Metro on Oct. 24 received the results of a recent phone survey related to its go*Forward vision for transit in the region. The survey was conducted from Sept. 15-19 by Fallon Research & Communications Inc. with responses from 503 Hamilton County residents.
A few highlights of the survey include:
- 92.9 percent agreed that providing transit service for workers, older adults, students, people with disabilities, and those who don’t drive is important to the regional economy and quality of life
- 80.7 percent said that transit is a community benefit, whether or not they use it
- 73.8 percent think that expanded and improved transit service is needed
(35.6 percent think transit should be expanded “a lot” and 38.2 percent think “somewhat”)
The highest priorities identified included:
- More east-west crosstown routes to avoid downtown transfers
- More suburban park & ride and express services
- More early morning and late evening service
- More amenities like real-time information, improved shelters, etc.
A series of funding options for improvements were presented, including ¼-cent and ½-cent sales tax options, both 10-year and permanent. The intent was to begin to understand the community’s level of interest in funding expanded transit service. The results will help inform the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority board’s decisions related to implementation of the go*Forward transit vision.
“It is imperative that we have input from the community as we consider our next steps,” said Jason Dunn, Chairman of the SORTA Board. "The region is expanding, and we must grow with it. In order to do so, we need to understand the needs of our community. The survey is one way to gauge that.
