Public Participation Strategies for Transit (2011)

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51 Part 1—Introduction Public Participation Strategies for Transit The American Public Transit Association (APTA), through its nonprofit educational and research organization, the Transit Development Corporation, Inc. (TDC), is cooperating in a research project to prepare a Synthesis of Current Practice on Public Participation Strategies for Transit. This is part of the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), which was authorized in the Intermodal Surface Trans- portation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) to be managed by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) in cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the TDC. The synthesis will document the experiences of states, MPOs, and transit agencies in engaging the public and provide practical information and guidance for transit agencies of all sizes. Looking at short- and long-range transit issues, as well as other issues, this report will profile innovative and successful practices, lessons learned, and gaps in information for: • Defining the purpose and scope of public engagement; • Determining the relevant information to be exchanged with the public; • Identifying, reaching, and engaging target audiences; • Eliciting relevant information and input from the public; and • Assessing the effectiveness of the public engagement effort relative to its purpose. Scott Giering (sgiering@hshassoc.com) with Howard/Stein-Hudson is conducting this synthesis effort under contract to TRB. In order for the Synthesis to reflect the best current information, it is important that responses be obtained from selected transit agencies of various sizes and geographic locations. Your assistance in expediting the completion of this survey as accurately as possible will be greatly appreciated. Descriptions of any prac- tices and techniques used to overcome problems are welcomed, as are reports or other documentation. Individual responses will remain anonymous; an aggregated summary of this survey will be published as an appendix to the final synthesis report in the fall of 2010. Part 2—About You 1. Please provide your contact information below Name: ______________________________________________________ Title: _______________________________________________________ Agency: ______________________________________________________ Phone: ______________________________________________________ E-mail: ______________________________________________________ APPENDIX A Survey Questions

Part 3—About Your Agency 2. Is your agency a: (Check all that apply.) □ Public transit provider □ State or local department of transportation □ Metropolitan or rural planning organization □ Other (please specify): _______________________________________________________________ 3. In which state, country, region, or metropolitan area do your provide or plan for public transit? 4. For which place types do you provide or plan for public transit? (Check all that apply.) □ Urban □ Suburban □ Rural Part 4—Purpose and Scope of Public Involvement 5. For which of the following activities do you typically engage the public? (Check all that apply.) □ Capital projects □ Daily operations (including travel information and trip planning) □ Facility design □ Fare changes □ Human services planning (including coordination with special needs populations) □ Long-range/corridor planning □ Marketing (including advertising, public service announcements and safety campaigns) □ Service changes (including route additions or cancellations, route changes, construction detours, and hours of operation) □ Other (please specify): ______________________________________________________________________________ 52

6. What would you identify as the primary goal(s) of your public involvement efforts for the following types of activities? Provide information Get feedback on specific issues Understand general customer issues, concerns, and needs Collaborate to identify solutions Encourage/build ridership or support Long-range/ corridor planning for transit Daily operations Human services planning Service changes Fare changes Transit facility design Marketing Transit capital projects Other (please specify): 7. How important are the following factors in developing your public involvement goals and objectives, and programs? Safety issues Budget Political priorities Project schedule Type of project Other (please specify): Not a factor Small factor Moderate factor Strong factor One of the most important factors Type of project Environmental justice issues Reducing risk exposure Level of controversy Agency input/priorities Need for community input and concerns Legal requirements

Part 5—Determining the relevant information to be exchanged with the public 8. What type of information does your agency typically share with the public? (Check all that apply.) □ Construction updates/impacts □ Cost estimates □ Current service information □ Design, construction, route alternatives □ Financial information/projections □ Modeling results □ Ridership statistics/projections □ Schedule/route changes □ Other (please specify): ________________________________________________________________________________ 9. Which of the following are major factors for your agency in determining what information to share with the public? □ Direction from the Board or senior management □ Desire to preempt foreseeable opposition □ Desire to shape or change public opinion □ Legislative requests or mandates □ Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests □ Agency policy or historical precedence □ Anticipated reactions from public, media, or elected official □ Direct requests from the public □ Other (please specify): ________________________________________________________________________________ 10. From your agency’s perspective, what type of information is important for your current and potential customers to understand? (Check all that apply.) □ Service changes □ Funding needs and constraints □ Ridership projections □ Capital vs. operating costs □ Capital investment strategies and priorities □ Fare box recovery vs. subsidies □ Safety concerns □ Legal mandates and responsibilities □ Fare structure □ Agency jurisdictions □ Other (please specify): _______________________________________________________________________________ 54

