01886845

Monograph

https://dx.doi.org/10.17226/27106

This research will assist public transit agencies to enhance public engagement by more effectively using virtual public engagement. Virtual public engagement can enable transit agencies to obtain more inclusive and equitable public input; build meaningful, enduring relationships; and better serve the community. Virtual tools and techniques facilitate two-way communication with the community, potential passengers, and current riders. Early research on virtual public engagement (pre-2020) was primarily focused on transit agencies’ use of online platforms to inform riders and others (one-way communication), rather than to collect feedback from the public and engage key constituencies (two-way communication). With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, transit agencies across the U.S. dramatically modified their operations in response to stay-at-home orders, evolving health and safety requirements, increasing vehicle maintenance cleaning schedules, and more. Public involvement also dramatically changed, requiring transit agencies to rapidly pivot to virtual platforms and social media to communicate with, inform, engage, and safely receive input from their riders, the public, policy makers, community organizations, and others. After three years of COVID-19 safety precautions limiting in-person engagement, now online public hearings, asynchronous outreach events, hybrid meetings, and online surveys have evolved from necessary to customary. The public, advisory groups, boards of directors, policy makers, and passengers have come to expect online engagement, virtual convenings, and the routine use of social media for promotion and information sharing. However, despite the rapid adoption, development, and expansion of virtual platforms and strategies, the concern remains that virtual engagement efforts may not be fully effective, inclusive, or equitable. This research report is intended to help inform public transit agencies and transportation providers about not only the current state of virtual public engagement, but also best practices for virtual public engagement/involvement (VPI), particularly prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Project J-11/Task 41

English

127p

2023

TCRP Research Report

9780309704946

Print

Appendices; Figures; Tables

COVID-19; Outreach; Public hearings; Public participation; Public transit; Telecommunications

Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jun 28 2023 2:03PM