“We need comprehensive, research-based information to support transport planning and make transport policy decisions. The only way to obtain an overall view of people’s travel habits and reasons for travel is to conduct an extensive sample survey,” says the head of HSL’s research group, Marko Vihervuori.
“The survey aims to collect information about travel by residents of all ages using all modes of transport. Consequently, it is of outmost importance that all those invited to the survey respond, whether they travel by car, public transport, bicycle, foot or even if they do not travel at all.”
The Travel Survey is conducted by Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) and the municipalities in the Helsinki region. The municipalities included in the survey are Espoo, Helsinki, Hyvinkää, Järvenpää, Kauniainen, Kerava, Kirkkonummi, Mäntsälä, Nurmijärvi, Pornainen, Sipoo, Siuntio, Tuusula, Vantaa and Vihti.
The survey is mainly online, but respondents over 70 years of age will be interview by phone. Also children aged 7 years and above will be invited. Children can respond independently or with the help of a parent. In addition to overall travel habits, the survey asks respondents to fill in a travel diary recording the journeys they make during a predetermined day.
As the Travel Survey is a statistical survey, with respondents selected randomly to represent the residents of the municipalities participating in the survey, only those invited to the survey can respond. Invitations will be sent weekly from the end of August until November.
The survey results interest municipal decision-makers, the media, researchers as well as transport and town planning professionals.
“By responding people can affect the way their needs as well as the needs of those with similar travel habits are taken into consideration in transport planning. In addition, all respondents will be entered into a prize draw for three grocery store gift cards worth 500 euros,” says Vihervuori.