What's New

TOO AUTOCENTRIC: Many respondents to the Building a Better Montrose survey say that dangerous traffic deters walking and cycling in the area, shown above.

AMATS has released the key findings of its Building a Better Montrose survey, which was made available on the agency web site August 26, 2013.  A link to the survey was also made available on the official websites of Bath and Copley townships.  The purpose of the online survey was to gather feedback and comments from those who live, work, shop and dine in the Montrose area.  The data collected will, in turn, be used to inform the planning process for the AMATS Connecting Communities planning grant recently awarded to Bath and Copley townships.  The survey received broad participation, with 678 individual responses collected to date.

The survey remains active and may be accessed by clicking here.  Continued participation is encouraged.

A substantial amount of information has been collected from the survey and analyzed by AMATS staff.  Among the key findings of this analysis:

• 82 percent of survey participants visit Montrose at least once a week; two-thirds visit even more frequently.

• 80 percent of respondents indicated that dangerous traffic deters walking and bicycling in the Montrose area. Nearly two-thirds indicated that the absence of sidewalks and/or safe crosswalks prevents them from walking.

• Pedestrians and cyclists are reluctant to cross State Route 18 (Medina Road). The most frequently suggested improvements to surmount this obstacle were a pedestrian bridge or tunnel (60.4 percent) or crosswalks with signals to temporarily stop traffic (42.8 percent).

• 64.1 percent of participants were not familiar with the transit options available to the area.

• Most (63.7 percent) felt that the available parking was sufficient for the area.

• Nearly half (47 percent) found the area aesthetically unappealing, and that improvements such as additional landscaping (76.9 percent), well-designed sidewalks and crosswalks (70.1 percent) and additional outdoor patio dining options (62.1 percent) would enhance the overall appeal of the area.

More than 70 percent of survey respondents said that well-designed sidewalks and crosswalks would enhance the overall appeal of the Montrose area.

Overall, the survey findings confirm that there are many challenges to overcome to improve all modes of transportation, connectivity between places, and the overall aesthetic appeal of the Montrose area.

To implement its Connecting Communities initiative, AMATS awards two $50,000 planning grants each year to communities facing transportation, land use and inter-connectivity challenges.  These competitive grants are used to foster partnerships between local residents, businesses, elected officials and transportation planning/engineering consultants to develop a plan to address and overcome these transportation and land use challenges.  The initiative places special emphasis on enhancing the recipient community’s non-automobile transportation options, including walking, bicycling and public transportation.

For more information, please call AMATS at 330-375-2436.  Additional information is available by clicking here.