Public Participation/ Public Involvement

Public participation is more than just a hearing, or one meeting near the end of the project development process. Public involvement needs to be an early and continuing part of the transportation and project development process. It is essential that the project sponsor knows the community's values in order to avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts, as well as to narrow the field of alternatives (for planning) and alignments (for projects). The community also needs to understand the constraints and tradeoffs of the transportation planning and project development process and to "buy-in" to the transportation needs and purpose.

Public participation allows the State, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, public transportation providers and resource agencies to know the impacts to the community from the transportation project as viewed by the community. Early and continuing public involvement allows the project sponsor to be aware of the problems and impacts and to deal with these issues early. In that way, attempts can be made so that the impacts can be avoided, minimized or otherwise designed in a manner acceptable to all parties involved. If involved early, the public can provide insight (directly or indirectly) into what their community would find acceptable in the way of mitigation. Often, there are designs or enhancements that will allow the project to fit more harmoniously into the existing community.

If the demographics, values, impacts, and desires of a community are made known early and on a continuing basis through an effective public involvement process in both the transportation planning and the project development processes, the project sponsor can better incorporate them into the design of the project. Design options can often also add enhancements into the project.

What"s New

Limited English Proficiency - The FHWA report, How to Identify and Engage Low-Literacy and Limited-English-Proficiency Populations in Transportation Decisionmaking, provides "best practices" in identifying and engaging low-literacy and limited-English-proficiency populations in transportation decision-making from 11 national technical experts in adult literacy and limited English proficiency, and 57 national experts from Federal, State, county, and city governments, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and their consultants.

Visualization - To strengthen public participation in the planning and project delivery process and specifically to aid the public in understanding proposed plans, SAFETEA-LU calls for State Departments of Transportation and Metropolitan Planning Organizations to use visualization techniques. Through visual imagery, the complex character of proposed transportation plans, policies and programs can be portrayed at appropriate geographic scales - state, region, local area, intersection - and from different points of view.

Legislation, Regulations & Guidance

In 1991 the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) extended the opportunity for public involvement into the transportation planning process. Subsequent legislation - the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) in 1998 and the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) in 2005 - continued to broaden opportunities for public participation in transportation decision-making.

Public Participation in Project Development

Learning the viewpoints and opinions of the stakeholders in transportation projects is one of the chief elements of the FHWA project development process. Stakeholders can be the users or those affected by the construction or traffic related to the project. Since the Federal-aid Highway Act of 1950 and the Federal Transit laws originally enacted in 1964, USDOT has worked to ensure that all interested persons have the opportunity for a voice in how the transportation system is developed. In conjunction with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the opportunity has been extended for public involvement throughout the location and design process for specific transportation projects. It is the intent of NEPA that agencies encourage and facilitate public involvement in decisions which affect the quality of the human environment.

Public Involvement Techniques

This is a reference that provides a wide variety of public involvement techniques to transportation agencies. It includes the 14 techniques originally published in Innovations in Public Involvement for Transportation Planning (1996). Additionally included are new techniques for working with community-based organizations, using electronic media and reaching out to ethnic, minority and low-income groups and people with disabilities. This publication is organized in four chapters with subsections grouping techniques thematically by function. Each chapter ends with a final subsection called "Taking Initial Steps."

Case Studies

These case studies provide examples of innovative practices that State Departments of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, public transportation providers and other organizations are using to promote effective public participation in transportation decision-making.

Publications

Here is a listing of research and published documents on public participation in transportation decision-making that FHWA and many other organizations have conducted and produced.

Other Resources for Public Participation

Additional information on public participation in transportation decision-making from organizations is provided here.

• Case Studies
• Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
• How to Engage Low-Literacy and Limited-English-Proficiency Populations in Transportation Decisionmaking
• Legislation, Regulations, and Guidance
• National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA)
• Project Development
• Publications
• Techniques for Transportation Decisionmaking
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Public Involvement Web Site
• Participation by Interested Parties
• Public Involvement Interactive Website
• Public Involvement References