4.6. SR 05-21-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Decision Resources, Ltd. 3128 Dean Court Minneapolis, Minnesota 55416 (612) 920-2401 COMMUTER RAIL ISSUES SURVEY 2001 Northstar Corridor Residential Study Key Findings: Seventy percent felt highway traffic congestion had "gotten worse" during the past five years. Only twenty-five percent thought it had "stayed the same," and a very small two percent felt it had "gotten better." A majority of respondents in each county indicated that congestion had worsened during that time frame. Fifty-four percent of the respondents reported "satisfaction" with their commute to work, while twenty-four percent were "dissatisfied." A group of twenty percent stated they did not commute, either staying or working at home. o A solid sixty-eight percent thought the Northstar Commuter Rail proposal was either a "very good idea" or a "good idea." Twenty-three percent saw it as "not a good idea" or a "bad idea.," while ten percent were uncertain. Benton and Wright County residents proved to be particularly favorable toward the plan. Support for the Northstar proposal was uniformly strong, with majorities registered in its favor within every subgroup of interest. Regardless of party affiliation, majorities felt it was either a "very good idea" or "good idea;" in fact, 88% of surveyed DFLers felt this way, while 66% of Independents and 58% of Republicans were also supportive. As the age of the respondent increased, so did the size of the majority in support; the most enthusiastic support was among over sixty year olds, where 39% saw it as a "very good idea" and 37% saw it as a "good idea." o The most often cited destination for using Northstar Commuter Rail was "the airport or the Mall of America," at sixty-one percent. Fifty-three percent also indicated they would use this service to "go to and from sports, cultural, or entertainment events." Twenty-eight percent thought they would use the service to "visit friends or relatives." Eighteen percent would use the rail service to "commute to and from work," while seventeen percent would use it to "run errands" and eleven percent, to "go to and from school or college." Twenty-three percent were "very likely" to use the Northstar Commuter Rail service if it became operational in their area. Another thirty-seven percent were "somewhat likely" to do so. Using standard market projection techniques, twenty percent of the households along the corridor could be expected to use this commuter rail service. Methodology: 400 randomly selected households within a five-mile radius of the proposed Northstar Commuter Rail Line Corridor were contacted by telephone between April 26th and 28th, 2001. The average interview time was six minutes. The results of this survey are projectable to the universe of all adult residents living in the designated area within + 5.0 % in 95 out of 100 cases.