In 2000, the Mid-America Regional Council conducted an in-depth survey conducted of about 1,700 area households to find out where residents see problems and where they feel the region is doing well. It was also intended to provide direction to decision makers as alternative solutions are weighed and limited resources are applied to problem areas.
This survey, called Metro Outlook, is periodically updated.
On the latest Metro Outlook Survey, there was one question that asked people to rate how well their community and the metropolitan area were doing on a
wide variety of issues -- including transportation. One
of the characteristics they asked about was the “Quality and availability
of public transportation – buses or rail.”
For Kansas City, this question produced the lowest rating of any of the things MARC asked about. One third of residents said public transit was “Poor” in their community. Another third rated it “Fair.” So two out of three said it is less than “Good” in their community.
In another question, residents were asked to identify which issues should receive the most attention from local and regional leaders. Twenty-one percent identify “Quality and availability of public transit – buses or rail” as the one of the top issues to be addressed in their community, which ranks fourth, behind Crime (35%), Jobs (29%) and Schools (26%) and just ahead of Energy Efficiency (19%). When considering the most important issues for the metropolitan area, the percent rating it a top issue is 17 percent. This ranks sixth, behind Crime (47%), Schools (26%), Jobs (25%), Road Maintenance (20%), and Poverty (20%). It is tied with Housing Affordability (17%) and Traffic Congestion (17%).
Click the link below to download the survey results:
Download metro_outlook_survey_data_rating_community_and_metro.doc
