Public Participation Technique Details
Public Participation Toolkit Technique

Santa Clara County Transportation Authority (VTA) Public Participation Plan
VTA created a working group comprised of community based organizations that provide services to minority, limited English proficient, and low-income populations. The CBO working group met over a period of about 6 months with VTA and its consultants to create the Public Participation Plan.
Social Media/Social Networking
Social Media (also known as Social Networking) refers to the use of web-based technology platforms that encourage users to connect and interact electronically with individuals, groups, and/or organizations. Current (2014) popular social media platforms include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn, among others, which are accessible via the Internet.
Stakeholder Partnerships
Stakeholder partnerships are the creation of strategic alliances with key stakeholders.
Technology Driven Public Meetings
Technology driven public meetings use innovative technological methods to enhance traditional public meetings and improve the participatory experience. Though the exact format or execution of the meeting can vary, the general principle behind these meetings is to provide attendees with a voice through keypads or other means and to report back to the attendees with responsive questions and results in real time.
Teleconferencing/Video Conferencing
A teleconference is a telephone or video meeting between participants in two or more locations. Teleconferences are similar to telephone calls, but they can expand discussion to more than two people. Using teleconferencing in a planning process, members of a group can all participate in a conference with agency staff people.
Telephone Techniques
The telephone offers a unique, two-way medium for public involvement. It can be used to obtain information and to give opinions. Its use has entered a new era of potential applications to community participation, going beyond question-and-answer techniques toward the evolving new multi-media connections with television and computers.
Telethon
This technique is part of a larger group of techniques.
Transportation Fairs
A transportation fair is an event used to interest community members in transportation and in specific projects or programs. It is typically a one-day event, heavily promoted to encourage people to attend. Attractions such as futuristic vehicles can be used to bring people to the fair, and noted personalities also draw participants. New Jersey Transit holds an annual fair in a transit terminal with a festival aimed toward children—including participatory and educational exhibits.
Utility Bill Stuffers
This technique is part of a larger group of techniques.
Variable Message Signs (VMS)
Variable message signs are electronic signs either permanently or temporarily displayed along roadways to provide short, concise information to motorists. Typically, VMS signs are used for traffic condition information, emergency messages, and public service messages. Some agencies have also used VMS signs to provide project or study related information and to encourage public participation.
Video Sharing
Video sharing describes the uploading of video to a Web-based service such as YouTube that allows users to view media files. On YouTube, transportation agencies can upload videos for free, and make them available to the general public. Video content can include presentations, recordings of meetings, or special animations.
Video Techniques
Video techniques use recorded visual and oral messages to present information to the public, primarily via tapes or laser disks. Although many people now prefer video as a means of getting information, public agencies are just starting to tap its potential use. During preparation of its statewide transportation plan, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) opened its regional forums with introductory videos.
Virtual Meetings/Workshops
Virtual meetings are interactions that take place over the Internet and are designed to replicate the experience of participating in an in-person meeting. These can either be conducted in real-time using integrated audio and video, chat tools, and application sharing, or they can be un-moderated allowing users to participate on their own schedule.
Virtual Worlds/Online Gaming
Virtual worlds are digital representations of the real or fantasy world where, through virtual persona (avatars), users interact with one another, collaborate, and participate in social and economic activities. In many of these worlds, a sense of “community” as well as public dialogue emerges from the interactions of participants, who create and shape the virtual world they inhabit.
Visioning
Visioning leads to a goals statement. Typically, it consists of a series of meetings focused on long-range issues. Visioning results in a long-range plan. With a 20- or 30-year horizon, visioning also sets a strategy for achieving the goals.

Details

What is social media/social networking?
There are a variety of different social media platforms that may be useful in transportation initiatives. The selection of a specific social media platform may be influenced by the target audience and type of project. For example, LinkedIn has a focus on connections in the business and professional realm, Instagram is primarily based around sharing casual photography, and Twitter uses a character limit to keep text posts brief. Many transportation entities utilize a suite of social media platforms that build off of one another.

Similarities across social media platforms include the creation of a user account, for which a user provides a name (real or sometimes invented) and basic personal or organizational information. User accounts can be accessed by other users to varying degrees, depending on privacy settings, and provide a chronological archive of previous user activity. Social media programs typically allow users to “friend,” “follow,” or “like” other users, in which case a user will be updated about the followed user’s activities in real time. A follower can also choose to share something they see posted on their own page – which spreads the information beyond current followers and spreads to a further network.

Why is it useful?
Social media allows transportation agencies to stay engaged with members of the general public who are interested in their projects and to broaden their reach to audiences that may not historically attend more traditional public engagement events. It can also support other public engagement efforts, such as advertising upcoming public meetings or providing hyperlinks to other relevant websites and resources. An organization has the ability to know how many users are following their account, which can be a useful way to gauge interest in the project. Social media is often a cost-effective tool since most platforms do not charge a fee for basic service.

An active social media account allows a more continuous flow of up-to-date information than more traditional forms of outreach, such as mailed newsletters. The ability of users to comment on posts and activity provides a platform for dialogue between the public and the transportation agency; comments and questions can be responded to quickly, and because the posts are viable by other users, others can benefit from the information that is shared.

Who participates, and how?
Social media is particularly popular with younger generations, but increasingly, older generations are participating enthusiastically. Research shows that 72% of online adults use social media, and that social media tools are utilized across age cohorts. Social media apps are usually free to download and basic accounts are available at no cost. Using a URL, pages can often be viewed by users who do not have accounts with that particular social media program, but the ability to comment and interact is usually restricted to members with accounts. Users can access and use the sites either from a computer or a mobile device, such as a smart phone or tablet. Mobile internet access has had a tremendous impact on the use of and access to social media across a diversity of socioeconomic groups.

Who leads?
The transportation agency can maintain a social media account, or can choose to work with a consultant to maintain the site. No special technological support is necessary for using social media, but it is important to involve people who have experience with social media outreach to maximize the public engagement impact.

What are the challenges?
To be effective, social media accounts need to be active and monitored. The opportunity for open public comment can present a challenge for project officials if appropriate resources are not available to regularly review the site; comments should be monitored and responded to on a regular basis. Engaging a consistent dialogue with other users is important not only to share information and provide a face for the project – it is also important for responding to and stemming negative comments and preventing the spread of inaccurate information. Before using social media outreach, practitioners should have a clear plan for the level of effort that will be put into updating and maintaining the page.
Why is this technique useful?
Better trust and reach in community.

Who participates and how?
Leadership of stakeholder organizations and agencies.

Does this technique have special uses or tools?
No.

What is the output/outcome of this technique and how is it used?
Used to get information to and from the community.

How is this technique organized and who leads?
Agency leadership should initiate.

What are the costs associated with this technique?
Labor, but there may be some cost sharing between the agency and organization.

How is this technique used with other techniques?
Organization can be extension of outreach and as such make use of other project related techniques.

Are there special considerations or concerns regarding this use of this technique?
How is the organization viewed/respected in the community. What are the impacts of the partnership?
What is technology driven public meetings ?
This format can give all participants equal voice at large public meetings and allow for deeper discussion and exploration of issues as responses are transmitted. When faced with the task of visioning the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Civil Alliance to Rebuild Downtown New York hosted a Town Meeting that featured 5,000 attendees. Participants were divided into small groups of 10-12 people and seated at tables. Each table included a volunteer who typed notes of the small group discussion. These notes were fed in real time to a “theme team” who scanned the notes of all the tables and pulled out recurrent themes. These themes were then formulated into questions and propositions that were displayed on large screens around the meeting place. In addition to a record keeper at each table, each individual participant was provided with a keypad which allowed them to vote on the questions and propositions. In this way, all participants had equal voices. Since the process was iterative, the participants were able to dig deep into various issues.

Why are they useful?
These methods make public meetings more participatory. In a traditional public meeting, only one person can speak at a time, or if there are small groups, there is little information shared between the groups. With technology driven public meetings every participant can voice their opinion and take part in a real dialogue simultaneously. This novel format has been successful in generating wide media attention and stimulating good turnout to public meetings and hearings. When Ohio’s Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission initiated a public involvement program for its Comprehensive Master Plan, the organization sought the assistance of AmericaSpeaks, a facilitator of Technology Driven Public Meetings. The effort resulted in a County-wide Public Meeting with over 1300 participants. The Commission was met with overwhelmingly positive feedback with regards to the event and found that participation was increased throughout the life of the project as a result of that initial buy-in.

These meetings could potentially be used in place of any public meeting or hearing. Due to costs involved, these meetings are best suited for very large, highly visible projects that will garner a great deal of attention and participation. They have been used for broad visioning exercises early in long-range planning processes. Agencies can use the output of the technology driven meeting much in the same fashion that they use traditional public meeting output. Since much of the substance of these meetings is driven by the public, the decisions made may not be feasible for financial or technical reasons. Generally, the organization that facilitates these meetings will provide the Agency and/or decision makers with written reports that summarize themes raised at the meetings and the results of any votes or polls.

