Burien council members received on Feb. 4 the results of a recent study to measure the satisfaction of residents with their city-and overall the news was good.

Based on 400 telephone interviews, the survey by Market Decisions Corp. also measured residents' satisfaction with city services.

Burien was rated as a "good" place to live by 77 percent of those surveyed, while 81 percent rated their neighborhoods as "excellent" places to live.

This is underscored by a sense of personal safety conveyed in the responses: 91 percent of those surveyed feel safe walking alone in the neighborhoods during the day, 61 percent also feel safe at night, and 84 percent feel safe in downtown Burien.

According to the survey, 78 percent of Burien residents believe the city "is headed in the right direction, " and 76 percent feel it proactively encourages economic growth.

Only 19 percent of residents think "lack of economic growth" is a problem, while 19 percent consider "reducing crime" to be the city's primary challenge.

These results were consistent with two other key findings: 67 percent of residents are satisfied with the value they receive from their local taxes, and 74 percent are satisfied with the job the city is doing.

Traffic is a growing concern, however, with 63 percent rating traffic was worse in the past year than in the previous 12 months and 34 percent expecting it to get even worse in 2008.

Two-thirds rate city roads and streets as "fair" or "good," but only 6 percent rate road conditions as "excellent."

Sixty percent said more bike paths and sidewalks are needed in the city, and 40 percent are willing to pay additional taxes for additional sidewalks and bike paths in their neighborhoods.

Among Burien residents currently employed, 28 percent work within the city limits.

Eighty six percent of all residents shop in the city at least once a week, 57 percent eat out at least once a week, and 21 percent participate in recreational activities at least once a week.

Race relations in Burien generally are positive with 56 percent of those surveyed saying relationships between people of different races and cultures are "good" or "excellent."

But less than a third of residents (30 percent) favor annexing all or part of the North Highline unincorporated area, while 37 percent oppose annexation.

In other findings, the location of Burien was most frequently mentioned (21 percent) as the reason for living in the city. Additional reasons include proximity to family (16 percent), a convenient/central location (15 percent), proximity to Seattle (11 percent), close to the airport (4 percent), close to a school (4 percent), and convenient access to roads and highways (3 percent).

Transportation was the most frequently suggested need for neighborhood improvements, with more streetlights (10 percent), improving roads (8 percent) and reducing traffic congestion (6 percent) topping the list.