NovaTRAC Halifax Household Survey
The Nova Scotia Travel Activity (NovaTRAC) Halifax survey is a research project conducted by Dalhousie University Transportation Collaboratory (DalTRAC). Through this survey, the municipality is gathering information on how residents travel in order to better understand and improve our transportation system. The survey will collect information about your household and household members’ daily travel activities. Your response will be combined with travel information from other households in your area, which will give us a better picture of travel patterns and the future transportation needs of your community.
In October 2017, invitations were sent by text message to 2,000 randomly selected households in the Halifax region. Starting in June 2018, 10,000 invitations will be mailed to randomly selected households.
If you have received an invitation to participate, get started at www.daltraclab.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is this survey being conducted?
Through the survey, the municipality is gathering information on how residents travel in order to better understand and improve our transportation system. The survey will give us a better picture of travel patterns and future transportation needs in your community, so municipal projects can be based on solid evidence.
Why do I need an invitation to participate in the survey?
Invitations to participate in the NovaTRAC survey have been distributed to a random sample of households that are located in all parts of the Halifax region. By randomly selecting and controlling the participants, this survey will be able to paint an accurate and representative picture of the population as a whole.
How long will the survey take to complete?
On average, the survey will take about 20-25 minutes to complete. However, this depends on the number of people in your household and how many trips your household took on your travel day.
Will my personal information be made public?
No. Your personal information will be kept strictly confidential. All identifying information will be stripped from the data in the early stages. Only statistical summaries for Nova Scotia will be available to Halifax Regional Municipality and the Province of Nova Scotia.
I don’t travel very much – should I still participate?
Yes. The NovaTRAC survey is aiming to get a sense of transportation patterns for the municipality. Whether you are always on the go, or travel less frequently, we would like your response. As part of a statistically reliable random sampling of households in Nova Scotia, it is important that we obtain information from households even if they do not travel much, as they are an integral part of the overall make-up of the general population.
Why am I being asked personal information?
There is a direct relationship between an individual's demographic information and the number and type of trips made. This information will help forecast transportation needs in the future as the age composition of the area changes.
What is a 24-hour travel log?
The 24-hour travel log will help you record and keep track of your travel on the weekday you choose. Ideally, you can take the travel log with you on your travel day and record all the trips as you make them. If you forget to take it with you, you can always recall your travel when you get home that night. Each member of your household should fill out the travel log for the same travel day. Once all members of the household have completed their travel log, one adult household member should be assigned to submit the households travel information online. If a member of your household if under the age of 18, please have their parent or guardian record their travel data for them.