Residents Invited To Learn More About Cedar Park Transit Study

CEDAR PARK, TEXAS — Residents are invited to attend an upcoming gathering to discuss the Cedar Park Transit Study to learn more about ongoing infrastructure projects and provide input on the future of transit in the city.

To that end, city officials are scheduled to stage the first in a series of public meetings on Jan. 16 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the city's Parks and Recreation Building, 1435 Main St. Brief presentations outlining the vision of future transit will take place on the various construction projects from 6:15 p.m. to 7 p.m., officials said.

In addition to the formal gathering, pop-up meetings describing the study and explaining how to participate are planned throughout the city on Jan. 16 prior to the evening gathering. Like and follow the city’s Facebook and Twitter accounts to receive information on the times and locations of the pop-up meetings.

Click here to see a the project schedule.

The city has spent some $130,000 on a public transit study with the aim of exploring transit needs to connect residents to key community focal points within city limits and the perimeter. The study was sparked given the dearth of public transportation in Cedar Park despite brisk municipal growth. Transportation-challenged residents have long had to rely on ride-sharing firms or lifts from friends and relatives to get around in the absence of public transportation in the fast-growing city. A handful of other transportation services — a medical transportation program funded by Medicaid and rides for senior citizens — exist, but serve a limited demographic.

Despite explosive growth, Cedar Park officials have only recently come to study the need for pubic transportation options in earnest — not just to help those without reliable transportation get around but potentially as a way of mitigating traffic congestion. Last year, the U.S. Census ranked Cedar Park as the 13th fastest-growing city nationally from July 2016-17 with its population estimated at more than 75,700 in 2017 for a growth of 4.2 percent.

Such growth has been consistent in recent years. According to census data, the population in 2014 was nearly 66,000 after a growth rate of 3.6 percent from 2015.

Below is a map to the city's Parks and Recreation building where the Jan. 16 transit study presentation will be staged.

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