The Point: Thank you, Riverside County residents, for your engagement and input! We heard you loud and clear.
Driving around Riverside County is challenging. The road to fixing these challenges is going to be bumpy. However, with your input and engagement, together we will address these challenges.
This past spring, the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) launched #RebootMyCommute, a public engagement program for us to hear from you, the residents of Riverside County. You gave feedback about transportation pitfalls and the projects and programs that are important to you. The feedback came via emails, social media, telephone town-hall meetings, community event booths, and more, for a 90-day period.
RCTC received nearly 1,000 emails from residents, engaged with close to 4,000 people via social media, spoke to nearly 600 community members at events across Riverside County, and held two telephone town-hall meetings, which attracted more than 7,500 participants. The Commission’s videos drew 800,000+ views on YouTube and nearly 600,000 views on Facebook.
You can read exactly what you and your neighbors said here. A summary of all of the feedback we received is here.
Comments focused on highways and traffic, public transit, local streets, the economy and jobs, express lanes, active transportation and safety. Here are a few examples of what you said:
- “I suggest we stop building homes and focus on building quality hospitals and healthcare systems that our region desperately needs. I would also like to see us generate more jobs and keep the pay competitive so that our residents don’t commute to OC or LA counties. We should live, play and work in our County.”
- “Please fix traffic congestion on the 15 freeway in Temecula. I drive all over SoCal and it HAS to be one the worst spots around.”
- “Metrolink connecting Hemet/San Jacinto area to Perris. Metrolink to/from Hemet San Jacinto to Palm Springs. Increase frequency of bus routes in Hemet/San Jacinto/Moreno Valley areas. More NON-STOP or minimal stop commuter buses to and from Hemet/San Jacinto. Freeway expansions into Hemet. More lanes on Ramona Expressway and Gilman Springs Road.”
- “What about a more efficient commute of some kind whether bus or train added from Coachella Valley to certain pockets throughout Riverside?”
Your hopes for a better Riverside County is helping RCTC’s Commissioners create a plan of action. RCTC is using the comments received to develop a countywide traffic relief plan for the public to consider in early 2020. RCTC will continue to provide many opportunities for you to engage so that the plan will meet the needs of residents across Riverside County.
Thank you again for participating in #RebootMyCommute and please stay engaged with RCTC!