A major Dunedin City Council and New Zealand Transport Agency survey was launched yesterday to gather information about how residents travel to and from home, work, schools and shopping centres.
''The results will help the DCC plan for future travel demand, understand where congestion problems may occur and continue to make it easier for people to get about in different ways,'' DCC transportation group manager Gene Ollerenshaw said.
The survey will involve 325 randomly selected households in Dunedin, Mosgiel, Outram, Allanton, Waitati, Port Chalmers and Portobello.
Each person in the household, aged 10 and older, would be asked to carry a cellphone-sized GPS device for a week, to record their travel.
The survey will run until late September.
It would be the first time a detailed Dunedin travel survey had been undertaken since 1989, Mr Ollerenshaw said.
The New Zealand Transport Agency will meet two-thirds of the $149,000 survey and the DCC will cover the rest.