Who participates, and how?
Participation can be open to the general public or targeted segments of the public. In 2000, Washington D.C.’s Mayor sponsored a city-wide forum to hear the policy concerns of the city’s youths. Approximately 1400 youths aged 14-21 gathered in a technology driven public meeting to voice their needs and concerns. Each of the youths was given an electronic keypad and was able to vote on various issues and priorities. This event in turn shaped the Mayor’s policies towards youths.

Who leads?
These meetings require technical equipment and well-trained technicians/facilitators. AmericaSpeaks is a notable Non-Profit Organization that facilitates technology driven town meetings.

What are the costs?
The costs of these meetings can be significantly higher than a traditional public meeting. Additional costs include the cost of hardware, software and technicians, and facilitators. Since these meetings can attract significantly more attendees than a traditional meeting, alternative large venues are often necessary.

What are the challenges?
Due to the high degree of participation involved in a technology driven public meeting, attendees can develop a false impression of direct democracy. Participants may feel that the decisions that are made in the meeting will become reality, which is not necessarily true. This can lead to disenfranchisement and reduced participation in future engagements.
What is a teleconference?
Teleconferencing uses communications network technology to connect participants’ voices. In many cases, speaker telephones are used for conference calls among the participants. A two-way radio system can also be used. In some remote areas, satellite enhancement of connections is desirable.
Radio can also be a component of teleconferencing, especially in areas where there may be impediments to other methods of public involvement. For example, to address the need to involve the largest number of citizens possible when updating the STIP, the Alaska DOT often uses radio call-ins. This method helps gather input from areas in which no public meeting is held and from people in remote areas of the state that may not even have electricity.
Video conferencing can transmit pictures as well as voices through video cameras and computer modems. Video conferencing technology is developing rapidly, capitalizing on the increasingly powerful capabilities of computers and telecommunications networks. Video conferencing centers and equipment are available for rent in many locations.

Why is it useful?
Teleconferencing reaches large or sparsely populated areas. It offers opportunities for people in outlying regions to participate. People participate either from home or from a local teleconferencing center. In Alaska, where winter weather and long distances between municipalities serve as roadblocks to public meetings, the State legislature has developed the Legislative Telecommunication Network (LTN). As an audio teleconference system, LTN can receive legislative testimony from residents or hold meetings with constituents during “electronic office hours.” Although its main center is in the capitol building, it has 28 full-time conference centers and 26 voluntary conference centers in homes or offices of people who store and operate equipment for other local people. The system averages three teleconferences per day when the legislature is in session.
Teleconferencing provides broader access to public meetings, as well as widening the reach of public involvement. It gives additional opportunities for participants to relate to agency staff and to each other while discussing issues and concerns from physically separate locations. It enables people in many different locations to receive information first-hand and simultaneously. (See Public Meetings/Hearings)
A wider group of participants means a broader range of ideas and points of view. Audio interaction makes dialogue more lively, personal, and interesting. Teleconferencing provides an immediate response to concerns or issues. It enables people with disabilities, parents with child care conflicts, the elderly, and others to participate without having to travel. In response to requests from residents in remote rural areas, the Oregon DOT held two-way video teleconferences for its statewide Transportation Improvement Plan update. Two special meetings were broadcast by a private non-profit organization that operates ED-NET, a two-way teleconferencing system. ED-NET provided a teleconference among staff members in one of the DOT’s five regional offices and participants at central transmission facilities in a hospital and a community college in eastern Oregon.
Teleconferencing can save an agency resources. Without leaving their home office, staff members can have effective meetings that reach several people who might not otherwise be able to come together. Teleconferencing often enables senior officials to interact with local residents when such an opportunity would not exist otherwise, due to distance and schedule concerns. A teleconference may reach more people in one session than in several sessions held in the field over several weeks. It can be difficult to schedule more than two or three public meetings in the field within one week, due to staff commitments and other considerations. Teleconferencing can connect several remote locations saving several days or weeks of agency resources.
Teleconferencing should not take away from the value of face-to-face contact. While teleconferencing allows for multiple meetings in a short timeframe and can provide access when distances or other conditions limit the ability to travel, they should not be used as a substitute for in-person public contact.

Does it have special uses?
Teleconferencing is useful when an issue is State or region-wide. The World Bank uses moderated electronic conferences to identify best public involvement practices from front-line staff. The discussion focuses around fleshing out and sharing ideas so that practitioners in different locations can learn from the experiences of others around the world.
Teleconferencing helps increase the number of participants. People may be reluctant to travel to a meeting because of weather conditions, poor highway or transit access, neighborhood safety concerns, or other problems. Teleconferencing offers equal opportunity for people to participate, thus allowing more points of view to emerge, revealing areas of disagreement, and enabling people to exchange views and ask questions freely.
Teleconferencing is used for training. It opens up training hours and availability of courses for people unable to take specialized classes because of time constraints and travel costs. The National Transit Institute held a nationally broadcast session answering questions about requirements for Federal major investment studies (MIS). Over 1,700 people met at 89 teleconferencing sites to participate in the meeting. Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly in favor of the usefulness and practicality of the session.
Teleconferencing is used for networking among transportation professionals on public involvement and other topics. North Carolina State University sponsored a national teleconference on technologies for transportation describing applications of three and four-dimensional computer graphics technologies. They have been found helpful in facilitating public involvement and environmental analysis.

Who participates? And how?
Anyone can participate. Teleconferencing broadens participation with its wide geographical coverage. People living in remote areas can join in conversations. Participation becomes available even for the mobility-restricted, those without easy access to transportation, and the elderly. Those with limited English proficiency may not participate without assistance.
Participants gather at two or more locations and communicate via phone or video. The event requires planning, so that participants are present at the appointed time at their divergent locations.
Participants should know what to expect during the session. A well-publicized agenda is required. It is helpful to brief participants so they understand the basic process and maximize the use of time for their participation. For example, basic concerns like speaking clearly or waiting to speak in turn are both elements of a successful teleconference-based meeting.

How do agencies use teleconferencing?
Teleconferencing elicits comments and opinions from the public. These comments and opinions become part of a record of public involvement. Agencies should plan to record and provide access to public comments, as well as to respond to comments and community input and to address specific concerns.
Teleconferencing offers immediate feedback from agency staff to the community. This feedback is a special benefit for participants in both time savings and satisfaction with agency actions. To assure immediacy, agencies must have staff available to respond to questions at the teleconference.
An agency can tailor its efforts to respond to a range of needs or circumstances, with broad input from diverse geographical and often underserved populations. The Montana DOT will use a teleconferencing network in the State as it updates its statewide plan.
Agencies use teleconferencing with individuals or with multiple groups. The range of participants varies from simple meetings between two or three people to meetings involving several people at many locations. Simple meetings can be somewhat informal, with participants free to discuss points and ask questions within a limited time.

Who leads a teleconference?
A trained facilitator, moderator, or group leader runs the meeting. A moderator needs to orchestrate the orderly flow of conversation by identifying the sequence of speakers. A staff person can be trained to open and lead the teleconference. (See Facilitation)
Community people can lead the conversation. The moderator need not be an agency staff person. If the teleconference is taking place at the request of community people, it is appropriate that a community resident lead the session. Agency staff members should feel free to ask questions of community people to obtain a complete understanding of their point of view.
Each individual meeting site must have a person in charge to prevent the conversation from becoming chaotic. A teleconferencing facility coordinator can train agency staff or community people to lead the process. Appointment of an individual to guide conversation from a specific site should be informally carried out. Community groups may want to have a role in this appointment.

What are the costs?
Teleconferencing costs vary, depending on the application. The costs of installing a two-way telephone network are modest. For complex installations, including television, radio, or satellite connections, costs are significantly higher. Hiring outside help to coordinate equipment purchases or design an event adds to the expense.
For modest teleconferencing efforts, equipment and facilities are the principal costs. Higher costs are associated with higher performance levels of equipment, more transmission facilities, or more locations. Agencies may be able to rent a facility or set one up in-house. The San Diego Association of Governments is building its own central teleconferencing facility to provide increased opportunities for the agency to use this technique.
It is possible to share teleconferencing costs among organizations. Many States have teleconferencing capabilities in State colleges. States may have non-profit organizations with teleconferencing capabilities. Outside resources include cable television stations or donated use of private company facilities. Agency staff time devoted to the event may be a significant expense.

