Reliable ferries. Better communication. An independent audit. These are the items the Steamship Authority needs to address urgently, according to a survey taken over the last week by people who use the boat line to travel to and from Martha’s Vineyard.

Results from a Vineyard Gazette community survey about mopeds on Martha’s Vineyard show year-round and seasonal residents share strong opposition to moped rentals on the Island.

The Vineyard Gazette’s Community Surveys project is launching an online survey about public attitudes toward mopeds and moped rentals.

Vineyard residents are highly concerned about ticks and tick-borne illness, according to a newly-released community survey conducted in August.

Martha’s Vineyard residents are here for the outdoor lifestyle, rural character, beaches and coastline, and they stay for the sense of community on the Island. They are happy with their volunteer fire departments, their emergency services, their hospital and their police squads.

In the late 1980s, with real estate prices on the rise and new building starts at an all-time high on Martha’s Vineyard, the Gazette commissioned a poll of seasonal and permanent residents to gauge public sentiment around development. The results revealed a deep and widely-held concern about the fast pace of growth and its implications for the Island environment and quality of life, a concern that cut across every demographic category, part-time and full-time residents alike.