CONFERENCE REPORT: EFFICIENT INTERMODAL TRAVEL--THE REALITY OR MYTH; OPENING COMMENTS

The author emphasizes the need for citizen participation in the planning of an intermodal system. Among the methods of determining citizens' needs suggested: household surveys, mass transit user surveys, employee surveys, public hearings, and using local community groups to organize their own research on the needs and consumer choices in their communities. The second element of an active citizen participation effort is feeding the information into the decision making process. Obviously, not all points of view and ideas can be accommodated or adopted. Nonetheless, citizens, especially those particularly affected by a change, need to know that their ideas and comments have been fully understood and considered. Procedures should be established to collect, analyze, consider, and respond to public comment. Summaries of all the elements of the process can be made available, and something like a "docket"--although nothing quite that formal--might be set up so people could come in and view it. Let citizens articles for newspapers and other media, advertise results of what you have found in this quest. If the results and findings of the outreach and other research are organized and structured, and if the process is documented, the decision makers will find it easier to make their decisions. They will feel that they have done their homework and have been responsive and responsible. They have a foundation upon which to build and are less likely to be stopped in their tracks. It may take a little longer at the outset to conduct these efforts, but an active citizen participation effort is like an insurance policy--it pays off in the end.

• Record URL:
  • https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trcircular/265/265-005.pdf
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00978515
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Stone, J L
• Publication Date: 1983-9

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: p. 6
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Circular
  • Issue Number: 265
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0097-8515

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data collection; Decision making; Multimodal transportation; Needs assessment; Public participation; Surveys; Transportation planning
• Uncontrolled Terms: User needs
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00378504
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Dec 30 1983 12:00AM