Americans' views on transportation unveiled in new survey
Election Day 2016, demonstrated that Americans realized other funding streams are needed by approving 22 ballot initiatives that will provide $203 billion in funding extensions and new revenue for state and local transportation projects.
HNTB Corp. released a new compilation of America THINKS 2016 survey results, highlighting Americans’ views on U.S. transportation through three national surveys in 2016 that studied issues associated with funding and mobility, transit oriented development, congestion, and tolling.
Election Day 2016, demonstrated that Americans realized other funding streams are needed by approving 22 ballot initiatives that will provide $203 billion in funding extensions and new revenue for state and local transportation projects. While substantial, this is not nearly enough to address the overall need.
As new funding options are proposed and examined, significant differences in viewpoints have emerged, and in many cases these are based on demographic factors such as age. Americans also are re-examining the basis of decisions about where they live, work, and play, and how that impacts their transportation preferences. Most importantly, Americans understand that funding our transportation infrastructure is critical to job creation, economic viability, mobility, and safety.
As various concerns and solutions are evaluated, HNTB Corp. continued to encourage dialogue and discussion among industry professionals, elected, and appointed officials and the general public by asking “What do you think?” as part of its America THINKS survey series. As in previous years, the results were compiled into a year-end report, including info-graphics and additional resources.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.