Provided by Prince William County
The Potomac Rappahannock Transportation commission, or PRTC, wants to know what the people of Prince William, Manassas and Manassas Park want to see with regards to overall, multi-modal, regional transportation over the next 10 years. PRTC provides bus service in the area through OmniRide, OmniLink and OmniMatch.
Chuck Steigerwald, PRTC’s director of Strategic Planning, said the commission is working on a strategic plan to guide services over the next decade. “We feel the time is right to look at who we are and what we do. Part of the effort is public outreach. Basically, what we’re trying to do is define a vision that will lead to a statement of need and eventually to recommendations.”
To get to the recommendations, PRTC has developed a survey that it is asking the public to complete. The survey is aimed at defining PRTC’s future, Steigerwald said. “We’ve put together a survey that asks people how they travel now, what they think the future might hold and some questions about what the public’s role in transportation should be.”
Steigerwald said that PRTC often hears from those who use the service frequently; however, with this survey they are looking for input from those who don’t use their service or use it infrequently. “We’re looking to bring in members from the general public that we don’t normally hear from. It’s really their attitudes that will help form the ultimate recommendations for this plan. We don’t want to build a plan that is myopic, that really just serves the needs of the people we’re already serving. We want to expand it; so we’re taking in the full needs of the community.”
Steigerwald said PRTC would use the survey results with guidance from PRTC Commissioners, who are elected officials from local jurisdictions representing the Prince William area appointed to sit on the commission, to help develop a strategic plan that will guide future PRTC development.
Residents are encouraged to take the survey, which can be found on the PRTC website. Participants will be eligible for one of 200 Starbucks gift cards, Steigerwald said.