How is teleconferencing organized?
One person should be in charge of setting up a teleconference. That individual makes preparatory calls to each participant, establishes a specific time for the teleconference, and makes the calls to assemble the group. The same person should be in charge of setting an agenda based on issues brought up by individual participants.
Equipment for a telephone conference is minimal. Speakerphones allow several people to use one phone to listen to and speak with others, but they are not required. Individuals can be contacted on their extensions and participate fully in the conversations. While the basic equipment does not require an audio-visual specialist to operate, a technician may be required to set up equipment and establish telecommunications or satellite connections, particularly in more sophisticated applications.
Video conferencing needs are more complex. Basic equipment can involve:
- Personal computers;
- Amain computer control system;
- One or more dedicated telephone lines or a satellite hook-up;
- A television or computer monitor for each participant or group of participants; and
- A video camera for each participant or group of participants.
More sophisticated facilities and equipment are required if a number of locations are interconnected.
An individual or group rents a private or public videoconference room in many cities. Private companies often have in-house videoconference rooms and systems. The Arizona DOT is considering establishing a mobile teleconferencing facility that can travel throughout the State. Many public facilities, particularly State institutions such as community colleges, have set up teleconference facilities.
Teleconferencing can kick off a project or planning effort and continue throughout the process. Teleconferences are targeted to a particular topic or address many areas, depending on the need for public input and participation.
Adequate preparation is critical to success and optimum effectiveness of a teleconference. The funding source for the teleconference must be identified and a moderator designated. The time and length of the teleconference must be established and an agenda prepared to organize the meeting’s content and times for speakers to present their views. Participants should be invited and attendance confirmed. This is a critical step, since there is little flexibility in canceling or postponing the event—there just are no second chances. Also, less than full participation means that important voices are not heard.
It is important to provide materials in advance. These include plans of alternatives, reports, evaluation matrices, cross-sections, or other visuals. (See Information Materials) For videoconferences, these materials may be on-screen but are usually difficult to read unless a participant has a printed document for reference. A moderator must be prepared to address all concerns covered by the written materials. Preparation smooths the way for all to participate in the teleconference. Without adequate preparation, teleconferences may need to be repeated, especially if all questions are not addressed thoroughly.
The technical set-up is crucial. Teleconferencing equipment and its several locations are key to the event’s success. Equipment must be chosen for maximum effect and efficiency in conducting a meeting between a central location and outlying stations.
Equipment must be distributed well. Because equipment is needed at each site, housing facilities for equipment must be identified. If multiple parties will be attending a teleconference or videoconference from one location. seating may need to be arranged to maximize participation. A test-run of the equipment and the set-up for participants is important. The moderator may want to arrive early and practice using the equipment. Organizations can also subscribe to teleconferencing services. These services have the ability to host numerous lines and allow participants to join in from any telephone with a correct dial-in number and passcode.
The moderator sets ground rules for orderly presentation of ideas. The moderator introduces participants in each location and reviews the objectives and time allotted for the meeting. Participants are urged to follow the moderator’s guidance for etiquette in speaking. They should follow basic rules: speak clearly, avoid jargon, and make no extraneous sounds, such as coughing, drumming fingers, or side conversations.
The meeting must follow the agenda. It is the moderator’s responsibility to keep the teleconference focused. In doing so, she or he must be organized, fair, objective, and open. The conference must be inclusive, providing an opportunity for all to register their views. The moderator must keep track of time to assure that the agenda is covered and time constraints are observed. It may be appropriate to have a staff person on hand to record action items, priorities, and the results of the teleconference.

How is it used with other techniques?
Teleconferencing is part of a comprehensive public involvement strategy. It can complement public information materials, smaller group meetings, open houses, and drop-in centers. (See Information Materials; Small Groups; Open Houses/Open Forums Hearings; Drop-in Centers; Public Opinion Surveys)
Teleconferencing participants can serve as a community advisory committee or task force meeting. It can cover simple items quickly, avoiding the need for a face-to-face meeting. For major issues, it is a way to prepare participants for an upcoming face-to-face discussion by outlining agendas, listing potential attendees, or describing preparatory work that is needed. (See Civic Advisory Committees; Collaborative Task Forces)
Teleconferencing is a method for taking surveys of neighborhood organizations. It helps demonstrate the array of views within an organization and helps local organizations meet and determine positions prior to a survey of their views. (See Public Opinion Surveys)
Teleconferencing is used in both planning and project development. It is useful during visioning processes, workshops, public information meetings, and roundtables. (See Visioning; Conference/Workshops/Retreats)

What are the drawbacks?
Teleconferences are somewhat formal events that need prior planning for maximum usefulness. Although they require pre-planning and careful timing, teleconferences are conducted informally to encourage participation and the exchange of ideas.
A large number of people is difficult to manage in a single teleconference, with individuals attempting to interact and present their points of view. One-on-one dialogue with a few people is usually preferable. Widely divergent topics are also difficult to handle with a large number of people participating in a teleconference.
Costs can be high. Costs are incurred in equipment, varying sites for connections, transmission, and moderator training. Substantial agency staff time to coordinate and lead is likely.
Teleconferences take time to organize. Establishing technical links, identifying sites and constituencies, and coordinating meetings can be time-consuming. Materials need to be prepared and disseminated. However, teleconferencing saves time by being more efficient than in-person meetings, and the savings may offset staff efforts and other costs.
Staffing needs can be significant. Personnel such as technicians and agency staff to set up and coordinate meetings are required. Training to conduct a conference is necessary. However, staff time and resources may be significantly less than if personnel have to travel to several meetings at distant locations.
Agencies need to consider the difficulties in accommodating people with hearing impairments or with limited English proficiency with real time translation. Teleconferencing should supplement, not replace, direct contact with community members.
Community people are alienated if a meeting is poorly implemented or if anticipated goals are not met. People need to be assured that the project and planning staff is mindful of their concerns. Technical and management difficulties, such as poor coordination between speakers or people being misunderstood or not heard, result in bad feelings.
Teleconferencing reduces opportunities for face-to-face contact between participants and proponents of plans or projects. It cannot replace a desirable contact at individual meetings between stakeholders and agency staff in local sites. Effective public involvement includes meetings in the community to obtain a feel for the local population and issues. (See Public Meetings/Hearings; Non-traditional Meeting Places and Events) A teleconference supplements rather than replaces direct contact with local residents and neighborhoods. Video conferencing, by contrast, enhances opportunities for face-to-face exchange.
The goals of a teleconference must be clear and manageable to avoid a potential perception of wasted time or frivolous expenditures.

Is teleconferencing flexible?
Teleconferencing lacks flexibility of location and timing. A teleconference among several people must have a well-established location, time, and schedule, publicized prior to the event. An agenda must be set well in advance of the meeting, with specific times set aside to cover all topics, so that people at different sites can follow the format of the meeting. The New York State DOT held a teleconference/public hearing for the draft State Transportation Plan. The well-defined agenda scheduled registration and a start time that coincided with a one-hour live telecast from the State capital, which included a roundtable discussion with the DOT Commissioner.
Videoconferencing can be flexible if it is a talk arranged between two locations. With few people, it may be as simple to arrange as a telephone call. With additional participants, it becomes less flexible.
Teleconferencing offers opportunities for participants who can’t travel to become involved. Enabling people to stay home or drive to a regional site offers flexibility in childcare, transportation, and other factors that affect meeting attendance.

When is it used most effectively?
Teleconferencing is effective when participants have difficulty attending a meeting. This occurs when people are widely dispersed geographically and cannot readily meet with agency staff. Teleconferencing also serves people with disabilities, the elderly, and others who may have difficulties with mobility.
Teleconferencing is effective when it focuses on specific action items that deserve comment. Teleconferences aid in prioritizing issues and discussing immediate action items. Detailed, wide-ranging discussions may be more properly handled with written materials and in-person interaction.
Teleconferencing helps give all participants an equal footing in planning and project development. Teleconferences overcome geographic dispersal and weather problems to aid contact with agency staff.

For further information:
Alaska Department of Transportation, Division of Statewide Planning
http://www.dot.state.ak.us/index.html?stwdplng/stip/need_stip.html~mainFrame
(907)-465-8944
Alaska Legislative Telecommunications Network
(907) 465-4648
Iowa Department of Transportation
(515) 239-1101
Metropolitan Council, Minnesota
(612) 291-6423
Montana Department of Transportation
(406) 444-6200
New York State Department of Transportation
(518) 457-5672
North Carolina State University Institute for Transportation Research and Education
(919) 515-8899
Oregon Department of Transportation
(503) 986-3438
Savannah/Chatham County Metropolitan Planning Organization
(912) 651-1440
What is a teleconference?
A teleconference is a telephone or video meeting between participants in two or more locations. Teleconferences are similar to telephone calls, but they can expand discussion to more than two people. Using teleconferencing in a planning process, members of a group can all participate in a conference with agency staff people.

Teleconferencing uses communications network technology to connect participants’ voices. In many cases, speaker telephones are used for conference calls among the participants. A two-way radio system can also be used. In some remote areas, satellite enhancement of connections is desirable.

Radio can also be a component of teleconferencing, especially in areas where there may be impediments to other methods of public involvement. For example, to address the need to involve the largest number of citizens possible when updating the STIP, the Alaska Department of Transportation often uses radio call-ins. This method helps gather input from areas in which no public meeting is held and from people in remote areas of the state that may not even have electricity.