55 11. What type of information does your agency typically want from your current and potential customers? (Check all that apply.) □ Identification of chronic customer service problems □ What the agency is doing well and not well □ Desirability of potential new routes or services □ Reactions to fare changes □ Recurrent scheduling and timing problems □ Input and/or ideas for capital projects and plans □ Suggested service changes or improvements □ Identification of community issues that will impact service □ Other (please specify): _________________________________________________________________________________________ Part 6—Identifying, reaching, and engaging target audiences 12. What are the audiences you typically try to reach during your public outreach efforts? (Check all that apply.) □ Urban transit users □ Choice riders □ Seniors □ Suburban transit users □ Students □ Rural transit users □ Persons with disabilities □ Low-income □ Transit dependent □ Non-English speakers □ Minorities □ Other (please specify): _________________________________________________________________________________________ 13. Which of the following do you use to help you identify your target audience(s) for engagement? (Check all that apply.) □ Census data □ Customer surveys □ Fare box data □ Focus groups □ Historical data □ Human service agencies □ Planning studies □ Ridership statistics □ Other (please specify): _________________________________________________________________________________________

14. How significant are the following internal challenges for your agency when planning for engaging the public? Not Significant Somewhat Significant Moderately Significant Very Significant Highest Significance N/A Aligning with the priorities of elected officials Not enough staff Lack of financial resources Difficulty coordinating between various departments/agencies Lack of support from upper management/agency leadership Lack of time/compressed schedules Lack of public involvement training/skills among staff Other (please specify): 15. How significant are the following problems when trying to engage current and potential transit users? The public does not get sufficient or timely information for effective participation Other (please specify): Work, household, or other personal obligations deter participation Not Significant Somewhat Significant Moderately Significant Very Significant Highest Significance N/A Meeting locations are not accessible enough for environmental justice or other disadvantaged communities The public is not aware or does not understand the planning process The public does not have sufficient ways (methods, places, times) to provide input Cultural and/or language barriers deter participation in some communities The public is not interested in the planning process The public is cynical or distrustful of the planning process 56

57 16. Do you provide information about how, where, and when transit users can participate? □ Yes □ No 17. If yes, do you provide this information in/on: (Check all that apply.) □ Agency Web sites □ Elected official notices □ Legal ads □ Printed advertisements □ Flyers □ Related Web sites □ Broadcast advertisement □ Transit vehicles □ Posters □ E-mails/mailings □ Other (please specify): _____________________________________________________________________________________ 18. If yes to question 16, does this information include explicit information about why the agency is seeking transit rider input and how that input will be used? □ Yes □ No If yes, how is this typically phrased? ______________________________________________________________________________

19. Which of the following techniques have been effective for your agency when trying to engage current and potential riders for the following activities? (Check all that apply.) 58 Capital projects Daily operations Facility design Fare changes Human services planning Long- range/ corridor planning Marketing Service changes Ads on transit vehicles Charrettes Flyers/newsletters Focus groups Handouts Hotline/call-in centers Information booths/kiosks Partnership with community organizations Public meetings/ opens houses/ hearings Public service announcements Rider intercept surveys Seat drops Small group meetings Social media Surveys Web sites Workshops Other (please specify): 20. For the techniques indicated above, are there any specific examples of where and how you used them successfully? If so, please explain. 21. Are there particular techniques that you have found to be less useful for engaging the public? If so, please explain.

59 22. Is there a significant non-English speaking population in your service or planning area? □ Yes □ No 23. If “yes” above, do you provide information or encourage feedback in multiple languages? □ Yes □ No 24. Do you measure the effectiveness of your public engagement efforts? □ Yes □ No 25. If you answered “yes” for question 24, do you use the following quantitative measures? (Check all that apply.) □ Size and diversity of the population reached □ Hits on project web sites □ Number of names on a mailing list □ Number or participants at outreach events □ Number of comments received □ Number of articles written about the project □ Other (please specify or explain your choices above): _________________________________________________________ 26. If you answered “yes” for question 24, do you use the following qualitative measures? (Check all that apply.) □ Nature of comments received □ Nature of media reporting □ Whether appropriate information was provided to the public □ Whether information was provided to the public proactively □ Whether public input was useful in the decision-making process □ Other (please specify or explain your choices above): _________________________________________________________ 27. How would you rate the overall effectiveness of your outreach efforts for engaging transit riders? Failing Poor Satisfactory Good Excellent N/A

28. How would you rate your success at reaching the following populations? 60 30. How is public input used by your agency? Part 7—Follow-up 31. Are you aware of other agencies (transit agencies, MPOs, DOTs, etc.) that are particularly successful at engaging transit riders? □ Yes (please specify): ___________________________________________________________________________________________ □ No 32. Would you be willing to discuss your answers in greater detail (∼30 minutes) with a member of the TCRP team? □ Yes □ No Failing Poor Satisfactory Good Excellent N/A Urban transit users Non- English speakers Persons with disabilities Rural transit users Minorities Choice riders Seniors Suburban transit users Transit dependent Low- income Students 29. How significant an impact does public input have on your decision-making process? Not Significant Somewhat Significant Moderately Significant Very Significant Highest Significance

61 33. Would you be willing to be interviewed for inclusion as a potential case study in this synthesis? □ Yes □ No 34. Do you have any additional comments or would you like to clarify any of your answers? If so, please use the space below. Part 8—Thank You Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Your answers will help us better understand the state of practice for public involve- ment in transit planning and provision. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Scott Giering (sgiering@hshassoc.com) of Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates.