Congestion Relief Scores High on Portlander's Complaints
Congestion relief rates more important than education, taxes or healthcare in Portland.
Here is an open ended question from a recent survey commissioned by a group studying how to reduce congestion on the bridges across the Columbia river
Q2. What is the most important issue that you would like to see your local and regional government
officials do something about? (Open, probe for one issue only)
Traffic Congestion/Control -
Education Quality -
Education Funding-
Tax Control -
Road/Freeway Development/Maintenance -
Growth/Development Control/Land Use -
Healthcare/Insurance -
Crime/Public Safety -
All other responses-
Here is another survey, this one commissioned by Metro
DAVIS, HIBBITTS & MIDGHALL, INC.
METRO PUBLIC OPINION RESEARCH – ANNOTATED QUESTIONNAIRE
N=600 Full Sample (N=300 Sample A; N=300 Sample B)
January 6-
February 3, 2006
Public Opinion Full Questionnaire.pdf
Although Congestion didn't rate #1 on all questions, it did here:
(Full Sample) 4. What is it that bothers you the most about the quality of life you have in the
region? (OPEN/PROBE FOR ONE RESPONSE)
Traffic Congestion/Transportation -
Population Growth -
Rain/Weather -
Cost Of Living-
Crime/Public Safety -
Government/Politics -
Education/Schools-
Taxes-
Environmental Pollution-
Employment Opportunity/Jobs -
People/Attitudes -
Liberalism-
Drugs-
Healthcare -
All Other Responses -
Other-
Here is a survey of downtown businesses
Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall, Inc.
Portland Business Alliance Membership Survey
December 2005, n=250, PBA members
Q2. If you had to pick just one issue for local governments in the Portland area to make their
priority over the next year, what issue would that be? (Open, probe for one specific issue only.)
Education funding-
Improve roadways/Reduce congestion -
Lower taxes -
Business development-
Homeless/Pan handlings-
Education (general)-
Government spending -
Public safety -
All other responses -
DK / Na / Refused -
A Survey done by Portland State University's Institute for Metropolitan Studies
This wide ranging survey contained one question on traffic.
Note that 64.% of respondents were either "completely Dissatisfied" or "Somewhat
Dissatisfied" With our roads and traffic. Yanhill County lead the region at 77.%
Table Q5C: Roads and Traffic.
Completely
Dissatisfied
Somewhat
Dissatisfied
Somewhat
Satisfied
Completely
Satisfied
Neither
Satisfied Nor
Dissatisfied
Don't know
Refused to
Answer
%
n
%
n
%
n
%
n
%
n
%
n
%
n
Total Sample
24.5
204
40.3
336
27.5
229
6.4
53
.
7
.2
2
.2
2
Clackamas County
17.1
22
45.0
58
30.2
39
7.
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
Clark County
27.0
40
36.5
54
27.7
41
6.
10
1.4
2
.7
1
0
0
Columbia County
25.7
35
35.3
48
28.7
39
.
12
1.5
2
0
0
0
0
Multnomah County
21.0
34
38.3
62
31.5
51
6.
11
1.9
3
.6
1
0
0
Washington County
23.4
32
45.3
62
26.3
36
5.1
7
0
0
0
0
0
0
Yamhil County
34.2
40
43.6
51
17.9
21
2.6
3
0
0
0
0
1.7
2
Unpublished Survey done by Metro: Build roads
The actual, unmodified, exactly as received from Metro, survey
Question asked: Rate these potential transportation improvements for the Highway 217 corridor.
not important
somewhat important
important
very important
Response Average
additional highway lane(s)
13
14
48
266
3.66
interchange improvements
11
48
112
164
3.28
arterial improvements (better north-
28
76
122
108
2.93
transit improvements
66
112
79
75
2.49
bike and pedestrian trail improvements
157
88
44
46
1.94
Total Respondents
343
(skipped this question)
9
Here is how the local newspaper described the above survey
The Oregonian, Thursday, November 10, 2005:
Residents wary as officials consider toll lanes for Oregon 217:
Metro received about 350 survey responses, 42 e-
residents showed up at an open house. Speakers from Metro or the advisory committee addressed about
500 people at neighborhood associations, business organizations and service clubs.
Metro officials do not plan to tabulate the survey results because the survey was not scientific, and
respondents did not represent a demographic cross section, Wieghart said. Survey respondents tended to
be male highly educated long-
"It would be misleading to put a graph together," Wieghart said.
Keep large lots, small parks, new development compatibility
Neighborhood Characteristics -
Review of the residential and commercial area characteristics that are important to our community.
Residential Neighborhood Characteristics
Quality
Very & Somewhat Important
Somewhat and Very Unimportant
Small lot size (Less than 7,500 sq. ft.)
70%
Large lot size (7,500 sq. ft. and larger)
83%
Small neighborhood parks within half a mile of home
82%
Undeveloped open space/greenways within half mile of home
84%
Variety of housing types within new developments
(single family, row housed, apartments, etc.)
54%
Maintain existing lot sizes within established neighborhoods
87%
Pedestrian and bike paths
89%
Neighborhood traffic management
92%
Compatibility between existing and new developments
92%
This chart shows neighborhood compatibility (between existing and new) along with traffic management as the highest qualities desired by respondents. It also shows there were two cases where the qualities listed were unimportant to the community; small lot size at 70% and a variety of housing types within new developments at 54%.
The survey from the City of Tigard web site (Executive Overview) (Local Copy)
The survey from the City of Tigard web site (full report) (Local Copy)