Origin-destination survey on the Highway 40 service road in Pointe-Claire

The City of Pointe-Claire wanted to quantify the average percentage of residents who travel on the westbound Autoroute 40 service road. CIMA+ was able to accomplish this by enhancing cellphone data, in collaboration with Telus Insights, without having to resort to a traditional field survey. The City of Pointe-Claire was open to using new technologies, and CIMA+ developed a customized approach to meet the client’s specific needs.

CIMA+ received a mandate to work in collaboration with Telus Insights to conduct a traffic survey related to users of the northern Autoroute 40 service road travelling through the City of Pointe-Claire.

In conducting this origin-destination (O-D) survey, the City asked CIMA+ to employ an innovative approach using GPS or location-based services data provided by Telus, rather than on-site surveys. This was a first in Québec.

A stringent process was followed throughout the survey to protect the anonymity of users

Working in collaboration with the data processing team from Telus Insights, CIMA+ developed an approach that was validated by and targeted the specific needs of the City. Initial processing was carried out by the sub-contractor, and then CIMA+ specialists calculated the various targeted percentages, namely the main destinations and percentage of Pointe-Clair residents who travelled on the service road during each of the 168 hours of the week of the survey. Traffic counts were conducted in parallel to ensure proper calibration of the data.

In conclusion, this innovative approach provided the results that City representatives were seeking. In addition, residents were not subjected to any delays associated with traditional survey techniques, which involve roadside interviews with drivers and represent a danger to the interviewers and road users, especially on a service road.

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