Twin Cities' Metropolitan Council to study local travel behavior

The Minneapolis-area Metropolitan Council this month is launching a survey to gauge how locals travel across the greater Twin Cities region.

Working in partnership with the Minnesota and Wisconsin departments of transportation, the council will survey 7,500 households across 19 counties starting this month through October 2019.

Invitations to participate will be mailed to randomly selected households in the seven-county Twin Cities area and three Wisconsin counties.

"Knowing how and why people travel in our region helps local governments make the right transportation investments at the right time," said Metropolitan Council Chair Alene Tchourumoff in a press release.

About a quarter of the selected households will participate through an online survey or by phone. However, most data will be collected through a smartphone app developed for the survey. The app will use smartphones' GPS systems to securely and anonymously gather data on trips, according to the council.

The Met Council has conducted this study every 10 years since 1949. But, this is the first year that the council is transitioning to collecting data every other year.