Chesterfield residents want better ways to get around
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Chesterfield residents generally like living in the county, but they have issues with how easily they can get around, especially when walking or biking.
- That's according to the results of the county's latest Citizen Satisfaction Survey, which it does every few years.
Why it matters: Chesterfield is the region's largest and fastest-growing county and, per its survey results, its residents are increasingly opting to bike or walk instead of drive.
State of play: As in past years, the county mailed postcards to 3,000 randomly selected households last spring inviting them to take the online satisfaction survey.
What they found:
- 85% of respondents rated Chesterfield as a good or excellent place to live.
- And the majority rated the following things as "good or better": government services (67%), government honesty and transparency (60%), and customer service (80%).
Yes, but: Mobility and the overall quality of transportation is where residents gave Chesterfield the lowest marks.
- 78% said how they get around was very important or essential, but just 34% rated their ability to do so as good or better.
- 30% rated the county's mobility quality as poor.
- Just 22% rated getting around by bike as good or better, 29% for walking.
Stunning stat: 37% said they opted to bike or walk in the last year instead of driving, a 10 percentage point increase over those who said they did so in 2021.
What we're watching: The county is working on an update to its 2015 Bikeways and Trails Plan, which calls for more bike and pedestrian walkways.
- That update should be done by summer.