Strategic Communications to Improve Support for Transit-Priority Projects: Report and Toolkit (2019)

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47 A P P E N D I X B Transit Agency Survey Survey Introduction Thank you for participating in the TRB Strategic Communications Survey! The goal of this survey is to gather information to help develop practical guidance on communication strategies for transit agencies implementing transit-priority projects. Communication strategies include channels like social media posts, project websites, project branding, etc. Transit-priority projects may include physical, service, and/or policy changes that prioritize high-quality and predictable service over other road users. Examples include: dedicated transit lanes, bus rapid transit (BRT), light rail, signal priority, bus bulb-outs, and policy changes such as allowing ride-hailing services to use bus lanes. This survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. The research team may follow up with you to ensure we have a firm understanding of your communications approach and results. If someone else within your agency is more appropriate to respond, please forward this to them and copy us at apaz@nelsonnygaard.com. Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. If you have any questions or have more information to send, please contact us at apaz@nelsonnygaard.com or (415) 281-6938. Survey Questions Basic Agency Information 1. What types of transit-priority services does your transit agency offer? (Select all that apply) – Light rail – Bus rapid transit (BRT) – Fixed-route local bus with priority features – Fixed-route local streetcar with priority features – Commuter rail – Express bus – Demand-response service that receives priority (Lyft, Uber, Chariot, etc.) – Other (please specify)  

48 Strategic Communications to Improve Support for Transit-Priority Projects: Report and Toolkit – Online surveys – Printed mailers – Social media – Transit agency smartphone app – Website – Other (please specify) Project Specifics Please answer the following questions in regard to the communications strategy employed for one of your agency’s transit-priority project or communication campaigns. If your agency has implemented more than one project/campaign, you will have the opportunity to provide feedback for one additional project later in this survey. 3. What was the name of the transit-priority project or communication campaign? 4. Was communication tested for this campaign prior to releasing it to the public? – Yes – No 5. What type(s) of transit-priority improvements did your agency implement as part of the project/campaign? (Select all that apply) – Dedicated running ways (e.g., transit-only lane, busway, transitway) for transit – Dedicated bus lanes – New or expanded light rail – New or expanded streetcar – Bus bulb-outs – Transit signal priority – Transit signal preemption – Queue jump – Transit mall/gallery – Policy changes (e.g., allowing TNCs and bicycles to use bus lanes) – Other (please specify) 6. Where does your agency’s transit-priority project operate? (Select all that apply) – General travel lanes on urban surface streets – General travel lanes on suburban surface streets 2. What channels of communication does your agency typically use to communicate information to the public? – E-blasts – Formal in-person outreach (e.g., public workshops, meetings, focus groups) – Informal in-person outreach (e.g., community events – festivals, farmers markets, sporting events) – In-person surveys – Local news media – Notifications on existing fixed routes/bus stops/train stations

Transit Agency Survey 49 7. If the project operates on a dedicated roadway, how is priority designated? (Select all that apply) – Striping – Grade separation – Barrier separation – The project does not operate on a dedicated roadway – Other (please specify) 8. Does the transit-priority project operate under any of the following conditions? (Select all that apply) – Peak-hour only – In mixed traffic – None of the above Communication Strategy Initiation and Intent 9. What department(s) in your agency led the development and implementation of the communications? Please specify below. 10. Did your agency have a public-facing project champion(s)? (Select all that apply) – Yes, transit agency staff – Yes, transit agency board support and/or champion – Yes, political support from elected officials – Yes, political support from Chamber of Commerce or other business group – Other (please specify) – No 11. What were the primary goals of the communication strategy? (Select all that apply) – Comply with local, state, and/or federal guidelines for public involvement – Create consistent branding/messaging – Develop a planned communication approach – Disseminate relevant information at appropriate times and through appropriate channels – Educate the public – Ensure representation from all communities served – Ensure that the public is meaningfully involved – Parking lanes in urban areas – Parking lanes in suburban areas – High-occupancy vehicle (lanes) on freeways – General purpose lanes on freeways – On a dedicated roadway – On highway shoulder – Other (please specify)

50 Strategic Communications to Improve Support for Transit-Priority Projects: Report and Toolkit 12. What techniques did you use to determine the content and format and dissemination of media for each type of communication? (Select all that apply) – Content determined in-house without external output – Consulted with an external outreach/public relations firm – Consulted with other transit agencies – Consulted with riders (e.g., focus groups, surveys) – Used information from passenger complaints – Consulting with other transit agencies – Consulted with other departments – Other (please specify) 13. Did this campaign specifically set aside funding to develop and implement the communications strategy? – No – Yes (please specify budget) Outreach Methods 14. What methods were used to work with external stakeholders to identify local values and goals? (Select all that apply) – In-person stakeholder meetings/focus groups – Individual stakeholder interviews – Did not work with stakeholders – Other (please specify) 15. Who were the target audiences of your communication efforts? (Select all that apply) – General public – Regular commuters/transit riders – Potential transit riders – People in areas affected by the project(s) – Elderly – Persons with disabilities – K-12 students – College students – Tourists – Other (please specify) – Garner public support for changes – Garner political support for changes – Gather community feedback on design – Notify riders of service changes during and after project – Solicit community input to design of project – Other (please specify)

