overall goodness-of-fit tests and the construct reliability
tests show that the structural model fits the data well. The hypothesis
relationships of the proposed structural model and measurement
models (as described in Section 2) are next tested through the
standardized path coefficients. Each assumed causal relationship
is tested for its statistical significance through hypothesis
testing. The test results are shown in Table 7. It is observed that
most of the hypotheses are found to be significant, except for
HA-4 which describes the relationship between the drivers
awareness of traffic information disseminated via radio during
en-route. Instead of a positive relationship, two negative causal
relationships are observed for awareness and perceived system
quality, and VMS with awareness. Three additional significant
relationships are found between perceived effectiveness, utilization,
and awareness. The path coefficients for causal relationships
relating utilization to awareness, and perceived effectiveness to
awareness are 0.57 [p-value 0.00] and 0.44 [p-value 0.00]
respectively. The causal relationship for utilization to perceived
effectiveness is negative with the path coefficient of -0.35 [p-
value 0.00]. In addition, it was found that there is a significant
and positive relationship between drivers’ socio-demographic
and travel characteristics with awareness.
5. Discussion
From the structural model developed in the study, it is evident
that the perceived quality of the traffic information system cannot
be evaluated independently from driver level of awareness,
utilization level and perceived effectiveness. It is observed that
all factors (either observable or inferred) hypothesized in this
study contribute to the evaluation of perceived quality. Awareness
of the ITIS system is found to be the most significant factor
influencing the perceived quality of the system ( β = –0.75 ).
This is intuitive because if drivers are not aware of the system,
they would not know where to obtain traffic information for their
trip and accordingly, the traffic messages could not be properly
conveyed to them.
The negative relationship between awareness and perceived
system quality indicates that current level of awareness of the
Vol. 17, No. 4 / May 2013 − 847 −
ITIS system is low, despite its significance in contributing to the
evaluation of the perceived system quality. From the awareness
measurement model, it is observed that all three types of ITIS
tools used in the region to disseminate traffic information
contributes significantly to the level of awareness either pre-trip
or during en-route (except radio during en-route). This means
that the operator should employ various tools to disseminate
traffic information in order to increase awareness. It is also
shown that a higher level of awareness can be obtained if the
driver awareness towards the information disseminated via
internet and radio during pre-trip could be improved.
It was noted that current awareness levels of the VMS and
radio during en-route travel are high (58% and 48% respectively
according to survey results shown in Table 4). It was further
found that an increase in the frequency of obtaining traffic
information via these tools would contribute marginally to the
awareness level. In order to improve the awareness, operators
need to find ways to increase the usage of internet and radio pre-trip
(which is only 12% and 22% respectively as shown in Table 4).
Driver utilization is another factor that influences perceived
system quality. If drivers are more willing to accept and utilize
the information obtained, it may be an indication that the traffic
information system is performing at a certain level of service
acceptable to users. This means that a higher percentage of
utilization may result in a higher perceived quality of the system.
Departure time choice changes and route choice changes are
found to be contributing significantly to utilization level. If
drivers are more willing to make adjustment to their trips, in
terms of departure time or route choice, it is intuitive that the
level of utilization will become higher. The cross loading
relationship between departure time choice and VMS awareness
indicates that drivers who are more willing to change their
departure times are also concerned on receiving updated traffic
information. They are also more likely to be aware of the
information delivered through VMS during en-route travel. On
the other hand, a cross loading effect between traffic information
accuracy and route choice change indicates that drivers are
willing to change their route choice only if they perceived that
the information received is accurate.
Driver perceived effectiveness of the ITIS system was also
found to significantly influence the perceived system quality. A
better perception of system effectiveness, increased perceived
usefulness, better perceived accuracy and reliability can very
well indicate a high perceived quality of the system. Driver
socio-demographic and travel characteristics have some impact
on the perceived quality of the system. Drivers with higher
vehicle ownership and have higher average weekly travel
distance perceived the quality of the system better. Drivers who
travel in longer distance will need to obtain more information
about their trip either pre-trip or en-route in order to enjoy
smoother rides.
Causal relationships were observed between the three latent
variables: awareness, utilization and perceived effectiveness. It is
observed that if drivers perceive the system is effective, they are
 Hooi Ling Khoo and Ghim Ping Ong
more likely to obtain traffic information via ITIS tools. Moreover, a
higher utilization level will also mean that there is a higher
chance of getting themselves more aware of the ITIS tools.
The negative causal relationship obtained between utilization
and perceived effectiveness is a result from the questionnaire
survey where drivers who are currently using the information
commented that the system is somewhat not effective. Among
the drivers who change their departure time, 12%, 24%, 24%,
and 13% disagree that the system is useful, accurate, reliable, and
could help in travel time saving respectively. For those who
change their route, these percentages are even higher. Among
those drivers, about 43% of them complained that the system is
useless, 64% perceived that the information provided is
inaccurate, 60% commented that the ITIS system is unreliable,
and 54% do not agree that the traffic information obtained could
help them save their travel time. This indicates that the current
system is weak and should be further improve in order to
increase the utilization rate. The observed trend can be attributed
to some of the issues (such as damaged detectors, stolen VMS
cables and others) the system currently faces, resulting in drivers
not receiving traffic information. In addition, there are some
observed limitations in the system which has reduced the
perceived effectiveness of the system. For example, the traffic
information delivered via radio is brief and the coverage area
insufficient. Moreover, there is a lack of reported traffic
information on alternative routes. About 55% of the surveyed
drivers who do not divert to alternative roads after receiving
congestion information cited the reason being not convinced that
alternative roads have better traffic condition. Also notable was
the fact that about 19% of the drivers who receive congested
information decide not to divert because they are worried that
they will lost, while 18% of these drivers said that they do not
know the available alternative roads.
6. Conclusions
This paper has presented the modeling of perceived quality of
traffic information systems using the structural equation modeling
approach. All important attributes which might influence the driver
perceived quality of the system are investigated under a single
framework in order to capture their causal relationships and
correlations. Using the Integrated Traffic Information System
(ITIS) in Klang Valley region as a case study, it is observed that
the proposed structural equation model approach allows a
holistic interpretation on perceived quality of the traffic
information system. The structural model indicated that the
perceived quality of ITIS is influenced by awareness, utilization,
perceived effectiveness, perceived necessity of the traffic
information system, and driver expectations. Based on the
measurement models, factors which can affect each latent
variable are determined. It was found that driver awareness of
traffic information system is heavily dependent on the frequency
in which various traffic information dissemination tools are used.
Driver utilization is influenced by the amount of departure time
− 848 −
and route choice changes upon receiving the traffic information.
Perceived usefulness, reliability, accuracy, and the expected
benefit of travel time saving are important considerations when
evaluating the perceived effectiveness of the traffic information
system.
The paper illustrates the ability of structural equation modeling
in highlighting areas of improvements to the system, allowing
agencies take the opportunity to perform the relevant actions
required to meet user expectations. Some recommendations to
improve the system are such as: to develop smart phone
applications that would allow users to obtain real time traffic
information, to improve travel time reliability reported by the
ITIS system, to provide advice on the best departure time and
routes to use, to improve ITIS features and VMS coverage to
include traffic conditions on alternate routes. For future work, the
impact of drivers’ understanding of traffic messages and advices
in perceiving the system’s quality should be investigated.
Acknowledgements
This study is funded by Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman
(IPSR/UTARRF(A)/09/01).
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