Attempt was made to include a representative sample of businesses by type. Participation from Commercial/Retail establishments was highest with 42% of all locations in the project area. Automotive participation was 20%; Medical, 6%; and Industrial, 0%. The low participation of medical and industrial establishments is a limitation of the following results.
From your understanding, how do customers first learn about you?
Businesses gain new customers primarily through word of mouth, followed by their marketing efforts. The low street recognition score was due to belief that drivers moved too quickly to notice establishments. The exception to this was an establishment near the Gateway Drive underpass which recognized the advantage provided by clear lines of sight from the bridge. The low internet score indicates little reliance on available broadband resources. “Recommendation” includes doctors’ referrals.
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On average, how far away do your employees live?
The majority of employees in the sample travel between six to ten miles to get to work. This indicates a strong likelihood of non-Opelika residents. Only about a third of the sample lived five miles or less to their job. Expanding this to the rest of the project area would mean that the average employee from 50 of the 73 business addresses live greater than six miles away. This has strong implications on traffic congestion throughout the area.
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How do most of your employees get to work?
The vast majority of respondents, or 86%, used their personal vehicle driving alone to get to work. The low usage of all other options suggests a mono-modal environment. This encourages non-resident employees, indicates poor walkability, and mandates strong requirements for parking. The same two establishments whose employees lived less than a mile away on average also reported “Walk/Bike” as their mode of transportation. This demonstrates that employees who live within walking distance of their work will use non-vehicular modes.
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Would any of the below help your business meet your goals?
“More businesses nearby” and “Better street appearance” were the two most selected improvements. This recognizes the benefit of having successful businesses adjacent to an establishment, creating more potential customers in a single area. This was especially stressed in 1st Avenue West where a nascent business cluster is growing around 1st Avenue and North 22nd Street. It also shows a desire for more aesthetic qualities to local streets. Samples from 1st Avenue East desired more police presence, more residents nearby, and larger lanes.
Other requests included traffic control measures to slow traffic on more narrow sections of 1st Avenue as well as greater allowances for signage. |