In a city gearing up to welcome the Evergreen Line and anticipating the associated housing densification with some trepidation, it's no surprise that transportation issues topped the list of issues in a recent Port Moody citizen survey.
The Ipsos Public Affairs survey polled 400 PoMo residents between Jan. 27 and Feb. 10 and found locals are generally satisfied with their quality of life (66.2% rated it as "very good" while 33.5% ranked it as "good").
But among the issues seen as the most in need of attention from civic leaders, nearly half of residents identified transportation — including traffic congestion, public transit, SkyTrain, road conditions and parking — as the top priority and those numbers were up significantly from the 2014 survey, when 38% mentioned it.
The next most important issue was growth and development, with mentions (24%) that were similar to 2014, well above the municipal norm of 13%, followed by parks, recreation and culture, which was raised by 11% of respondents, up significantly from 2014's 5%.
PoMo residents also tend to feel they get good value for their tax dollars, with nine out of 10 citizens giving the city the thumbs up. Police and fire services received the highest satisfaction ratings, following by parks and green space, library, recreational and cultural facilities, recycling and garbage. Traffic management was at the bottom, with just 52% expressing satisfaction.
Most survey respondents (55%) said they would prefer tax increases over service cuts, with 33% saying they would choose the latter.
And although Port Moody has some significant projects on the horizon — repairs to city hall and the recreation complex, the need for a new library, upgrades to Kyle Centre and an expanded Inlet Field — residents aren't keen to use debt financing for new amenities.
About half said they would support borrowing for such work but of the half who were opposed, about twice as many said they were "strongly opposed" as those who said they "strongly support" such a measure.
The survey was to be presented to council Tuesday night and is available at www.portmoody.ca.
