Travel Survey Vital for Future Planning
Dunedin (Friday, 9 May 2014) – Some Dunedin households will be surveyed about their travel patterns as part of key
planning for future travel demand.
The Dunedin City Council will work with a survey team led by PlanTrans over the next eight months to gather information
about how Dunedin residents choose to travel to and from home, work, schools and shopping centres.
DCC Transportation Group Manager Gene Ollerenshaw says, “The results will help the DCC plan for future travel demand,
understand where congestion problems may occur and continue to make it easier for people to get about in different
ways.”
DCC Infrastructure Services Committee Chair Cr Kate Wilson says, “I strongly encourage residents to take part in this
survey, which will provide information vital for us to plan properly for the future needs of residents and visitors. The
timing is particularly pertinent as issues such as cycleways, walkways and the delivery of bus services are being
discussed widely in the community.”
The survey starts next week and goes through to late September. As part of the survey, 325 households will be randomly
selected from Dunedin’s urban area and the townships of Mosgiel, Outram, Allanton, Waitati, Port Chalmers and
Portobello, and invited to take part.
Mr Ollerenshaw says each of the selected households will receive a letter and then a follow-up phone call from Ipsos, a
member of the PlanTrans team. If they agree to take part, the survey questions will be sent out.
Each household will answer a few questions about themselves and their vehicles. Each person in the household aged 10
years and older will then be asked to carry a personal passive Global Positioning System (GPS) device for seven days, to
record each person’s travel. The GPS is the same size as a mobile phone and weighs only 50 grams.
Cr Wilson says, “This is an exciting opportunity for selected Dunedin households to be involved, using simple and
convenient technology just like we use every day.”
Mr Ollerenshaw says undertaking a Household Travel Survey is an essential step in updating the DCC’s Transportation
Model. A detailed survey like this has not been carried out since 1989. All information collected will be kept
confidential and only used for statistical purposes.
NZ Transport Agency Regional Manager Planning & Investment Southern Bruce Richards says, “Dunedin residents are also our customers and are at the heart of our
business. We want to shift people effectively as well and to do this we have to understand what they need from the
transport network. This survey will provide that essential information so the DCC and ourselves can be effective in
meeting these needs.”
The cost of the survey is $149,000, with the NZ Transport Agency meeting two thirds of the cost and the DCC paying the
rest.
Ends