2008 IMTC Passenger Intercept Survey
In 2000, the IMTC coalition oversaw the Cross-Border Trade and Travel Study, which collected information about cross-border travel patterns, including origin-destination patterns, residence, crossing frequency, and trip purpose amongst other questions.
In 2007, IMTC participants identified the need to update this data source to better understand changes in cross-border passenger travel movements in the Cascade Gateway region, and to measure impacts of recent changes in border operations (i.e. the initialization of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative).
To complete this survey, the Whatcom Council of Governments (WCOG) and the Border Policy Research Institute (BPRI) at Western Washington University undertook a passenger origin-destination survey at all four Cascade Gateway border crossings.
Intercept surveys were performed in the summer of 2007 and winter of 2008. Data are compiled into a database, which is available free of charge from WCOG.
A final report for the project is now available. For more information, contact WCOG at (360) 676-6974.
Project Partners
BPRI funded the project, with WCOG providing staff time and materials. Coordination and support at the ports-of-entry were provided by the U.S. Customs & Border Protection and Canada Border Services Agency. Equipment was loaned to the project by B.C. Ministry of Transportation.
Summer Wave
A summer wave of surveys was completed in July of 2007. The sampling regime closely followed that used by Cambridge Systematics, Inc. back in 2000, but with additional hours on weekdays, Friday sampling at Peace Arch, and dedicated attention to NEXUS-lane travel.
Weekday and weekend data were collected in both directions at all four ports-of-entry (Peace Arch/Douglas, Pacific Highway, Lynden/Aldergrove, and Sumas/Huntingdon). Surveying was conducted between 7:00am and 9:00pm.
Surveying was completed by a team from Western Washington University using personal digital assistants (PDAs) to record responses. Maps were also used to improve accuracy and enable association with existing zone-analysis structures for origins, destinations, and residences.
Winter Wave
Although the original study in 2000 conducted intercept surveys in the Fall, this effort completed its second wave in February, 2008 in order to establish a February traffic pattern baseline for consideration of future data analyses regarding the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.
Surveying was again completed at all four regional crossings, although sampling was not done in both directions at the two smaller ports-of-entry (Lynden/Aldergrove and Sumas/Huntingdon). Due to limited daylight hours the survey time period was reduced.
Data Analysis
The survey database was made available in June, 2008. A report of findings is available on this page and includes current trends, how trends have changed since the year 2000, and what can be implied about the future of cross-border passenger travel.
For More Information
Contact: Hugh Conroy, Whatcom Council of Governments, (360) 676-6974 or David Davidson, Border Policy Research Institute, (360) 650-2642.