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More trips in Metro Vancouver, and more bike and take transit: initial findings from our 2011 trip diary survey

More trips in Metro Vancouver, and more bike and take transit: initial findings from our 2011 trip diary survey

People in Metro Vancouver are taking more trips in a day, and are more often choosing transit and cycling. So says the early results from our 2011 Trip Diary survey!

Guess what? In 2011, more people were taking trips around the region, but more and more are taking transit and cycling. Those are just some initial conclusions from our 2011 Trip Diary survey that we’re able to share today!

The trip diary, which draws data from over 22,000 households in our region, is a survey we do every three to four years to get a “snapshot” of a day of Metro Vancouver transportation. We’ve been analyzing the results of the 2011 trip diary now, and we wanted to share what we’re learning about the region with you over the coming weeks and months!

The first set of analysis we have is about regional mode share—or how popular each method of transportation is in our region. Here are some of the highlights we pointed out in our press release today:

People in Metro Vancouver are choosing sustainable transportation for more of their trips, but cars still account for the majority

  • Transit use as a proportion of all trips increased to 14 per cent in 2011 from 13 per cent in 2008 — there was a 17 per cent increase in the total number of trips taken on transit. While transit mode share is 14 per cent, the survey found that 19 per cent of people used transit on any one day and 52 per cent used transit in the past month.
  • Cycling trips accounted for 1.8 per cent of all trips – its highest region-wide mode share yet, and a 26 per cent increase since 2008.
  • Trips taken by walking stayed at 11 per cent.
  • The share of people using cars for their trips is down from 2008, but cars still account for the majority of trips: 57 per cent by drivers and 16 per cent by passengers (from 58 per cent and 17 per cent respectively).

Demand for transportation continues to grow – there are more people making trips and individuals are making slightly more trips

  • A total of 6.1 million trips were taken on a typical fall weekday last year – 5.9 per cent more than in 2008, slightly higher than the increase in the region’s population (5.8 per cent) over that time.
  • People are making more trips per day – 2.77 trips, versus 2.70 in 2008.
  • People in their 40s had the highest average number of daily trips – 3.5 for women, 3.1 for men; likely due to increased family activities at that time of life.

It’s a positive trend, but it’s still a long way to go to achieve the region’s long-term transportation goals (outlined here in Transport 2040).

The full briefing paper and graphs for sharing

For all the details, download this in-depth briefing paper, which shares the analysis we’ve done regarding regional mode share based on the trip diary results. You can also see (and share!) these spiffy graphs developed from the info below. (Click to enlarge each one!)

It’s all very useful to know how our region’s doing, especially as we’ll be discussing our 30-year long-range transportation plan in the coming year or so. Feel free to ask us any questions!

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