June 2, 2016

Large, suburban development parks have long proved a challenge to public transportation, and RIPTA is working with consultants to see if creative and effective ways can be found to bring more service to the Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown.  RIPTA and the Quonset Development Corporation (QDC) are asking people who work at the park’s businesses and industries to take a short survey about their commuting habits.  The survey is available online at http://www.quonset.com/transit-study/ and the initial June 1^st deadline has been extended for a couple of weeks. The goal is to help identify patterns – whether it be the shifts that people work or the communities they are commuting from — that will help in finding ways to bring more commuting options to to the roughly 3,200 acre park which is home to a variety of employers and is still growing.  Survey results will help determine of there are efficient, cost-effective ways to service this area.

RIPTA and the QDC are asking employers and employees to take the survey, regardless of how they commute to work.  The site, which is one of the largest employment sites in the state, is hard to service for a number of reasons.  The park is spread out over many acres and its employers have varied work shifts which make it difficult to create a logical service schedule and create centralized locations for bus stops. In addition, employees come from communities across the state, making it a challenge to design a route or routes to accommodate them. 

In order to address these challenges, RIPTA and QDC have hired Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning of Rockville, MD to conduct a study that will help determine some of the best commuting options – whether they be public transit, vanpools or carpooling – for the companies at Quonset Business Park.

Survey participants will be automatically entered to win one of four $25 gift cards redeemable at more than 140 businesses.  Please direct any questions or requests for paper surveys to: Seth Morgan, a principal planner at RIPTA: smorgan@ripta.com.