Travel

Statistics Canada measures travel behaviour on an individual level, asking respondents for their usual mode of travel when journeying to work. Thus, only commuter travel is taken into consideration, and not recreation usage or other non-work related purposes. In addition, the locations to which these people are traveling are also removed from the census data before release, making it impossible to determine where individuals go, and what pathways they might use when traveling

Fortunately, municipal transportation agencies conduct surveys specifically to determine this information, allowing for very fine-grained research to be conducted on travel behaviour at specific times of the day, and for various purposes. This data can be analyzed using specialized software such as Transcad, and has much greater accuracy than the data presented here.

Nevertheless, despite that caveat, this data is indicative of trends of behaviour and in making suppositions on the mind set of the respondent. The questionnaire in the 1996 census asks the respondent to consider, in general, which mode they use most frequently when journeying to work, and therefore, the data collected includes a level of personal bias. Some respondents undoubtedly favour certain modes of transportation over others. However, taken as a rough trend on travel behaviour, the data is still extremely useful, particularly when comparing travel behaviours between genders.

Results from the census indicate that the automobile is highly predominant in the urban and rural fringe, as the primary conveyor for the journey to work. The urban core is the only area where this dominance falters. Some parts of the Montreal Arrondissement approach 20% car usage for the journey-to-work. This may be partially explained by the high density environment, the proximity to the central core, and the high level of transit service, but other factors may also come into consideration. Cars are highly expensive to maintain, and past census data also indicates that income is low in these areas as well, while household spending on accommodation consumes much of the individual budget.

When comparing male and female car usage, the difference is apparent. Men use the automobile much more readily than do females in nearly all areas, particularly on the Island of Montreal, even into the West Island. This could be due to social conventions, economic restrictions or psychological mind set and is worth exploring in detail as another study.

Public transit use is nearly a mirror image of automobile use. As expected, transit use is considerably higher in the urban core than it is in the urban and rural fringes. Public transit usage maps quite well onto the density map, but also onto the low-income map. It must be noted that residents in Westmount are infrequent users of public transit despite their proximity to the central business district, preferring the use of the private automobile.

The difference in usage between males and females is again evident. Females are much greater users of the public transit system than are men. by a very large margin. This could be due to any number of factors, many likely having a basis in societal conventions left over from previous generations.

Bicycle usage for the journey-to-work is very similar for both sexes, and occurs predominantly in census tracts within the urban core. Bicycling is a very rare way for persons to travel to work. This may be due to the general nature of the question asked, or the time of year that it was asked. Bicycling is highly weather dependent and very limited for much of the year as a primary means.

Walking is likewise heavily concentrated within the urban core as a journey-to-work activity, but is much more heavily favoured as a means of commuting, particularly in the urban core, but also out into the urban fringe.

The urban core appears to be a mixed blessing to those living in this area. Transit use is extremely high, and the potential to walk or bike to work is very favourable. Depending on individual tastes the high-density environment may or may not be an advantage. However, the urban core has a significantly higher level of unemployment, and seems to have a high proportion of those residents who either cannot work or are unable to do so for other reasons not catalogued in this census. The low level of children can as easily be explained by the lack of availability of and high cost of housing large enough to hold a family, as much as it might be by a desire to escape from the high density environment of the city.

Total Car Use

Male Car Use

Female Car Use

Total Public Transit Use

Male Public Transit Use

Female Public Transit Use

Total Bicycle Use

Male Bicycle Use

Female Bicycle Use

Total Walking

Male Walkers

Female Walkers