What kinds of transportation would you like to see in your community in the next 5 to 10 years?

In December 2009 and January 2010, the "What's Important to You in Transportation Projects?" survey was administered to 162 people in the greater Niles-Buchanan area. This survey was designed to prioritize the focus/goal areas of transportation projects, as well as the different modes of transportation. This will allow the public to have an influence on how transportation projects are selected for federal funding in the Niles-Buchanan-Cass metropolitan area.

Summary of Survey Results

Importance of Types of Transportation Projects. The chart below shows the average scores given to each mode of transportation by the overall public and the NATS representatives. (The average is the mean score for each category, calculated by adding the total scores for each category and dividing by the 162 respondents).

The average scores (with 1 being the highest score) range from 2.6 to 6.6 for the public and from 1.3 to 7.0 for the NATS members. Roads are the highest-ranking mode of transportation for both groups. Aviation is the lowest-ranking mode for the public, and water ways are the lowest-ranking mode for the NATS representatives.

Importance of Transportation Goals. The chart below shows the average scores given to each transportation goal category by the overall public and the NATS representatives. (The average is the mean score for each category, calculated by adding the total scores for each category and dividing by the 162 respondents).

The average scores (with 1 being the highest score) range from 3.4 to 4.9 for the public and from 2.2 to 6.9 for the NATS members. This is a much smaller range than for the modes of transportation, indicating that there is less agreement amongst various individuals about which category is more important than another. Infrastructure Maintenance is the highest-ranking goal category for both groups. Public input is the lowest-ranking goal category for both groups.

Transportation Tax. Twenty-two percent of survey respondents from the public responded that they would be willing to pay an additional tax for transportation; 27 percent said "No," and 49 percent said "Maybe."

Open-Ended Responses. The survey results include 53 open-ended responses from the public in answer to the prompt: "Please provide any other comments you may have about what's important to you in transportation in your community." Responses to these comments from the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC) transportation planning staff are provided below the comments. SWMPC staff included these responses, which are not formal justification for policies or initiatives. The NATS committees will receive copies of all of the comments for consideration in the transportation planning process.

The two categories that got the most responses were regional bus transit and pedestrian and bicycle facilities, as shown in the table below. Members of the public commented on their desire to have more of these facilities connected throughout Berrien County.

Open-Ended Responses from Public Survey Respondents