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Household Travel Survey Inquiries

Each year randomly selected households across the Greater Metropolitan Area (JPG image file) are surveyed about their travel patterns. If your household is one of these and you are wondering what the survey is about, some of your questions are answered below:

What is the survey about?

The survey collects information about people's day-to-day travel, such as where they go, when they travel, the purpose of the trip, the means of transport used and the costs associated with the trip.

Who is conducting the survey?

The survey is being conducted by the Ministry of Transport, the state government agency responsible for transport planning for NSW. The data collection is being carried out by the Hunter Valley Research Foundation on behalf of the Ministry.

Why do we need the survey?

This survey is the only source of information on the day to day travel of people living in the Greater Metropolitan Area (JPG image file). This area covers Sydney, Newcastle, the Central Coast, Blue Mountains and Illawarra. The data is essential to gain a complete picture of all trip making and how travel patterns change over time. This information is used in planning the future transport needs of the people in the area.

How is the survey being run?

Each year over 5,000 households are chosen at random to participate in the survey. Selected households are notified by mail that they have been chosen to participate and that an interviewer will visit the household to explain the survey.

What will the interviewer ask me?

At this first visit the interviewer will outline the survey procedure, take some household details and allocate a particular day to be the household's "Travel Day", the day for which your travel details will be collected. The interviewer will leave a fridge magnet to remind you of your "Travel Day" and a Memory Jogger for each member of the household to note all travel undertaken on that day. The interviewer returns at a prearranged time to record the details of each trip undertaken on that day by face to face interview.

What if I didn't make any trips on my "Travel Day"?

It is just as important to know about people who didn't make a trip to get a complete picture of the travel patterns of the population as a whole.

What if I don't use public transport?

All means of transport are part of the broad picture of how people get from A to B. This survey is about all forms of transport, car, public transport, bicycle and walking. As many of these modes share the roads, they all have to be considered in the planning process.

What if I just popped down to the corner shop?

The survey is designed to collect information on every trip made. Even short trips are important in estimating the total transport task. Local Councils and community groups are also interested in local travel patterns.

Is the survey voluntary?

The survey is voluntary and your participation is vital to ensure the reliability of the information obtained and the planning decisions, which are based upon it.

What about confidentiality?

The information collected is completely confidential and is used for statistical purposes only. First names only are used to assist the interviewer and they are not kept. Address information is not kept on any permanent record.

Who can I contact about the survey?

A Travel Survey Freecall Line (1800 816 142) has been set up for survey respondents with further queries about the survey process.