It has been a very rare thing for citizens of Christiansburg to be asked what they think, participating in public forums or providing feedback.
So, when the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) announced it was spearheading a public transportation survey, that was news. Good news.
Surveys were to be sent to every residence within town limits by the end of October. Making a point of checking with neighbors in all quadrants of the town, alarm bells started going off when 2 out of 5 asked stated they hadn't received the survey by the end of the first week in November. Many were fairly new residents, living here two years or less. Many were renters, some in subsidized housing. Others were lifelong residents, so no clear pattern of why some households weren't receiving the survey was a concern.
A few folks followed up when they did receive it. But many more are still waiting, or proactively contacted Blacksburg Transit to request one. Many "residences" have non-traditional families, and are rented by multiple unrelated individuals sharing housing. Multiple surveys would be needed in these situations, as individual needs or perceptions may be quite varied even within one "residence" or household.
Now we're being told the mailing list has been updated and a second wave of surveys mailed out to those who did not respond initially. Does an updated list mean names that had the initial survey returned as undeliverable were purged, or that new data sources were added, or both? The data source hasn't been identified, and responses are to be confidential even though surveys are marked with control numbers.
The 2000 US Census gives a total number of households in Christiansburg. The Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts (APA), Weldon Cooper and several economic development sources (including Montgomery County government and the MPO's parent organization New River Valley Planning District Commission) all provide data sets for the number of "households" or residences within the town, based on the last official census and building permits issued since then.
Let's hope the survey "response" rate is indicative of the percent of these actual households or residences, rather than the number of surveys sent out and which were responded to. What will be discussed and planned for -- public transportation options in and around Christiansburg -- is too important to rush or exclude any segments of our town.
Let's also hope town fathers see that feedback is our friend, and that they seek many additional opportunities to engage citizens and get their thoughts going forward. The "Ten Year Plan" which is often cited by them is now quite dated and had a very limited purpose and scope. The number of households or residences in Christiansburg is a testament to accelerated growth over the past 10-20 years, but local elections are only one way of garnering citizen input.
If you are a citizen (resident) of Christiansburg, and have not received your MPO survey on public transportation, please do contact BT and request one!