Kent County Transit Needs Assessment

The Grand Valley Metropolitan Council, in cooperation with ITP/The Rapid, successfully applied for and received a Service Development New Technology grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation to conduct a transit needs assessment for Kent County. The purpose of the Kent County Transit Needs Assessment (KCTNA) is to complete an assessment of the unmet need and demand for transit in Kent County, particularly those parts of Kent County that are not currently served by The Rapid. The information collected as part of this study will provide information about the potential expansion of transit service beyond the current scope of existing transit service providers in the county. The KCTNA's primary goals are to:
a) examine the current transit use and service provided and identify gaps in service,
b) anticipate future transit demand by identifying areas that may need transit to meet demand, and finally
c) if a latent demand is identified, to identify options and financial implications of future public transportation service.

In December, 2009 RLS & Associates, Inc. was selected as the consultant to perform the KCTNA. Public forums and stakeholder meetings are an important component to this study and information and dates for public meetings will be periodically posted on this webpage. The study is anticipated to take 10 months to complete, with final presentations in February, 2011.

The Grand Valley Metropolitan Council hosted a series of five public focus group meetings in June, 2010 to discuss the unmet transportation needs and the benefits of public transportation for the local community. This was the Kent County Transit Needs Assessment’s first round of public meetings to gain input and insight from the community about unmet transportation needs that could be addressed through public transportation.

The next round of public meetings to review the Draft KCTNA report are anticipated sometime late May 2011. Please check back for an updated meeting announcement.

For more information or if you have questions, please contact Andrea Dewey, Transportation Planner, at (616) 776-7601