UKRA West Alabama Online Survey Summary
The West Alabama Improvement Survey was made available at the August 17th public meeting through handouts with QR codes and via a link from the project web site. The survey duration was concurrent with the public input period of August 17 – October 1. The survey was created on the MetroQuest survey engine, an interactive survey platform design to optimize the maximum amount of responses from survey participants. Cumulative survey traffic showed the number of participants at points of time between the start and end of the survey, reflecting a total of 782 participants out of 1,306 visitors, or a participation rate of 59.86%.
Survey Components
The MetroQuest survey consisted of the following sections or “slides”:
Welcome - Introductory slide to the survey which included a map of the project corridor and project limits
What Are Your Priorities - This slide allowed the survey participant to rank in order the five (5) top areas of improvement they wanted to see to the project corridor, including: Drainage, Traffic Congestion, Landscaping and Aesthetics, Bike Access, Pedestrian / ADA Accessibility, Roadway Conditions, Traffic Safety and “Other”.
Your User Experience - The user experience slide was designed to measure the level of stress the survey taker feels when commuting along the project corridor as a vehicular user, cyclist, or pedestrian. The survey participant ranked their level of stress per travel mode from 1 (least stressed) to 5 (most stressed).
Design Alternatives - The Design Alternatives Slide contained cross-sections of the existing design and the three design alternatives that were presented at the public meeting. The existing roadway and each design alternative were divided into three sections along the West Alabama project area, labeled Section A (Buffalo Speedway to Sackett Street), Section B (Sackett Street to Revere Street) and Section C (Revere Street to Shepherd Street). The survey participant was able to rank each section from 1 star (least preferred) to 5 stars (most preferred).
Thank You - The final slide thanked each participant and allowed the user to share any additional comments.
Survey Results
The survey clearly indicated a strong preference for additional bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure as part of the future design of the West Alabama Improvement Project area:
Slide 2 “What Are Your Priorities?” – Survey participants ranked improved bike access as the number 1 priority, with pedestrian/ADA accessibility and traffic safety ranking 2 and 3 respectively.
Slide 3 “Your User Experience” – Over 500 participants ranked “As a bicyclist” with “5-stars” as the top stressful travel mode while over 350 participants ranked “As a pedestrian or wheelchair user” 2nd with “As a vehicular user” ranking a distant third with less than 100 participants. Over 100 participants ranked “As a vehicular user” with “1-star”, indicating it was the least stressful mode chosen by the participant pool.
Slide 4 “Design Alternatives” – Survey respondents selected the existing cross-section as the least desirable while indicating a preference for a dedicated bicycle facility rather than a shared-use (bike/ped) facility. The survey responses, especially when considerate of the non-survey comments received, indicate that there is community hesitation towards the removal of existing vehicular lanes.