Video conferencing can transmit pictures as well as voices through video cameras and computer modems. Video conferencing technology is developing rapidly, capitalizing on the increasingly powerful capabilities of computers and telecommunications networks. Video conferencing centers and equipment are available for rent in many locations.

Why is it useful?
Teleconferencing reaches large or sparsely populated areas. It offers opportunities for people in outlying regions to participate. People participate either from home or from a local teleconferencing center. In Alaska, where winter weather and long distances between municipalities serve as roadblocks to public meetings, the State legislature has developed the Legislative Telecommunication Network (LTN). As an audio teleconference system, LTN can receive legislative testimony from residents or hold meetings with constituents during “electronic office hours.” Although its main center is in the capitol building, it has 28 full-time conference centers and 26 voluntary conference centers in homes or offices of people who store and operate equipment for other local people. The system averages three teleconferences per day when the legislature is in session.

Teleconferencing provides broader access to public meetings, as well as widening the reach of public involvement. It gives additional opportunities for participants to relate to agency staff and to each other while discussing issues and concerns from physically separate locations. It enables people in many different locations to receive information first-hand and simultaneously. (See Public Meetings/Hearings)

A wider group of participants means a broader range of ideas and points of view. Audio interaction makes dialogue more lively, personal, and interesting. Teleconferencing provides an immediate response to concerns or issues. It enables people with disabilities parents with child care conflicts, the elderly, and others to participate without having to travel. In response to requests from residents in remote rural areas, the Oregon Department of Transportation (DOT) held two-way video teleconferences for its statewide Transportation Improvement Plan update. Two special meetings were broadcast by a private non-profit organization that operates ED-NET, a two-way teleconferencing system. ED-NET provided a teleconference among staff members in one of the DOT’s five regional offices and participants at central transmission facilities in a hospital and a community college in eastern Oregon.

Teleconferencing can save an agency resources. Without leaving their home office, staff members can have effective meetings that reach several people who might not otherwise be able to come together. Teleconferencing often enables senior officials to interact with local residents when such an opportunity would not exist otherwise, due to distance and schedule concerns. A teleconference may reach more people in one session than in several sessions held in the field over several weeks. It can be difficult to schedule more than two or three public meetings in the field within one week, due to staff commitments and other considerations. Teleconferencing can connect several remote locations saving several days or weeks of agency resources.

Teleconferencing should not take away from the value of face-to-face contact. While teleconferencing allows for multiple meetings in a short timeframe and can provide access when distances or other conditions limit the ability to travel, they should not be used as a substitute for in-person public contact.

Does it have special uses?
Teleconferencing is useful when an issue is State- or region-wide. The World Bank uses moderated electronic conferences to identify best public involvement practices from front-line staff. The discussion focuses around fleshing out and sharing ideas so that practitioners in different locations can learn from the experiences of others around the world.

Teleconferencing helps increase the number of participants. People may be reluctant to travel to a meeting because of weather conditions, poor highway or transit access, neighborhood safety concerns, or other problems. Teleconferencing offers equal opportunity for people to participate, thus allowing more points of view to emerge, revealing areas of disagreement, and enabling people to exchange views and ask questions freely.

Teleconferencing is used for training. It opens up training hours and availability of courses for people unable to take specialized classes because of time constraints and travel costs. The National Transit Institute held a nationally broadcast session answering questions about requirements for Federal major investment studies (MIS). Over 1,700 people met at 89 teleconferencing sites to participate in the meeting. Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly in favor of the usefulness and practicality of the session.

Teleconferencing is used for networking among transportation professionals on public involvement and other topics. North Carolina State University sponsored a national teleconference on technologies for transportation describing applications of three- and four-dimensional computer graphics technologies. They have been found helpful in facilitating public involvement and environmental analysis.

Who participates? And how?
Anyone can participate. Teleconferencing broadens participation with its wide geographical coverage. People living in remote areas can join in conversations. Participation becomes available even for the mobility-restricted, those without easy access to transportation, and the elderly. Those with limited English proficiency may not participate without assistance.

Participants gather at two or more locations and communicate via phone or video. The event requires planning, so that participants are present at the appointed time at their divergent locations.

Participants should know what to expect during the session. A well-publicized agenda is required. It is helpful to brief participants so they understand the basic process and maximize the use of time for their participation. For example, basic concerns like speaking clearly or waiting to speak in turn are both elements of a successful teleconference-based meeting.

How do agencies use teleconferencing?
Teleconferencing elicits comments and opinions from the public. These comments and opinions become part of a record of public involvement. Agencies should plan to record and provide access to public comments, as well as to respond to comments and community input and to address specific concerns

Teleconferencing offers immediate feedback from agency staff to the community. This feedback is a special benefit for participants in both time savings and satisfaction with agency actions. To assure immediacy, agencies must have staff available to respond to questions at the teleconference.

An agency can tailor its efforts to respond to a range of needs or circumstances, with broad input from diverse geographical and often underserved populations. The Montana DOT will use a teleconferencing network in the state as it updates its statewide plan.

Agencies use teleconferencing with individuals or with multiple groups. The range of participants varies from simple meetings between two or three people to meetings involving several people at many locations. Simple meetings can be somewhat informal, with participants free to discuss points and ask questions within a limited time.

Who leads a teleconference?
A trained facilitator, moderator, or group leader runs the meeting. A moderator needs to orchestrate the orderly flow of conversation by identifying the sequence of speakers. A staff person can be trained to open and lead the teleconference. (See Facilitation)

Community people can lead the conversation. The moderator need not be an agency staff person. If the teleconference is taking place at the request of community people, it is appropriate that a community resident lead the session. Agency staff members should feel free to ask questions of community people to obtain a complete understanding of their point of view.

Each individual meeting site must have a person in charge to prevent the conversation from becoming chaotic. A teleconferencing facility coordinator can train agency staff or community people to lead the process. Appointment of an individual to guide conversation from a specific site should be informally carried out. Community groups may want to have a role in this appointment.

What are the costs?
Teleconferencing costs vary, depending on the application. The costs of installing a two-way telephone network are modest. For complex installations, including television, radio, or satellite connections, costs are significantly higher. Hiring outside help to coordinate equipment purchases or design an event adds to the expense.

For modest teleconferencing efforts, equipment and facilities are the principal costs. Higher costs are associated with higher performance levels of equipment, more transmission facilities, or more locations. Agencies may be able to rent a facility or set one up in-house. The San Diego Association of Governments is building its own central teleconferencing facility to provide increased opportunities for the agency to use this technique.

It is possible to share teleconferencing costs among organizations. Many States have teleconferencing capabilities in State colleges. States may have non-profit organizations with teleconferencing capabilities. Outside resources include cable television stations or donated use of private company facilities. Agency staff time devoted to the event may be a significant expense.

How is teleconferencing organized?
One person should be in charge of setting up a teleconference. That individual makes preparatory calls to each participant, establishes a specific time for the teleconference, and makes the calls to assemble the group. The same person should be in charge of setting an agenda based on issues brought up by individual participants.

Equipment for a telephone conference is minimal. Speakerphones allow several people to use one phone to listen to and speak with others, but they are not required. Individuals can be contacted on their extensions and participate fully in the conversations. While the basic equipment does not require an audio-visual specialist to operate, a technician may be required to set up equipment and establish telecommunications or satellite connections, particularly in more sophisticated applications.

Video conferencing needs are more complex. Basic equipment can involve:

personal computers;

a main computer control system;

one or more dedicated telephone lines or a satellite hook-up;

a television or computer monitor for each participant or group of participants;

a video camera for each participant or group of participants.

More sophisticated facilities and equipment are required if a number of locations are interconnected.

An individual or group rents a private or public videoconference room in many cities. Private companies often have in-house videoconference rooms and systems. The Arizona DOT is considering establishing a mobile teleconferencing facility that can travel throughout the State. Many public facilities, particularly State institutions such as community colleges, have set up teleconference facilities.

Teleconferencing can kick off a project or planning effort and continue throughout the process. Teleconferences are targeted to a particular topic or address many areas, depending on the need for public input and participation.

Adequate preparation is critical to success and optimum effectiveness of a teleconference. The funding source for the teleconference must be identified and a moderator designated. The time and length of the teleconference must be established and an agenda prepared to organize the meeting’s content and times for speakers to present their views. Participants should be invited and attendance confirmed. This is a critical step, since there is little flexibility in canceling or postponing the event—there just are no second chances. Also, less than full participation means that important voices are not heard.

It is important to provide materials in advance. These include plans of alternatives, reports, evaluation matrices, cross-sections, or other visuals. (See Information Materials) For videoconferences, these materials may be on-screen but are usually difficult to read unless a participant has a printed document for reference. A moderator must be prepared to address all concerns covered by the written materials. Preparation smoothes the way for all to participate in the teleconference. Without adequate preparation, teleconferences may need to be repeated, especially if all questions are not addressed thoroughly.

