👩Late 50s Woman
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I loved when all city public transportation was free-bring this back and add more routes with more frequent rides. This will help with congestion and parking issues as well as be environmentally friendly.
IDB65PQA5K
Burlington, VT · Live ReportIssue Focus · September 2026 edition
Transportation
Raised by24%13 responses · past 55 days
Top Themes
We select quotes that capture residents' main points about transportation, then group similar quotes by theme. Each theme includes the original quotes, so you can read them, cite them, and see what the theme is based on.
#2 Theme:Raised by 20% of respondents
Buses, bikes and walking lose out to cars
Buses are rarely convenient, bike routes feel unsafe, and some bus stops are hard to reach.
What people are saying:
👨Mid 30s ManinWard 5
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Also, we need to aggressively shift away from cars, because it is making our city louder, more polluted, more dangerous, and more *expensive* to live in. Walking, cycling, and public transit are far more accessible and affordable than driving, and yet they are all being marginalized in favor of driving. The mode share of driving is going up while others are going down, regardless of how DPW tries to spin it. We also need a lot more people in Burlington to achieve a truly urban economy, because as it
IDX48F3BHN
👩Mid 30s WomaninWard 2
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Invest in bus infrastructure as a top priority! As for me, I’d be happy to go a little out of my way to take the bus most places that I currently drive to, but the bus is rarely convenient. If the need for bus lines is only determined based on who’s already taking the bus, I hope we can change that. If they build it, we will come.
IDHTXA2FCB
👨Late 20s ManinWard 5
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Lack of useful busses and no late night transit
ID1G6ET615
👨Early 30s ManinWard 7
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I don't own a car currently, so I've been biking, walking, and using Carshare Vermont to get around. This generally works well, but I wish I felt safer biking on many streets in the city. Bike lanes that are narrow, or end suddenly, or streets without any bike lanes -- these make me nervous when riding in traffic.
IDYKWCD8F0
👩Late 30s WomaninWard 8
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Transportation: I have a mobility disability and right now my closest bus stop not only doesn’t have a bench, it also has no sidewalk leading up to it—you have to scramble down a grassy slope that I almost slipped on when it was muddy or wet.
ID7SZ6JRAF
#13 Theme:Raised by 7% of respondents
Roads are in bad shape
Roads are in bad shape, with potholes endangering pedestrians and cyclists and ruining bike lanes.
What people are saying:
👨Mid 30s ManinWard 8
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Going up College street is pretty scary on a bike. The potholes pretty much destroy the bike lane.
IDFHSWB8VK
👨Early 20s ManinWard 2
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There are too many potholes that pose a significant danger especially to pedestrians in cyclists. The Department of Public Works ignored several specific requests to fill a section of Lower Church St that is only worsening over time.
IDAXBQSDZW
👨Early 40s ManinWard 4
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Road infrastructure is in really bad shape and seems to hard to keep up with. Programming of events is great, so much to do.
IDMTKFCJ3W
More voices on transportation
A few more quotes worth reading, about topics outside the main themes above.
👨Mid 30s ManinWard 5
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The financial issues with GMT at the state level are worrying; the state seems willing to let one of the only means we have to significantly reducing transportation emissions in chittenden county die, not to mention the importance of increased transportation capacity for economic development and new housing in the region.
ID1T7317A2
👩Mid 20s WomaninWard 2
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I would love for there to be an increased focus on public transit, since it is being defunded at the State level, and I think our municipality of Burlington has more sway than we think when it comes to pressuring the state to fund GMT.
IDHWYTSCDC
Resident Ideas
We highlight particularly actionable, tangible, or unique ideas from residents: Because our goal is to spark action in the real world — and action starts with an idea.
Residents-only Lakeside parking
👩Early 30s WomaninWard 5
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I would love to see the lakeside neighborhood have enforceable residents only parking on all the streets.
IDAJNJXPM4
Every response is counted toward the next edition.