The City of Dubuque and East Central Intergovernmental Association (ECIA) are seeking volunteers to participate in a Smarter Travel Study that will gather data to improve travel options within Dubuque. Volunteers selected for the study who complete all the requirements will be compensated with a $50 gift card.

The project is part of the Smarter Sustainable Dubuque initiative and will include the collection of anonymous data through smartphone technology on how, when, and where study participants travel within the community. The aggregate data will be analyzed and the findings used by the City of Dubuque and its transit partners to implement practices and policies that incorporate lower-cost and lower-impact travel options within Dubuque. The goal of the research is to identify and create travel options to save money, conserve resources, and improve the environment through better travel choices.

Participation in the Smarter Travel Study is open to anyone who lives in Dubuque or surrounding communities and commutes and travels in Dubuque by car, public transportation, biking, walking, or any other mode on a daily basis. Volunteers will be considered to be part of a research group that will provide necessary baseline information to guide the future transportation and travel policies and practices in Dubuque. If you are interested in participating in the study or want to learn more, visitt www.cityofdubuque.org/smartertravel to apply by completing a brief demographic survey.  Volunteers who complete the survey will be eligible to participate in a 7-day study.

The City, ECIA, and IBM Research are working together to gather additional information about commuting and travel patterns in Dubuque. “Our goal is to make traveling and commuting in Dubuque even more efficient than it already is by using the data gathered in the Smarter Travel Study to provide detailed information on travel patterns,” said ECIA Executive Director Kelley Deutmeyer.  “We want to build on past success.  We encourage citizens to become involved in this exciting research.”

For more information on the Smarter Travel Study, call ECIA Director of Transportation Chandra Ravada at 563-556-4166.

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