The technical set-up is crucial. Teleconferencing equipment and its several locations are key to the event’s success. Equipment must be chosen for maximum effect and efficiency in conducting a meeting between a central location and outlying stations.

Equipment must be distributed well. Because equipment is needed at each site, housing facilities for equipment must be identified. If multiple parties will be attending a teleconference or videoconference from one location. seating may need to be arranged to maximize participation. A test-run of the equipment and the set-up for participants is important. The moderator may want to arrive early and practice using the equipment. Organizations can also subscribe to teleconferencing services. These services have the ability to host numerous lines and allow participants to join in from any telephone with a correct dial-in number and passcode.

The moderator sets ground rules for orderly presentation of ideas. The moderator introduces participants in each location and reviews the objectives and time allotted for the meeting. Participants are urged to follow the moderator’s guidance for etiquette in speaking. They should follow basic rules: speak clearly, avoid jargon, and make no extraneous sounds, such as coughing, drumming fingers, or side conversations.

The meeting must follow the agenda. It is the moderator’s responsibility to keep the teleconference focused. In doing so, she or he must be organized, fair, objective, and open. The conference must be inclusive, providing an opportunity for all to register their views. The moderator must keep track of time to assure that the agenda is covered and time constraints are observed. It may be appropriate to have a staff person on hand to record action items, priorities, and the results of the teleconference.

How is it used with other techniques?
Teleconferencing is part of a comprehensive public involvement strategy. It can complement public information materials, smaller group meetings, open houses, and drop-in centers. (See Information Materials; Small Group Techniques; Open Forum Hearings/Open Houses; Drop-in Centers, Public Opinion Surveys.)

Teleconferencing participants can serve as a community advisory committee or task force meeting. It can cover simple items quickly, avoiding the need for a face-to-face meeting. For major issues, it is a way to prepare participants for an upcoming face-to-face discussion by outlining agendas, listing potential attendees, or describing preparatory work that is needed. (See Civic Advisory Committees; Collaborative Task Forces)

Teleconferencing is a method for taking surveys of neighborhood organizations. It helps demonstrate the array of views within an organization and helps local organizations meet and determine positions prior to a survey of their views. (See Public Opinion Surveys)

Teleconferencing is used in both planning and project development. It is useful during visioning processes, workshops, public information meetings, and roundtables. (See Visioning; Conferences, Workshops, and Retreats)

What are the drawbacks?
Teleconferences are somewhat formal events that need prior planning for maximum usefulness. Although they require pre-planning and careful timing, teleconferences are conducted informally to encourage participation and the exchange of ideas.

A large number of people is difficult to manage in a single teleconference, with individuals attempting to interact and present their points of view. One-on-one dialogue with a few people is usually preferable. Widely divergent topics are also difficult to handle with a large number of people participating in a teleconference.

Costs can be high. Costs are incurred in equipment, varying sites for connections, transmission, and moderator training. Substantial agency staff time to coordinate and lead is likely.

Teleconferences take time to organize. Establishing technical links, identifying sites and constituencies, and coordinating meetings can be time-consuming. Materials need to be prepared and disseminated. However, teleconferencing saves time by being more efficient than in-person meetings, and the savings may offset staff efforts and other costs.

Staffing needs can be significant. Personnel such as technicians and agency staff to set up and coordinate meetings are required. Training to conduct a conference is necessary. However, staff time and resources may be significantly less than if personnel have to travel to several meetings at distant locations.

Agencies need to consider the difficulties in accommodating people with hearing impairments or with limited English proficiency with real time translation. Teleconferencing should supplement, not replace, direct contact with community members.

Community people are alienated if a meeting is poorly implemented or if anticipated goals are not met. People need to be assured that the project and planning staff is mindful of their concerns. Technical and management difficulties, such as poor coordination between speakers or people being misunderstood or not heard, result in bad feelings.

Teleconferencing reduces opportunities for face-to-face contact between participants and proponents of plans or projects. It cannot replace a desirable contact at individual meetings between stakeholders and agency staff in local sites. Effective public involvement includes meetings in the community to obtain a feel for the local population and issues. (See Public Meetings/Hearings; Non-traditional Meeting Places and Events) A teleconference supplements rather than replaces direct contact with local residents and neighborhoods. Video conferencing, by contrast, enhances opportunities for face-to-face exchange.

The goals of a teleconference must be clear and manageable to avoid a potential perception of wasted time or frivolous expenditures.

Is teleconferencing flexible?
Teleconferencing lacks flexibility of location and timing. A teleconference among several people must have a well-established location, time, and schedule, publicized prior to the event. An agenda must be set well in advance of the meeting, with specific times set aside to cover all topics, so that people at different sites can follow the format of the meeting. The New York State DOT held a teleconference/public hearing for the draft State Transportation Plan. The well-defined agenda scheduled registration and a start time that coincided with a one-hour live telecast from the State capital, which included a roundtable discussion with the DOT Commissioner.

Videoconferencing can be flexible if it is a talk arranged between two locations. With few people, it may be as simple to arrange as a telephone call. With additional participants, it becomes less flexible.

Teleconferencing offers opportunities for participants who can’t travel to become involved. Enabling people to stay home or drive to a regional site offers flexibility in childcare, transportation, and other factors that affect meeting attendance.

When is it used most effectively?
Teleconferencing is effective when participants have difficulty attending a meeting. This occurs when people are widely dispersed geographically and cannot readily meet with agency staff. Teleconferencing also serves people with disabilities, the elderly, and others who may have difficulties with mobility.

Teleconferencing is effective when it focuses on specific action items that deserve comment. Teleconferences aid in prioritizing issues and discussing immediate action items. Detailed, wide-ranging discussions may be more properly handled with written materials and in-person interaction.

Teleconferencing helps give all participants an equal footing in planning and project development. Teleconferences overcome geographic dispersal and weather problems to aid contact with agency staff.

For further information:
Alaska Department of Transportation, Division of Statewide Planning
http://www.dot.state.ak.us/index.html?stwdplng/stip/need_stip.html~mainFrame
907-465-6988

Alaska Legislative Telecommunications Network
(907) 465-4648

Iowa Department of Transportation
(515) 239-1101

Metropolitan Council, Minnesota, Jody Hoffman
(612) 291-6423

Montana Department of Transportation
(406) 444-7692

New York State Department of Transportation
(518) 457-5672

North Carolina State University Institute for Transportation Research and Education
(919) 878-8080

Oregon Department of Transportation
(503) 378-6526

Savannah/Chatham County Metropolitan Planning Organization
(912) 236-9523
For information about this technique and all other under this larger group (See Telephone Techniques).
What is a transportation fair?
A transportation fair focuses on visual elements, such as exhibits, videos, and maps or models of projects. A speaker or presenter is not required but can help focus the attention of viewers on the purposes of the fair. A fair gears individual displays toward a desired message. Once prepared, exhibits can be used again at another location and date.
A transportation fair has these basic features:

Visual interest and excitement;

Variety in exhibits: maps, photos, models, slide shows, videos, full-size vehicles, giveaway items;

Accessibility in a central location for the target audience;

Extensive publicity to attract participants;

Attraction for a wide variety of people; and

Ability to elicit comments and points of view of participants—always on a voluntary basis;

Impermanence.

Why is it useful?
A transportation fair presents information to the public. Participants are encouraged to view exhibits, ask questions, consider information, and give comments. In San Francisco, a commuter mobile van travels from show to show to promote alternative means of commuting.
A transportation fair creates interest and dramatizes a project or program. Graphics present goals and messages in a comprehensible and visually interesting way. Interactive audio-visual and computer-based displays make programs come alive and encourage public comment. (See Interactive Video Displays and Kiosks)
A fair is a one-time event. With good publicity, it becomes a known opportunity for people to participate in transportation planning. The date and place can be chosen to fit within an agency schedule. It can be held annually, as in Boston’s World-Class Commuting Day. A fair helps agencies or organizations understand public reactions at a specific point in time.
A fair keeps participants informed, interested, and up-to-date. Sharing information and discussing issues gives participants a status report on projects and programs. At a fair, people become educated on technical issues and gain a better understanding of the effort involved and milestones achieved.

Does it have special uses?
A fair provides an opportunity for casual community input. As an informal short-term event, it can be held in central locations where many people pass by, such as a store downtown or a shopping mall. (See Non-traditional Meeting Places and Events) A fair asks participants to focus on a project’s or program’s components and details and offer advice and comment. For example, in Idaho twelve transportation fairs were held in urban and rural regions to talk about statewide transportation improvements.
A fair emphasizes specific, positive points about a subject. It can include exhibits of all types to highlight the wide variety of people, organizations, and effort involved in a project or program. It allows an agency or organization to point up salient, desirable points about a project, while responding to potential drawbacks.

