Transportation is No. 1 issue facing the region, residents say

Metropolitan Council releases annual Residents Survey

Contact: Bonnie Kollodge
651.602.1357

ST. PAUL—Feb. 4, 2008—Transportation issues ranked as the No. 1 concern of metro-area residents in 2007, according to survey results released today by the Metropolitan Council at its State of the Region event in downtown Minneapolis. Transportation issues have been consistently cited as a major public concern since 2000.

According to the Council’s survey, conducted annually, 37 percent of Twin Cities residents identified traffic congestion, road conditions, limited transit options and other transportation challenges as the region’s “single most important problem.” Transportation was more dominant as an issue in the suburbs and rural areas than in the central cities, where crime was of greatest concern.

Crime is also a major concern, with 32 percent of residents citing crime as the region’s top issue. Together, transportation and crime issues overshadow all others, including growth, social issues, education and the economy as areas of major concern.

“Transportation is front and center, not only among the general public and business community, but within the administration and at the legislature as well,” said Council Chair Peter Bell. “With continued growth in transit ridership and public focus on transportation infrastructure, the Council joins the administration in advocating for investments that meet our long-term needs in a way that is prudent and realistic.”

The survey also confirms a growing interest in commuting alternatives that would help reduce transportation costs. Among them are more fuel-efficient vehicles, as well as congestion-reducing solutions such as taking the bus or train, telecommuting, car- and van-pooling, working closer to home and biking or walking.

Other survey findings:

94 percent of residents said the region is a better place to live than other metropolitan areas. However, 34 percent said the quality of life has declined over the past year. Two-thirds of those who said the region’s quality of life has “gotten worse” in the past year cited concern about transportation and crime as the No. 1 issue facing the region.

35 percent of residents said parks, trails and the natural environment are the area’s most attractive features. Eight percent cited the variety of things to do, and seven percent cited arts and culture.

95 percent of residents said the Council’s role in monitoring water supply and water quality is important to the region’s quality of life. Also important to large majorities are the Council’s role in wastewater treatment, growth planning, preserving natural resources, grants to local units of government and regional parks and trails.

74 percent of residents say light-rail transit is a very important or moderately important Council program. In addition, the number of Twin Cities commuters who say they are “very interested in trying carpooling” is twice as large as the number of residents who currently carpool, and the number of commuters who are “very interested” in taking transit is three times as large as the number who currently take buses and LRT to work.

The Council also gets respectable ratings for the job that it does. Some 80 percent of those surveyed gave the Council fair-to-high marks for performance.

Results are based on the responses of more than 1,300 survey participants, collected October through December 2007. They reflect the demographic and geographic distribution of the region’s adult population. Survey results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

For more information, see

Highlights from the 2007 Annual Residents Survey (4 pages, pdf)
The complete 2007 Annual Residents Survey (44 pages, pdf)

The Metropolitan Council is the regional planning organization for the seven-county Twin Cities area. It runs the regional bus and light-rail system, collects and treats wastewater, coordinates regional water resources, plans regional parks and administers funds that provide housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income individuals and families. The Council is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the governor.

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