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Infrastructure
Respondents to the 2015 Sangamon
County Citizen Survey believe Sangamon
County is in need of improvement across
several areas including implementation of
bike friendly lanes on roads, improving
bike and pedestrian trails, and expanding
high-speed internet access. A smaller
percentage of respondents see improving
local bus services as a priority (see figure).
A higher percentage of residents living in
the metro area compared to non-metro
report needing bike friendly lanes and
improvement of bike and pedestrian trails.
Nearly half (48 percent) of metro residents
say their local area needs bike friendly
lanes on local roads “a lot,” compared to
35 percent of non-metro residents. Metro
residents are also more likely (41 percent)
than those living outside of the city (32
percent) to say improvement of bike and
pedestrian trails is needed “a lot.”
Residents are less likely to report that their
local area needs improvements to local bus
services with one-third of residents
reporting this is needed “a lot.” However,
it is important to note that bus ridership,
particularly as a regular form of
commuting to work is quite low in
Sangamon County (and nationally).
According to 2013 American Community
Survey, 1.3 percent of workers in
Sangamon County use public
transportation to commute to work.1 The
national average for this figure is 5
percent. In fact, only five percent of
respondents to the 2015 survey indicate
they use the Springfield Mass Transit
District (SMTD) at least once or twice a
week and 85 percent report “never” using
the system.
1
"Do you think your local area needs the
following a lot, a little, or not at all?"
Improvements to local bus
services
32%
33%
Expansion of high-speed
internet access in your
area
45%
Improvement of bike and
pedestrian trails
36%
Bike friendly lanes on local
roads
41%
35%
28%
40%
36%
27%
24%
23%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
A lot
A little
Not at all
African-American residents are more likely than
White residents to report that the local bus
service improvements are needed “a lot,”