Who participates? And how?
Fair attendees are self-selected. Responding to publicity, individuals decide whether or not to attend—often based on the location and date of the fair. Because a fair is not an invitational event, a representative sample of community groups or stakeholders cannot be expected to attend. Despite this self-selection, a diversity in viewpoints is usually represented.
People participate through taking part in activities. Attendees examine the presentations and ask questions about the exhibits. At a typical fair, before attendees leave, they are encouraged to fill out questionnaires or response forms with written comments, which are collected and analyzed for input. (See Public Opinion Surveys)

How do agencies use the output?
The principal output is improved community awareness. Written and oral comments by community residents are collected at the fair and used as input to a project or program. This information may be anecdotal but, with analysis, may be of use within the sponsoring organization. As a special example, fairs were held in the Phoenix, Arizona, area to help employers present alternative commuting ideas and programs to employees and get their feedback.
Comments should be used in association with other community input. Comments assist agencies in becoming aware of opinions and stances of participants, often before they become solidified or difficult to modify. Because they are made in a casual atmosphere, the comments are sometimes more conciliatory than would be the case in a different setting.

Who leads a transportation fair?
Agencies or private groups sponsor fairs. Public agencies hold fairs to detail a specific project and its impacts and to demonstrate support for it. Private transportation management groups hold fairs to attract new members or explain new programs. Representation of public officials at a transportation fair can be productive, depending on the fair’s purpose. For example, in the San Francisco area, employers sponsor fairs, with assistance from public agencies.
A transportation fair requires no leader on the day of the event. However, a fair can be scheduled with specific times for presentations or brief talks or to introduce featured attractions such as celebrities. At such times, a moderator or other person is needed to make introductions.

What are the costs?
A fair requires support staff within an agency, and the work required can be substantial. Finding a site—usually on land or in buildings that are privately-owned—takes advance preparation. Agency representatives must be alerted to attend if needed to respond to inquiries or explain technical issues.
Material needs are extensive. Graphics should be sufficiently large and well-prepared to address principal issues. Photographs may be required for orientation. Slide presentations are often desirable. Substantial exhibition room is essential. Written materials can supplement graphic presentations. Take-away souvenirs, including buttons, maps, brochures, or imaginative graphics, are useful reminders of the fair’s subject. For example, an annual transportation fair for an employer in the Washington, D.C., region includes table-top exhibits by employers, give-away items with emblazoned information, and contests or drawings for seed money to start a vanpool. (See Information Materials; Games and Contests)

How is a transportation fair organized?
A fair is managed by an existing organization. It may have a chairperson or director, depending on the extent or importance of the event. A fair needs staff to manage the exhibitors, oversee production of graphic or written materials, and make the physical arrangements on the day of the event. In the Los Angeles area, for example, fairs are sponsored by private firms and managed by their employer transportation coordinators.
Organizational meetings are necessary to set the policy and goals for the fair, select a date and place, solicit exhibitors, and develop publicity for wide public distribution. Specific assignments and delegation of responsibilities help assure on-time production of exhibits.

How is it used with other techniques?
Not a stand-alone approach, a transportation fair pairs well with other techniques and shows the products of public involvement, such as the results of a brainstorming session. (See Brainstorming) It can be sponsored by a Civic Advisory Committee (CAC) to show work in progress. (See Civic Advisory Committees) With videos or fixed exhibitions, fairs can display goals or accomplishments of a public agency. (See Video Techniques; Interactive Video Displays and Kiosks)
A fair helps interest community residents in transportation or sets the stage for upcoming events, such as a complex, large-scale project. It is used to elicit candidates for membership in a CAC. It also is used to present awards to individuals who have contributed to improvement of transportation services.

What are the drawbacks?
A fair cannot replace other techniques. As a one-time event with self-selected participants, it is not usually representative of all interests. It is temporary in intent and thus does not meet Federal standards for continuing public involvement. It cannot replace a public process that records statements in a more formal manner, where local people are certain they are being heard by appropriate authorities. (See Public Meetings/Hearings)
A transportation fair does not bring public consensus. There is no deliberation between potentially opposing groups. The principal intent in a fair is to disseminate information, not to receive ideas. Attempts by the sponsor to derive consensus from a fair may cause problems; the sponsor becomes vulnerable to charges of not taking public involvement seriously.
Representative comments cannot be expected because a fair is not likely to include all potential participants. In fact, comments from participants are appreciated because they are to some extent unexpected. In certain instances, little or no feedback will be directly useful to an agency. However, unarticulated comments do not mean that the fair was a failure; many participants do not view writing comments as an essential element of their enjoyment of the exhibits at the fair.

For further information:
Caravan for Commuters, Boston, Massachusetts
(617) 973-7189
Commuter Transportation Services, Los Angeles, California
(213) 380-7750
New Jersey Transit
(973) 491-7000
Regional Public Transportation Authority, Phoenix, Arizona
(602) 262-7242
Washington, D.C., Council of Governments Ride-finders Network
(202) 962-3200
For information about this technique and all other under this larger group (See Information materials).
Why is it useful?
A VMS sign can provide specific travel information to motorists and can be an effective strategy for providing specific project or planning information. It can be available 24 hours a day and capture motorists from a large geographic area who use the facility but may not hear about a project or planning effort for the facility through other communication channels.

The Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council, in coordination with the New York State Department of Transportation, used VMS to advertise a series of public workshops related to a planning study for the future of I-81 through downtown Syracuse. The VMS, located at several locations along I-81 as well as intersecting highways, provide the dates, times and location of the meetings. A large portion of the workshop participants noted learning about the workshops from the VMS.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has also used VMS as a public involvement tool. In its reconstruction of US Route 202, VMS signs along the highway default to displaying the project website URL when not in use for urgent traffic conditions or public service messages.

How is it organized?
VMS messaging is often led by the agency that has jurisdiction over the highway facility. Agencies will need to coordinate with those responsible for operating and maintaining the VMS signs and understand the policies and protocols for displaying information.

Who participates and how?
Participation is open to anyone who reads the VMS. Given travel speeds and the limited time motorists will have to read and understand the signs, messages are typically kept short and are generally worded to encourage participation through other communication channels. This might include providing a project URL or announcing a public meeting. VMS is most cost-effective as tool to target travelers on a specific highway facility and to educate the public about where and how to either get additional information or actively participate in the project.

What are the costs?
For agencies with existing fixed or portable VMS systems, costs are minimal. The short nature of the messages means they can be written by anyone involved in the project and reviewed and approved quickly. The technique would not be recommended for agencies without their own or access to partner agency VMS systems.
The Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) produced a DVD that explained in great detail a Corridor Study EIS. The DVD included project introduction and explanation, a tour of the corridor, and a summary of RTD meetings. The DVD was found to be highly effective at educating the public however, by the time the DVD was distributed to the public, much of the content was outdated. Posting some of the DVD content on YouTube as soon as it was available allowed the agency to keep the public informed in a timely manner.

Why is it useful?
Posting videos on the Web makes information available to a wide audience. Segments of the public that are not often represented at public meetings such as people who work at night, youths or the elderly or infirm can access information at their convenience from home. Videos can also appeal to those segments of the public such as the elderly and non-English speaking residents that have difficulty reading printed materials. Because services such as YouTube are generally free, video sharing provides a much cheaper alternative to traditional newsletters or mailings.

When the Denver RTD sent out e-mail invitations to a North Metro Corridor Study Public Meeting, they included a link to a YouTube video. The video provided a background presentation on the project and a description of what would be discussed at the upcoming public meetings. Following the meeting, another e-mail was sent out with a link to a video that presented a summary of the meeting. The RTD found that this enriched the participatory experience for the public and that this approach boosted attendance of the meeting.

Within the content of the video, the transportation agency can instruct the public on how to respond and provide relevant contact information. YouTube also has built-in features that allow the transportation agency to monitor the number of people who view their posted content and for the public to rate the content or post comments. Video sharing can be particularly useful for communicating with the public in areas with low population density or areas that encompass a long linear distance. In these areas traditional media do not reach the entire population. It is well suited for large scale projects and for attracting the public to attend meetings with attendance problems.

Who leads?
Video sharing can be a joint project between the Communications Department and the IT department of the transportation agency. If the required skills are not possessed in-house, private consultants can provide these services.

What are the costs?
Production can be as high or low budget as desired. Videos can be straightforward recordings of public meetings or highly produced presentations with animated graphics and audio commentary.

