A year ago, major road arteries into downtown Vancouver were being closed off in preparation for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Virtually everyone working in the downtown core had to adjust.
One year later, most businesses have reverted to their usual transportation behaviour.
A survey by the Vancouver Board of Trade and the IBM Institute for Business Value found that 35% have maintained their Olympic transit ritual six months after the Games closed.
An additional 19% said they initially continued their changed behaviour, but eventually reverted to their pre-Games method of transportation. About 46% discontinued their Olympic transportation plans as soon as the Games were complete.
The results contrast with those of individual respondents to the survey, 44% of whom continued their Olympic transportation routine a year after the Games.
A lack of transit services and supporting amenities such as additional park and ride facilities was the most commonly cited reason why businesses scrapped their Olympic transportation plans after the Games. Most said the journey to work took too long or the service was too inconvenient to use regularly.
Business people who live outside of the city of Vancouver made up the group with the largest number reverting to their pre-Games commuting habits.