This is Phase 2 of community input for The Rapids Transit Master Plan.
It includes a series of open houses for public comments to prioritize goals for transit in the region over the next 20 years.
“No city has been successful; no region has been successful if they rely solely on the scale and speed of the car.”
The Rapids Director of Planning Nick Monoyios says plans for the future include likely expansion beyond the six cities currently served, and integrating with upcoming projects like the soccer stadium and amphitheater in downtown Grand Rapids.
He says there has been overwhelming feedback on one key point:
“People want more service, which means more frequency, more hours in the day, earlier in the day, even overnight, more on the weekends, more, more, more.”
Monoyios says even people who don’t use the system seem to understand its value and support it in theory.
“Everyone will say, ‘yeah, we want more.’ Well, are you willing to pay for it? ‘No.’ So that’s the big nut to crack.”
The next open house is Tuesday June 11th from 4 to 7 at Rapid Central Station on Cesar E Chavez Avenue in downtown Grand Rapids.
For those unable to attend, there will be a smaller open house on Thursday, June 13, from 7 am – 10 am inside Rapid Central Station on the second floor.
The findings and new survey are also available online by visiting www.transitthriving.org.