What are the challenges?
Video sharing services generally allow some degree of objectionable or offensive material. It is important for the transportation agency to ensure that objectionable material not become associated with their content. YouTube allows the transportation agency to turn off the ability for viewers to comment on the site. Viewing these videos also requires an internet connection which excludes some segments of the public.
Why are they useful?
A video is worth a thousand words. An easily-understood video is more useful to some people than reading or hearing about transportation. With the nearly universal availability of television and the emphasis on visuals in today’s society, videos have a role in transportation planning and project development that has yet to be fully explored.
Videotapes provide an additional medium for reaching people. Although videotapes are widely used in this country for entertainment, they are also used for education and the dissemination of information about transportation. Videos can describe the steps in a process. They are geared to a group or an individual, depending on an agency’s purposes, and enliven the presentation of a potentially dull subject. The Connecticut DOT, for example, prepared videos to enhance public understanding of incident management on an interstate highway. Agencies make videos available through local television stations, public libraries, and video stores or distribute them door-to-door, as has been done in recent political campaigns. The Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (RTA) produced a short video at each major milestone during development of its regional transit ballot proposal and sent it to public libraries as well as interest groups.
Videos are used to introduce people to meetings and hearings. Set to replay endlessly, videos present the same message each time without variation. Because these repeated messages are "canned," they should be presented in an informative, lively, and friendly manner. This may be extremely important when used with, say, a formal public hearing. (See Public Meetings/Hearings; Open Houses/Open Forum Meetings) The Virginia DOT, for example, used videotapes to introduce and describe an open house public hearing process.
Agencies use videos to document a planning process. They can document proceedings of events in a public participation process. Viewers are thus exposed to a wide range of participants and their concerns. Focus group proceedings are frequently recorded on video for later replay and analysis.
Videos illustrate different planning scenarios or project alternatives and help people visualize a situation before, during, and after construction. Many incorporate computer simulations, such as a ride on a transportation facility before it is built. (See Visualization Techniques) For example, a New York State DOT video illustrating the impacts of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes was shown to elected officials, the business community, and the general public. A separate video simulated the experience of driving a car on both 10- and 12-foot-wide HOV lanes.
Videos help ensure that a consistent message is conveyed during a series of meetings or other events, particularly when different staff members are in charge. San Francisco’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Regional Planning Commission both produced videos on their long-range plans and showed them at meetings to make sure the same information was provided to all participants.

How do agencies use the output?
Videotapes reach a broad audience for participation. People who cannot be reached in any other way often respond to videotapes. Presentation software is now available to provide viewers with information they can play on their VCRs. Currently, this technique often uses stationary images similar to slides, but in the near future video presentations for television will include live action as well as stationary and animated material.
Dry runs of presentations are often videotaped. Presenters rehearse a presentation, review it on tape, critique elements such as substance, voice modulation, posture, body language, jargon, and use of visual materials, then make changes accordingly.
Agencies often distribute videotapes over a large geographic area and in more than one language. They frequently clarify a complex process to supplement an oral presentation. For example, Boston’s Central Artery/Tunnel project uses videos to simulate driving through a tunnel and along a surface street during various stages of the project. Videos also update the community on construction staging plans and mitigation proposals.

What do video techniques cost?
Costs of producing videotapes vary. Simple videos produced in-house are inexpensive but may not be successful in reaching the target audience with the right message. An amateurish production may alienate people from an agency's approach or goals, because its unprofessional quality reflects on the caliber of the project itself. A more professional production is expensive initially but more cost-effective in the long run. Reproduction of tapes is relatively cheap.
Length varies in accordance with the message to be delivered: videotapes are prepared with a brief message or with more substantive content. For example, in Missoula, Montana, a four-minute videotape was used to introduce people to the principal issue of a meeting—the improvement of a single, complicated intersection.
Video production demands a high level of staff expertise. Even with donated video equipment, it is often difficult for agency staff to produce a good video. Staff may be available to record highway or transit rights-of-way, but these rudimentary skills fall short when a video must be credible and informative about complex issues. If the in-house staff does not have sophisticated production skills, outside assistance is required to produce a high-quality, cost-effective videotape.

Who develops these techniques?
Video usage requires a lead person within an agency—a creative and adventuresome person interested in trying new techniques for involving the public in transportation. This can be an existing staff person or a staffer hired for the purpose. Agency staff people are the best resource to draft a video script and ensure that it is consistent with written materials and the particular goals the agency is aiming to achieve.
Production frequently requires outside assistance. Although personal recorders are widely used, videotapes to portray public activities should be professionally and competently produced, using professional-quality equipment.

How do they relate to other techniques?
Video techniques are often part of a media strategy. A video can be released for use on television as camera-ready copy. An agency thus provides the news media with an accurate portrayal of a process or project to be shown as part of regular programming. Videos are a good means of providing information about meetings or ongoing planning processes. (See Media Strategies) Seattle’s Regional Transit Project, for example, used videotapes for 30-second advertising spots broadcast more than 300 times on five local television stations.
Videos reach people who would not otherwise participate in transportation processes, including people with disabilities. Special efforts should be made to accommodate hearing disabilities. TDD (Telephone Devices for the Deaf) phones are available with small screens and keyboards to aid people who are deaf or have hearing disabilities. A video is always part of a larger process and closely related to other techniques. Because a videotape is a one-way device, suitable for disseminating information, it has many potential applications. It can be an element for discussion in a focus group or charrette. (See Focus Groups; Charrettes) It can record the points of view expressed at public meetings and hearings. (See Public Meetings/Hearings) It can document positions established at civic advisory committee meetings. (See Civic Advisory Committees) It can report on agency progress at a transportation fair. (See Transportation Fairs) A video should not be used in isolation from other techniques. It cannot replace face-to-face encounters with other participants and agency staff. Public involvement participants should always be fully informed if they are being recorded.
Videotapes can substitute for field trips. A video can illustrate the characteristics of a region or a corridor, alternative modes of transportation, alignments and adjacent neighborhoods, potential impacts, mitigating measures, and methods of participation. (See Site Visits)

How are they produced?
Videotapes incorporate a variety of technologies such as live action, computer images, graphics, maps, and charts. They can be produced incrementally. Slide shows can be augmented by scripts. Scripts can be recorded and slides shown at pre-determined intervals. A finished script and storyboard (picture sequence) can be developed and turned into a video. Special equipment and processes are required to transfer computer information onto tapes, and the level of quality varies.

Who participates? And how?
Any community member can use videotapes. The only requirements are a television set and a playback machine. Printed materials such as brochures often complement the information presented graphically in a video. It is also important to provide telephone contacts for access to agency personnel for further information.

What are the drawbacks?
Videotapes are not two-way. Unless special provision is made for an individual to respond, the viewer watches a message without being able to give feedback and without hearing opposing views. Thus, a tape should include a means of contacting staff or obtaining additional information. Some cable television stations use interactive techniques, including playing a video and allowing responses from viewers by telephone. (See Interactive Television; Interactive Video Displays and Kiosks)
Video viewers are basically self-selected. Access is limited to viewers with a playback machine. Special attention should be given to the needs of people with disabilities. Interpreters may be needed to make the information available to individuals with hearing disabilities. Text must be sufficiently large so people with sight disabilities are able to read it. For the blind, narration should be sufficient to explain the material even though it cannot be seen.
Video techniques are rapidly changing. While videos are available now principally via home rentals or scheduled programming, in some localities it is already feasible for viewers to call in to view non-scheduled material immediately or at a viewer-chosen hour on a specific channel. Increasingly interactive techniques are being developed in the media. For example, in a few years, it will be possible for agencies to compose videotapes with information about specific processes to be broadcast on television, with community residents able to register opinions in a poll immediately following the presentation.
Agencies sometimes over-estimate viewers’ attention spans, making videos too detailed or too long. A good norm is probably 5 to 15 minutes. Agencies should seek sound professional advice about how to define their message succinctly and with an appropriate level of detail. For easy comprehension and retention, a good video strikes a balance between substantive information and simplicity.

For further information:
Central Artery/Tunnel Project, Boston, Massachusetts
(857) 368-4636

Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority, Seattle, Washington
(206) 364-5268

Missoula, Montana, Department of Transportation
(406) 549-6491

New Jersey Department of Transportation Long-Range Plan
(609) 963-2213

New York Department of Transportation Region 10
(631) 952-6108

Puget Sound Regional Council, Seattle, Washington
(206) 464-7090
Why is it useful?
Virtual meetings can be available 24/7 and allow the public to participate in meetings according to their own schedule. In addition, virtual meetings can expand the geographic area for participation and allow those who cannot or choose not to travel to an in-person meeting to participate from any location.

For its 2035 long-range plan update, the Virginia DOT developed a web-based workshop to mirror the information and interactive opportunities available at its in-person meetings held throughout the state. The convenience afforded by the Internet in allowing users to participate from the location and time of their choosing helped push online participation above the total combined participation at all of the in-person meetings.

How is it organized?
Virtual meetings can be designed, built, and hosted either by an agency, an outside consultant, or combination of both. In addition to web design skills, database integration is also needed for virtual meetings in order to capture information received by the public.

Who participates and how?
Participation is open to anyone with an Internet connection. Users typically are requested to sign-in to a meeting and then can progress at their own pace through the content of the workshop.

