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A new public opinion poll indicated about 80 percent of Denver-area residents approve of the Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) FasTracks transit expansion program, RTD officials say.

Seven years into the expansion program — which calls for building 122 miles of new commuter and light rail — 80 percent of metro-area respondents said that approving the FasTracks funding in 2004 was a “good decision,” RTD officials said in a prepared statement.

The poll was conducted for RTD by the firm Talmey-Drake Research & Strategy Inc. The random sampling of residents across the eight-county RTD was conducted in October.

Asked to identify the most important benefits of FasTracks, 26 percent of respondents said “reducing traffic congestion;” 21 percent said “providing more choice” of transportation options; and 18 percent said “making it more convenient to get around.”

In addition, 70 percent of respondents said they have a favorable impression of RTD in general, and 56 percent — up seven percent from 2010 — said they have a favorable impression of FasTracks.

Respondents who said they have a negative impression of FasTracks dropped by seven percentage points to 21 percent compared with the 2010 survey, the poll results showed.

In addition to constructing more commuter and light-rail, the multi-billion-dollar FasTracks expansion program calls for building 18 miles of bus rapid transit and 21,000 new parking spaces at light rail and bus stations, and redeveloping Denver Union Station.