Title: THE NORTHWEST ARKANSAS TRANSIT ASSESSMENT STUDY
Abstract: Northwest Arkansas, like other small urban/rural areas, faces serious challenges in providing adequate public transportation, including services for the disadvantaged. The area has experienced explosive growth in the past decade, which has undoubtedly affected the status of public transportation. A 1992 report, submitted to the Governor's Task Force on Public Transportation Issues, stated that transportation still surfaces as one of the top social problems in It also reported lack of for medical services, lack of for work, difficulty traveling for food and retail shopping, and inability to travel from rural areas to major activity centers within the state. Unmet transit needs for the four-county area (Washington, Benton, Carroll and Madison Counties) included those of the elderly, low-income adults, the disabled, and children. This project assessed these various providers to determine service area, fleet size, total ridership, type of service, and sources of funding, as well as any restrictions on the funds. Users of public services were also contacted to assess quality of service and level of service satisfaction. Data were collected through surveys of both the service providers and the users of services, and through the US Census. In addition, key municipalities in the study area that sponsor services through providers were interviewed to obtain their experience with transit services in the area. The information was used to identify where problems and gaps in service currently exist. Another objective of the project is to better quantify public needs in Northwest Arkansas. The paper includes the methods used for needs assessment, the survey instruments developed for the providers and users, and the findings of the study. It is anticipated that this study will provide a blueprint for other small urban/rural areas to conduct transit assessment studies in their areas. Because the public challenges faced by the study area are by no means unique to the area, it is also anticipated that some of the observations of the study may be applicable to other fast-growing small urban/rural areas as well.
Publication Year: 2000
Publication Date: 2000-03-01
Language: en
Type: article
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