What are the costs?
The costs involved with virtual meetings include the cost of registering a URL, hosting the website and designing and developing the web application and logic. These costs can be substantial if an outside web designer/developer is needed.
Why is it useful?
Virtual worlds provide a sense of “being with others” in a shared space where all users are seeing an interacting with the same digital environment. This digital environment, when replicating either current or future conditions, provides a powerful visualization tool for the public to help explain and depict issues, problems and visions. As a virtual meeting place, participation is not geographically or temporally constrained and discussion and input gathering can take place at the convenience of the user.

When the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced plans to invest more than $100 million to renovate LaGuardia Airport and the surrounding area, a local planning board in Queens, New York, took the opportunity to develop ideas for redesigning a park next to the airport (Landing Lights Park). The planning board hired a developer to build a replica of the park within Second Life so users could view suggest designs.

How is it organized?
Virtual worlds typically take place on a 3rd-party platform, specifically designed and built for virtual environments. Developing a virtual world for a project or planning study could be led by either the sponsoring agency or outsourced to a vendor. Replicating a specific location or depicting possible future conditions will require 3D modeling capabilities.

Who participates and how?
Participation is open to anyone with a computer or other device capable of connecting to the Internet and the virtual world. Users typically need to register and sometimes download software (both usually free). After selecting an avatar, users can join the virtual world.

What are the costs?
Virtual world host sites are typically free. The costs associated with this technique stem from the time and resources needed to create any 3D models or other graphics that will be uploaded to the hosting site as well as monitoring and participating in the virtual world.

What are the challenges?
While most of the tools and sites for building virtual worlds are free, there is a relatively substantial learning period for both those setting up a new virtual world and for new users. While most will be able to understand and master the process in a matter of days, this may be too long to attract the general public.
What is visioning?
Visioning has been used to set a long-range statewide transportation plan in Ohio, a statewide comprehensive plan in New Jersey, and a regional land-use and transportation plan in the Seattle, Washington, region. The Governor of Georgia, acting as "Chief Planner," used it to create long-range goals for the State. Central Oklahoma 2020 is a visioning project for a regional plan.
Priorities and performance standards can be part of visioning. Priorities are set to distinguish essential goals. Performance standards allow an evaluation of progress toward goals over time. In Jacksonville, Florida, a community report card is used to determine priorities; each target for the future is evaluated annually. In Minnesota a statewide report card was used to evaluate the current status and set up goals and milestones for the future. Oregon established benchmarks to measure progress toward its long-term goals.

Why is it useful?
Visioning offers the widest possible participation for developing a long-range plan. It is democratic in its search for disparate opinions from all stakeholders and directly involves a cross-section of constituents from a State or region in setting a long-term policy agenda. It looks for common ground among participants in exploring and advocating strategies for the future. It brings in often-overlooked issues about quality of life. It helps formulate policy direction on public investments and government programs.
Visioning is an integrated approach to policy-making. With overall goals in view, it helps avoid piece-meal and reactionary approaches to addressing problems. It accounts for the relationship between issues, and how one problem’s solution may generate other problems or have an impact on another level of government. It is cooperative, with multi-agency involvement, frequently with joint interagency leadership.

Does visioning have special uses?
Visioning uses participation as a source of ideas in the establishment of long-range policy. It draws upon deeply-held feelings about overall directions of public agencies to solicit opinions about the future. After open consideration of many options, it generates a single, integrated vision for the future based on the consideration of many people with diverse viewpoints. When completed, it presents a democratically-derived consensus.
Visioning dramatizes the development of policies to get people involved in specific topics such as transportation infrastructure. In Ohio, the Access Ohio program was designed to establish goals and objectives for development of transportation projects and programs. Other States that have used visioning to establish long-range goals include Kansas, Georgia, Texas, Florida, Iowa, Oregon, and Minnesota.

Who participates? And how?
Invitations to participate are given to the general public or to a representative panel. A broad distribution of information is essential. This information must be simply presented, attractive, and rendered important and timely. It should also include clear goals of participation and show how comments will be used in the process. (See Information Materials; Mailing Lists)
Community residents participate through meetings and surveys. A typical method of involving local people is through a questionnaire format, seeking comments on present issues and future possibilities. (See Public Opinion Surveys) A report card filled in with community opinions was used in Jacksonville, Florida. In Minnesota, opinions were elicited through small or large public meetings at locations distributed equitably throughout the state. In the Research Triangle region of North Carolina, participants drew pictures of their vision of the region’s future and of transit opportunities in words and pictures on wall-sized sheets of paper.

How do agencies use the output?
Visioning helps agencies determine policy. Through widespread public participation, agencies become aware of issues and problems, different points of view, and competing demands. Drafting responses to comments aids in sharpening overall policy and assists in focusing priorities among goals, plans, or programs. Visioning also helps bring conflicts to the surface and resolve competing priorities.

Who leads a visioning process?
A chief governmental official can lead visioning. In several States, the Governor has made visioning a cornerstone of State policy planning for infrastructure investments and State operational departments. The governors of Oregon, Texas, Iowa, Minnesota, Georgia, Florida, and New Jersey have fostered visioning for their States.
Agencies also lead visioning projects. Statewide agencies led new visioning projects in Maine and Hawaii. Regional agencies led visioning projects in Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and Seattle.

What does visioning cost?
Visioning costs vary. The chief items are staff time and materials sufficient to set up and carry out the program. Staff people should include a leader committed to the process, a community participation specialist who is well-versed in the applicable policies, and staffers who can interpret and integrate participants’ opinions from surveys and meetings. Meeting materials are minimal but can include large maps and newsprint pads and markers to record ideas. If forecasts of information are developed or if alternative scenarios are to be fleshed out, research and preparation time can be extensive.

How is it organized?
A specific time period is scheduled to develop the vision statement. The schedule incorporates sufficient time for framing issues, eliciting comments through surveys or meetings, recording statements from participants, and integrating them into draft and final documents.
Visioning staff members are typically assigned from existing agencies that are familiar with issues and essential contacts to be maintained. In Minnesota and New Jersey, staff was assigned from the State planning office; in Jacksonville, Florida, from the Community Council/Chamber of Commerce; in Ohio, from the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Is it flexible?
Visioning is extremely flexible in terms of scheduling and staff commitments. Scheduling takes weeks or months. Staff is temporarily or permanently assigned to the project.
Preparation for visioning is crucial and touches on many complex issues. Advance work is essential to give time for staff to prepare the overall program, agendas, mailing lists, questionnaires, and methods of presentation and follow-up. (See Mailing Lists; Public Opinion Surveys) The visioning program should be carefully scheduled to maximize local input and response time prior to selecting final policies.

How is it used with other techniques?
The visioning process involves many techniques of public involvement. In the Seattle area, the visioning process on regional growth and mobility futures included the most extensive regional public involvement effort ever conducted in the area: symposiums, workshops, newspaper tabloid inserts, public hearings, open houses, surveys, and community meetings. (See Conferences, Workshops, and Retreats; Public Meetings/Hearings; Open Houses/Open Forum Hearings; Public Opinion Surveys)
Visioning leads toward other public involvement techniques. As a policy umbrella, it can precede establishment of a civic advisory committee and guide its work in reviewing individual projects or programs. (See Civic Advisory Committees) It leads to brainstorming sessions or charrettes to solve individual problems. (See Brainstorming; Charrettes) Visioning is often the basis for public evaluation and implementation; it led to performance monitoring of State agency activities in Oregon, Minnesota, Iowa, and Texas, followed by reports to the public.

What are the drawbacks?
Time and staff requirements are significant to maintain contact with numerous community participants and carry the program forward. The numbers of participants varies from 100 community leaders in Jacksonville to an estimated 10,000 residents in Minnesota. Listening to participants can consume several months’ time. Full-time effort is required of staff when the process is in motion.
The staff needs patience to deal with so many diverse views and individuals, time and schedule requirements, and complex issues and interrelationships. Finally, visioning is a one-time event, and remains on a generalized policy level; there is a substantial risk that the resulting document will not satisfy all interest groups.

When is visioning most effective?
Visioning is of maximum use at an early point in the establishment or revision of policies or goals. Used in this way, it demonstrates openness to new ideas or concepts suggested by the public. For maximum effect, a visioning project should have the active support of elected officials, agency heads, and community groups.

Visioning is useful:

To set the stage for short-range planning activities;

To set new directions in policy;

To review existing policy;

When integration between issues is required;

When a wide variety of ideas should be heard; and

When a range of potential solutions is needed.

For further information:
Iowa Department of Management (Futures Agenda)
(515) 281-3322
Jacksonville Community Council (Quality Indicators for Progress), Jacksonville, Florida
(904) 356-3052
Minnesota Planning (Minnesota Milestones), St. Paul, Minnesota
(612) 266-6575
Ohio Department of Transportation (Access Ohio), Columbus, Ohio
(614) 466-7170
Oregon Progress Board (Oregon Shines/Oregon Benchmarks), Salem, Oregon
(503) 373-1220
Puget Sound Regional Council (Vision 2020), Seattle, Washington
(206) 464-7090

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