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3.A - Establishing Places People Can
Find Information and Interact
Giving people information about transportation projects and plans
is a fundamental step toward getting their informed feedback. To
“get the word out” to diverse stakeholders, agencies need
to establish a variety of places where information is readily and
conveniently available. Many agencies start by providing recorded,
basic information around the clock and staffing phones during ordinary
working hours to respond to questions and give more detail. Human
contact is vitally important and should remain a staple in public
involvement, even when an agency utilizes many other methods to
reach people.
New places to give out information are crucial. Neighborhood locations
are highly desirable but not always practical. Low-tech methods
such as voice mail and answering machines are relatively cost-effective
and enhance an agency’s ability to communicate quickly with
the general public.
“High-tech” technology, including the Internet, opens
up exciting possibilities for reaching people with the information
they need and offering them new ways to interact. FAX-on-demand
services, modems, and on-line services reach people fast. Wireless
communication devices, such as cellular phones or Personal Digital
Assistants (PDAs), are able to receive and transmit voice, text,
and image information from remote, portable locations. Communication
is possible in a specific service area through the use of sophisticated
radio frequency telecommunication; much like an AM/FM radio can
be used within a particular broadcast area. Although, as yet, relatively
few people obtain agency information this way because they do not
understand or have access to computers or other equipment, agencies
are beginning to capitalize on the technology’s potential usefulness
in public involvement.
Offering people a variety of ways to get information increases
the chances it will reach them. The following techniques supplement
more conventional methods:
- On-line services;
- Hotlines; and
- Drop-in centers.
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U.S. Department of Transportation
Communities
