A route along 15th Avenue Northwest is the preferred route for RapidRide service, according to the results of a Metro survey.

Metro sent out 56,000 surveys asking residents in Ballard and nearby neighborhoods whether they would prefer the planned RapidRide service to travel along 15th north of the Ballard Bridge (the current Metro 15 route) or take a left onto Northwest Leary Way after the bridge and travel through downtown Ballard and north along 24th Avenue Northwest (the current Metro 18 route).

Metro received 3,000 surveys back, 65 percent of which indicated a preference for the route along 15th, said Craig Benjamin, a member of the RapidRide Advisory Panel, at the March 11 Ballard District Council meeting.

The 5 percent response rate is unheard of for Metro surveys, which usually only have a 1 percent return rate, he said.

Benjamin said Metro won’t base its decision solely on the survey and won’t have an official route until later in the spring.

“Feel free to assume (the route will be 15th),” he said. “And, I can give you an answer in a month.”

Ballard RapidRide service is scheduled to be implemented by 2012 and will feature nicer and more frequent buses, fewer and improved stops, and quicker ride times, according to Metro.