Transit Agency Survey 51 – Yes (please specify their name and role) 18. Did you partner with any outside groups to conduct the campaign, parts of the campaign, and/or specific outreach events? – No – Yes (please specify their name and role) 19. What channels of communication did you use to disseminate information for this communication effort? (Select all that apply) – E-blasts – Formal in-person outreach (e.g., public workshops, meetings, focus groups) – Informal in-person outreach (e.g., community events – festivals, farmers markets, sporting events) – In-person surveys – Local news media – Notifications on existing fixed routes/bus stops/train stations – Online surveys – Printed mailers – Social media – Transit agency smartphone app – Website – Other (please specify) Channels of Communication 20. [Carry forward responses from Question #19] Please indicate how often information was communicated through the following channels: – Daily – Weekly – Monthly – Quarterly – Periodically – One-time 21. [Carry forward responses from Question #19] Please indicate when you employed the following channels of communication: – Before project start – Project launch – During construction – Project completion – After project completion 16. Was communication tailored for different audiences or segments of the community? – No – Yes (please specify) 17. Did you hire a third-party consultant/outreach firm to assist with outreach? – No

52 Strategic Communications to Improve Support for Transit-Priority Projects: Report and Toolkit Strategy Evaluation 22. Did your transit agency develop a formal evaluation process for the communications strategy? – Yes, and it’s complete – We are in the process of developing or conducting an evaluation – We do not have plans to do a formal evaluation <If selected “No”, then skip to #25 Strategy Evaluation 23. Which of the following metrics did/will you use to evaluate your communications strategy? (Select all that apply) – Cost of marketing/outreach – Customer awareness of the project – Customer satisfaction – Mode shift among participants – Social media reach – Traditional media reach – Website hits – Other (please specify) 24. What methods did you use to collect information to evaluate the communications strategy? (Select all that apply) – Online survey marketed within the affected service area – In-person/intercept survey – Word-of-mouth – Focus groups – Other (please specify) Successes/Challenges 25. [Carry forward responses from Question #19] How successful have the following channels of communications been in achieving the agency’s intended outcome? – Very successful – Somewhat successful – Neither successful nor unsuccessful – Somewhat unsuccessful – Not successful 26. What role did technology (social media, online engagement tools, data aggregators, etc.) play in your successful communication? (Select all that apply) – Deploying more targeted communications – Improving cost efficiency

Transit Agency Survey 53 – Improving operational efficiency – Improving program evaluation – Improving quality of feedback – Providing real-time information – Reaching larger audiences – Other (please specify) 27. What would you consider the key(s) to your success? (Select all that apply) – Clear messaging/branding – Clearly defined goals and objectives – Strong public-facing champion – Strong relationships with local communities – Use of different communication platforms – Other (please specify) 28. Did your agency encounter any of the following barriers? (Select all that apply) – Inconsistent messaging – Insufficient funds – Lack of interest/support from other department staff – Lack of interest/support from the general public – Lack of interest/support from stakeholders – Lack of interest/support from the transit agency decision-makers – Lack of resources for prioritizing diverse target audiences – Low attendance/participation at events – Not enough time to implement communication plan – Other (please specify) Sample Documents If you are able, please upload or provide links to samples of the strategic communication documents used for the successful transit-priority project (e.g., press releases, outreach documents, project updates, social media postings, etc.). You may upload up to three (3) documents; additional documents may be emailed to apaz@nelsonnygaard.com. 29. Upload 1 30. Upload 2 31. Upload 3 32. Links Additional Project Feedback 33. Would you like to provide feedback for another transit-priority project or communication campaign? – Yes [survey will allow one additional response] – No <If selected “Yes” to #33, then repeat #3-32>

54 Strategic Communications to Improve Support for Transit-Priority Projects: Report and Toolkit End Page 34. Please provide the following details of the transit agency you represent. – Agency Name: – City/Region: – State(s): 35. Please provide your contact information for follow-up questions. – Name: – Position: – Daytime Phone Number: – Email: 36. If you know of any other agencies that we should speak to regarding best practices in communications for transit-priority projects, please provide the contact information below. 37. Please provide any additional contextual information you feel was not adequately captured in the survey.