Public involvement in bicycle and pedestrian planning
Public involvement is a critical aspect of any planning process. Good interaction with the public not only helps to more clearly define the objectives and outcomes of a given project, it can also result in a supportive constituency for the final recommendations and/or design plan.
There are several important features of public involvement in the pedestrian and bicycle planning process:
1. Provide opportunities for ongoing participation, in all stages of the planning process.
2. Be inclusive. When in doubt, include people rather than leave them out, even if they may be opposed to the project.
3. Initiate participation early in the planning process.
4. Provide ways for the public to become actively involved through walkability audits, design charrettes, collecting survey data, or by simply providing frequent opportunities for public feedback.
5. Include a wide variety of users, including people with disabilities, people of different ages (including children), and people with a variety of cultural backgrounds.
6. Respond promptly to requests for information, and make the process as accessible as possible to the public.
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Public Involvement Techniques
• One-on-one meetings with key individuals.
• Focus group meetings - selected groups of individuals that are chosen due to their particular interest in bicycle/pedestrian issues.
• Open Houses - informal meetings that enables participants to talk to project sponsors one-on-one. These meetings are usually "drop -in" style.
• Workshops and charrettes are meetings that are intended to get the public more actively involved in the design process. Smaller groups work together to brainstorm solutions for a particular project.
• Project newsletters and websites provide ways to give regular project updates to a wide audience. Websites can also be made interactive to enable people to provide their comments on-line.
• Media outreach - cultivate contacts with the media (radio, print and TV) to generate interest in the project.
• Special events - organize a bike ride or community walk with elected officials and citizens to highlight bicycle and pedestrian issues, and to allow more informal discussion of the issues.
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