INCREASING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN RURAL AREAS

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act suggests that transportation agencies seek public input and encourage public participation in transportation planning. For one rural area--the Abilene district of Texas--this meant developing a public participation plan, which relied heavily on marketing tactics. This paper discusses the methods used to increase public participation in such a vast sparsely populated area. It further discusses the aspects associated with accountability to the public for rejection or modification of their proposed projects and education of local office district employees in planning fundamentals. In Abilene, attendance at public meetings to discuss transportation improvements increased 275 percent over the previous year and projects proposed by the public exceeded available planning allocations by more than 250 percent.