Seven years into the Denver Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) multibillion dollar FasTracks transit expansion program, 80 percent of metro-area residents say that approving FasTracks funding in 2004 was a good decision. This finding comes from the latest annual public opinion poll on RTD’s FasTracks program.

Not surprisingly, jobs/employment/economy continues to be seen as the top issue facing the Denver metro area, as cited by 47 percent of survey participants. However, when asked to identify the most important benefits specific to FasTracks, the top three mentioned were:

• Reducing traffic congestion – 26 percent

• Providing more choice to get to and from places throughout the region – 21 percent

• Making it more convenient to get around – 18 percent

Residents identified television news, newspapers, radio and online outlets as the primary sources most important to them for receiving information and updates about FasTracks.

Following is a summary of other key survey findings:

• 70 percent of metro residents have a favorable impression of RTD in general.

• 56 percent of metro residents have a favorable impression of FasTracks, up seven percent from 2010.

• Familiarity with FasTracks is moderately high, with 58 percent of residents classifying themselves as “very” or “somewhat” familiar with the program.

The phone survey, conducted from a random sampling of residents across the eight-county Regional Transportation District, has 95 percent statistical validity, with a 4.2 percent margin of error. For a complete summary of the 2011 FasTracks survey, visit www.rtd-fastracks.com/main_7.

FasTracks will build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county District. The FasTracks investment initiative is projected to create thousands of construction-related jobs during the height of construction, and will pump billions of dollars into the regional economy over the next 20 years.