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Published on Monday, July 22, 2002
in the Tampa Tribune
LAKELAND - They call it a ``Voluntary Roadside Interview.''
But for hundreds of motorists flagged down by state troopers Monday on Interstate 4, there was nothing voluntary about it.
Off-duty troopers, hired at $30 an hour, picked motorists at random and directed them to pull off the interstate into a rest stop, where Palm Pilot- toting interviewers waited.
No, this roadside checkpoint wasn't looking for drunken drivers. The survey, which will cost about $150,000, was commissioned by the Florida High Speed Rail Authority to gauge public interest in riding a proposed 120 mph bullet train.
The experience left some motorists wondering what's next: Publix hiring troopers to corral interstate travelers for a marketing survey?
``They freaked me out,'' said Alan Kent, pulled over Monday on his way home to Clearwater after a concert. ``I thought they had pulled me over to search me.''
A woman traveling with Kent, who declined to give her name, was even more blunt: ``It's illegal,'' she said.
Not true, survey officials say. They said they checked with a lawyer for the Florida Department of Transportation.
``The bottom line is, we can do it. It's well within the law,'' said Adrian Share of HNTB Corp., general consultants for the rail authority. ``With the cooperation of state troopers, the state is allowed to pull people over just to seek information.''
Florida voters passed a constitutional amendment two years ago that requires the state to begin building a high- speed rail network by November 2003. The train could run down the median of I-4.
Last week, the rail authority, which is responsible for building the rail system, conducted traffic interviews at I-4 entrance ramps in the Lakeland area. Sunday and Monday, the authority set up shop at an I-4 rest stop east of Lakeland.
Bruce Williams, who helped design the survey, said interrogations are the only way to accurately target the people most likely to use a bullet train: I-4 commuters and tourists.
The authority could take down license plate numbers and mail surveys to registered owners, but that also could backfire, Williams said.
``You don't have to stop traffic, but you get a very large negative reaction of `How did you find me? Big Brother is watching me through cameras.' ''
Each interview took about 90 seconds. Questioners asked drivers about their travel habits, their daily commute and - a question some didn't feel was particularly relevant - how much money they make.
`Income can be a very important determinant of people's willingness to choose a certain mode of travel,'' Williams said.
Respondents were asked for a general income range and were asked to pick one, not a specific figure, he said.
``If people refuse to answer it, that's fine. We're not insisting that everybody answer every question,'' Williams said.
David Vogel, directing the interviews on I-4, said most motorists were ``understanding and patient.''
But Farouk Kahn of Orlando said the authority's methods were sneaky.
Instead of signs saying ``Traffic Survey Ahead,'' westbound traffic was greeted with red cones, ``Reduced Speed Ahead'' signs and drawings of men digging.
``I thought there was construction going on or something,'' Kahn said. ``It's like a tricky thing. You should tell the people instead of saying one thing and then doing something else.''
The traffic survey will be repeated at the rest stop Wednesday and then wrap up, officials said.