TEEN INDEPENDENT TRANSIT AND MOBILITY PLAN

The Santa Fe MPO hired a professional planning team within the Sites Southwest consulting firm to build on the Public Transit Master Plan. This effort focused solely on youth between the ages of 10 and 17 and how they travel around and through the metro-area and what their perceptions, beliefs and interests are around multiple modes of travels including transit, biking and walking. Emerging national trends show that specific to youth the number of transit, bicycle and walking trips have been increasing steadily at the same time there as been a reduction in the number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT).

According to the 2010-2014 American Community Survey there are 13,554 youth ages 10-17 in the metro area. We believe that travel patterns of youth in this age range are important to study as they begin to become more independent and transition from relying on parents for transportation needs.

The goal of the plan is to determine when this transition happens, which modes youth begin to use, and to what extent they can use these modes independently. Data, information, trends and direct input by local youth will then be used to consider investments in our transit and transportation network that supports their and future generations mobility independence.