Fraser River Crossings Pre and Post Study
Corresponding Author: Victor Gaspar, TransLink
Presented By: Ilan Elgar, TransLink
Abstract
TransLink is considering a program of pre and post studies to assess the effects that major transportation infrastructure projects have on travel behaviour in Metro Vancouver. The objective of the program would be to provide better information about the travel behaviour decisions of residents as they are manifested in the choices of: destination, mode, routing, and departure time.
The Fraser River Pre and Post Study is the first study of a potential pre and post program. Data from both household surveys and traffic counts was collected over a three-year period to understand the effects that a major bridge upgrade, along with a new tolling system, had on household travel patterns in the vicinity of the Fraser River.
The initial wave was conducted in the fall of 2012 before the bridge upgrade was fully-operational. The final wave (post-measure) was done in the fall of 2014 roughly two years after the bridge upgrade and almost one year after full tolls were implemented. In each wave, a 24-hour recall survey that asked about trips made over the Fraser River using one of the corridor crossings (four general traffic bridges and one transit bridge) was administered to a total of about 5,500 randomly selected households.
Phone interviews were conducted with the person in the household most familiar household members’ travel patterns. Respondents were asked if they or anyone in the household had made a trip across the Fraser River the previous day. If the answer was yes, these “qualifying households” were then asked to provide information about the household and it members, and information related to the Fraser River crossing trip. “Non-qualifying households” were also asked selected household and resident information, for comparative purposes.
Our presentation focuses on the comparison of the survey and count data from the 2012 and 2014 fall time periods. While some changes in behaviour are clear (e.g., trip diversion and trip suppression), other changes are less clear (e.g., changes in mode and trip distances), confirming that obtaining a clear understanding of the impact that large infrastructure projects have on travel behaviour is not a simple task .