Project status: Planning underway
IMTC participants have identified the need to periodically evaluate trip details of passenger vehicle travelers crossing at the Cascade Gateway ports-of-entry. These surveys help inform regional investment strategies, and provide insight into travel trends.
Cascade Gateway system of border crossings (Peace Arch/Douglas, Pacific Highway, Lynden/Aldergrove, and Sumas/Abbotsford-Huntingdon Ports-of-Entry) and their approach roads.
Quality data on trip-purpose, origin-destination patterns, and traveler demographics is an important part of transportation system planning – explaining reasons for changes in demand, identifying emerging needs for reallocation of resources and targeted investments, and revealing opportunities for system optimization from operational and policy changes. A 2025-26 passenger survey will not only provide more current data, but it will maintain a valuable time series – passenger surveys are conducted roughly every five years, and the last survey was completed in 2019.
In addition to the standardized metrics gathered from every survey, specific topics are of particular interest in this 2025 effort, including:
Changes in volume: since COVID border travel restrictions were lifted, cross-border vehicle volume in the region is still about 70 percent of Pre-COVID levels. Agencies and border communities want to understand how cross-border travel habits and trip-making patterns have changed and what factors may indicate about whether changes are likely short-term or longer-lasting.
Border wait time system usage: A design for a new binational border wait time system has been completed, and the implementation of the project is in planning. To provide valuable information into this project, the passenger survey will include questions about how drivers use the current wait-time information systems and details regarding access to information and decision-making.
Electric vehicles: Interested regional stakeholders want to conduct an observational recording of the percentage of electric vehicles in the regional, cross-border vehicle population (as well as estimated vehicle ages of all vehicles, make, model).
The scope of work includes the following tasks:
WCOG and Western Washington University's Border Policy Research Institute (BPRI) will develop the survey instrument in collaboration with IMTC partner agencies; acquire and configure data collection devices to enhance efficiency and accuracy, establish a centralized database for storage and backups, and conduct site planning with inspection agencies to determine survey locations and schedules.
BPRI will hire students to conduct the in-field surveys. The survey team will be trained on data collection, safety, and field procedures, and will also receive flagger training and certification.
Conduct surveys at border crossings in two waves, during summer (June-July) and winter (February). The project aims for a minimum of 15,000 records.
Clean and analyze data, validate and enhance datasets with traffic counts and additional filters, and publish findings. The final dataset will be made available online.
Project deliverables will include:
Summer wave technical memo (to be completed after data cleansing and analysis is complete)
Full project report highlighting key insights (to be completed after data cleansing and analysis after both summer and winter waves conclude)
Data dashboards and the full project database (made available online)
WCOG and BPRI are currently working to fully fund all components of the project and finalize the project schedule.
Multiple agencies, both in the U.S. and Canada, are pooling resources to fund this effort. Funding partners include:
U.S. Federal Highway Administration
BC Ministry of Transportation & Transit
Transport Canada
Border Policy Research Institute, Western WA University
Whatcom Council of Governments
In addition, in-kind support will be provided by U.S. Customs & Border Protection and Canada Border Services Agency.
Total project cost is estimated at: $204,377.
Contact Hugh Conroy, Director, Whatcom Council of Governments by email or phone (360-685-8382).
2018/2019 Passenger Vehicle Surveys
2013/2014 Passenger Vehicle Surveys
2007/2008 Passenger Vehicle Surveys
2000 Cross-Border Trade & Travel Study