2018/2019 Passenger Intercept Surveys

IMTC participants have identified the need to periodically evaluate trip details of passenger vehicle travelers crossing at the five Cascade Gateway ports-of-entry (including Point Roberts/Boundary Bay most recently). These surveys help inform regional investment strategies, and provide insight into travel trends.

This study conducted surveys of cross-border passenger vehicles at four land ports-of-entry between Western Washington State and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia – commonly referred to as the Cascade Gateway. The project was advanced by the International Mobility and Trade Corridor Program (IMTC) and is the fourth such survey undertaken by this regional cross-border planning coalition. Surveys have been conducted roughly every five years, in 2000, in 2007/2008, and 2013/2014.

The project comprised of two seasons of surveying, summer and winter, completed in July 2018 and February 2019, respectively, to compare winter traffic patterns with those of summer patterns. A completed survey database will be available upon request.

Surveys were conducted at the four Cascade Gateway Ports-of-Entry — Peace Arch/Douglas, Pacific Highway, Lynden/Aldergrove, and Sumas/Abbotsford-Huntingdon.

The main objective of the survey was to update regional travel characteristics with current trip purpose, origin-destination, and other traveler information, and to compare these data with results from previous years. Quality data on trip purpose, travel patterns, and demographics is an important part of transportation system planning and used to explain reasons for changes in demand, identify emerging needs for reallocation of resources and targeted investments, and revealing opportunities for system optimization.

In addition to these general purposes the 2018/2019 survey also collected information relating to the efficacy of border wait time signage and the use of GPS and app/website data for routing decisions by travelers.

Results

A full report is available, and the individual reports making up this report are in the Downloads section of this page. A database of survey results is also available upon request. And a dashboard of survey results may be found here.

Cost

$138,300

Funding & Partnerships

This project was a priority of all regional agencies involved in IMTC. Funding was provided by the agencies listed below. Critical permissions, cooperative facilitation, and baseline traffic data were provided by U.S. Customs & Border Protection and Canada Border Services Agency.

• U.S. Federal Highway Administration: $66,100
• B.C. Ministry of Transportation: $23,400
• Transport Canada: $18,800
• Border Policy Research Institute: $15,000
• Whatcom Council of Governments: $15,000

For More Information

Contact Hugh Conroy, Director of Planning, at (360) 685-8384.