Follow @SustainableU!Sustainable Living 101
Your travel future is calling!
It's all connected. We've heard this phrase applied to the environment, to the choices we make about the foods we eat, the trips we take and the things we buy. But this connection also extends to how we travel each day, not just those long distance airplane rides.
Do you drive your children to school? Cycle to the gym? Bus to work? Every choice we make on how to travel to and from our daily appointments and obligations has an effect not just on the environment, and global warming, but also on the state of our roads, the number of bike lanes and walking paths, and the frequency of that city bus that trundles through your neighbourhood.
Want more bike lanes? Wish there was less traffic congestion? Then help out by participating in the Origin Destination (OD) Survey that's currently underway in our region. Watch for a brochure in the mail letting you know if your household has been randomly pre-selected and that you can expect a call from the survey team.
Why does the OD Survey make such a difference? It shows us how we're actually travelling, rather than how we think we're travelling. This data on residents travel habits helps us make transportation investments that communities really need, like new bike lanes or better, faster transit options.
Our region is at a critical junction; traffic congestion is becoming a larger and larger problem (anyone who's tried to get to Thetis Lake Park on a Friday afternoon knows this!) Data collected for the Origin-Destination survey will help us to meet travel choice targets in the Region's Sustainability Strategy and will also guide the Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan and the Transportation Demand Management Strategy, which both aim to create a sustainable travel future for the region.
Taking the Origin-Destination survey can also help you to see how you spend your travel time. You may not realize how many trips you take a day to shop, go to school or pick up the kids. Travel behaviour can also be affected by more than just the state of our roads; research shows that as the number of schools in a neighbourhood declines, people tend to drive more, making for longer trips and more congestion.
Help the region plan for the best travel and commuting infrastructure it can. If you are selected, please take the Origin-Destination survey and connect your travel with our future.
