AN ASSESSMENT OF THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION'S PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT TOOLKIT: PHASE II

Well-implemented public involvement programs have many potential benefits for transportation agencies. This study's objectives included a broad assessment of the Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT's) current public involvement practices and the development of a public involvement "toolkit" for use by VDOT staff. The assessment of VDOT's current public outreach practices included information gathering from both citizens (948 completed surveys about VDOT hearings they attended) and VDOT staff who participated in staff focus group interviews and also completed written surveys. The toolkit describes an array of techniques that may be used from the earliest planning stages of transportation projects through their construction, noting advantages, disadvantages, special considerations in the use of each technique, and references for further reading. Responses to both the citizen and VDOT staff surveys indicate that the public is often unclear about the steps in VDOT's planning, project development, and public involvement processes. Citizens and VDOT staff also agree that frequent updates on project status are desirable, and that the public should get more feedback about how their input is really used in decision-making. VDOT staff sees a need for more strategic communications planning and evaluation for major projects, and more coordinated project communications within the agency. Study recommendations include the following: VDOT staff should use the toolkit and a soon-to-be-released Federal Highway Administration interactive public involvement tool to choose effective public involvement approaches; VDOT divisions should collaborate on ways to increase the public's understanding of the planning, project development, and public involvement processes; and as soon as state budget situation allows, the Outreach section proposed by the Governor's Commission on Transportation should be staffed to provide greater in-house strategic communications planning and evaluation capability for major projects.

• Record URL:
  http://virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/03-r17.pdf
• 
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/19602
• Corporate Authors:

  Virginia Transportation Research Council

  530 Edgemont Road
  Charlottesville, VA  United States  22903

  Virginia Department of Transportation

  Office of Public Affairs, 1221 East Broad Street
  Richmond, VA  United States  23219

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • O'Leary, A A
  • Kyte, C A
  • Arnold, E D
  • Perfater, M A
• Publication Date: 2003-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 118 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Communications; Employees; Focus groups; Programming (Planning); Public opinion; Public participation; Strategic planning; Surveys
• Identifier Terms: Virginia Department of Transportation
• Uncontrolled Terms: Transportation projects
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00960143
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA/VTRC 03-R17,, Final Report
• Contract Numbers: 55344
• Files: NTL, TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jul 22 2003 12:00AM