To better understand the experiences of Carpinteria and Ventura County commuters, a train commute survey has been released by Traffic Solutions, a division of Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), in partnership with Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) and LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency.

The online survey will be available through June 17, at www.surveymonkey.com/r/_TrainCommute.

A year ago, SBCAG partnered with the California State Transportation Agency to modify the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner schedule to serve the commuter market in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

The revised rail service offers commuters the option of taking the train to and from work as an alternative to traveling on the congested Highway 101.

Additionally, SBCAG partnered with Santa Barbara MTD to provide first- and last-mile shuttle service from the Santa Barbara and Goleta stations to area employers.

The effort is a central component of SBCAG’s Lane and a Train strategy, the long-term congestion relief plan to address the significant traffic commuters experience daily on Hwy. 101 between Ventura County and Santa Barbara/Goleta.

A weekday average of 15,000 commuters travel from Ventura and Los Angeles counties to work locations in Santa Barbara County.

According to census data, 20 percent of these commuters carpool, while the Pacific Surfliner peak hour train service carries 90-100 commuters, and the VCTC Coastal Express bus service carries 350-400 commuters daily.

Results from the survey aim to increase Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train ridership by improving outreach to commuters.

Survey results also will provide information about commuters’ awareness of alternative transit resources, such as the VCTC Coastal Express commuter bus service and vanpools that, in addition to the train, provide commuters greater flexibility for a variety of work schedules.

The commute survey is open to all commuters traveling from Ventura County and Carpinteria to worksites on the South Coast, whether or not they use the train.

The survey only takes a few minutes to complete. The survey is anonymous, but respondents can provide their contact information to be entered to win a prize of their choosing — either an Apple iPad with keyboard or a folding bike.

Five winners will be randomly selected and contacted via email by June 19.

Those with questions about the survey can contact Traffic Solutions, 805-963-SAVE or info@trafficsolutions.org.

— Lauren Bianchi Klemann for Santa Barbara County Association of Governments.