Prague, Sept 13 (CTK) – The Transport Ministry has launched its first thorough survey mapping the inhabitants’ transport behaviour that is dubbed “The Czech Republic on the Move,” daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) wrote on Wednesday.
The ministry is to address 40,000 households and it expects some 10,000 of them to give it relevant data.
The total costs of the survey, which started on Tuesday, are put at 13.7 million crowns. This year alone, the work is to cost 6.7 million, while the rest will be spent in 2018.
Transport Minister Daniel Tok (ANO) says he wants the survey to provide precise data to be used for a more efficient planning of transport and the construction of its infrastructure.
“Such an extensive survey of transport behaviour has never been conducted in the Czech Republic. Not only the state, but also the regions and towns need as accurate data for transport planning as possible,” Tok explained.
However, he also expressed fears that the field workers might meet with citizens’ mistrust.
“I can understand that people are alert to various polls now and that they protect their privacy. However, in this case, I am pleading with them to make an exception and help us,” Tok told the paper.
He also promised that all data collected for the survey would remain anonymous and serve for the work of the Transport Research Centre, which falls under his office, only. The ministry guarantees their protection.
The field workers will personally visit households and ask about their equipment with transport means and the way of transport used by all household members aged over six years.
The professionally trained field workers must follow a code of conduct and they are pledged to secrecy, Roman Skontice, director of the Focus agency conducting the survey, told MfD.
The families will also receive an information leaflet on the survey, including contact phone number they can use in case of any doubts. The household members will be asked to fill in a “travel diary” and a questionnaire.
The Transport Research Centre will analyse the collected data and send its results to the Transport Ministry, MfD writes.
