NEXUS Marketing
Status: Completed in 2012 — Operations Project
The binational NEXUS expedited passenger crossing program has lanes at three of the four Cascade Gateway ports-of-entry, and its traffic constitutes well over 30 percent of cross-border car trips at the Peace Arch-Douglas and Pacific Highway ports of entry. Marketing efforts included advertising, information distribution, and the development of the getNEXUS.com website.
Location
NEXUS lanes are in operation at Peace Arch/Douglas, Pacific Highway, and Sumas/Abbotsford-Huntingdon ports-of-entry in both directions.
Why this project was needed
Increasing NEXUS participation has long been an objective of inspection and transportation agencies concerned with cross-border mobility, because it expedites low-risk travelers and allows inspection agencies to focus efforts on higher-risk traffic. Recent surveys showed a regional market for additional NEXUS subscribers still exists, and many of those frequent travelers who do not currently have NEXUS have misconceptions about cost. The need for better information, the known population of likely beneficiaries, and the federal inspection agencies’ new ability to open more than one NEXUS booth all contributed to IMTC’s identification of NEXUS Marketing as a priority project. Facilitating continued growth of NEXUS is also a goal of the BC-WA Joint Transportation Executive Committee.
Results
The original marketing efforts in the fall of 2002 focused on introducing the program through advertisements, information distribution, and the development of the getNEXUS.com website. A final report outlines work completed as part of the original effort.
In June 2011 the Whatcom Council of Governments undertook a new NEXUS marketing effort along with the Cloverdale, BC Chamber of Commerce, hiring additional staff for information distribution efforts. Informational flyers were handed out during peak travel periods in the summer of 2011 and in the summer of 2012 to promote the recently opened NEXUS lane at the Sumas/Abbotsford-Huntingdon crossing.
Cost
$149,750
Funding & Partnerships
This project was funded by:
- U.S. Federal Highway Administration: $149,750
- Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce: ?