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Published on Wednesday, July 24, 2002
in the Orlando Sentinel
LAKELAND -- Off-duty state troopers were hired by a consulting firm to randomly flag down motorists on Interstate 4 to take surveys, alarming some drivers who thought they were being detained.
The uniformed troopers, paid $30 an hour, picked cars at random Monday and directed them to pull into a rest stop, where interviewers waited to ask whether drivers would consider riding a high-speed bullet train.
"They freaked me out," said Alan Kent, stopped on his way home to Clearwater after a concert. "I thought they had pulled me over to search me."
Survey officials say the stops are legal and the best way to accurately target I-4 commuters and tourists, those most likely to use a bullet train. The survey will be repeated at the rest stop today, officials said.
"With the cooperation of state troopers, the state is allowed to pull people over just to seek information," said Bruce Williams, who helped design the survey for the Florida High Speed Rail Authority.
Interstate drivers encounter a series of progressively slower speed-limit signs. Once they've slowed to about 25 mph, troopers direct them to a rest area, where interviewers run through a two-minute survey.
The technique has been used for years when planners need to gather information about driving patterns.
A survey manager said although a few drivers get angry, about 95 percent of them participate.
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 might run along the median of I-4.
David Vogel, directing the interviews on I-4, said most motorists were "understanding and patient."