Outreach Findings

RTP Outreach Brings Thousands Into Process

Thousands of Bay Area residents contributed in the spring of 2001 to the development of the new Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) by taking part in an MTC-sponsored opinion poll, completing an interactive survey on the MTC Web site, attending meetings of their county congestion management agencies and/or participating in community workshops.

MTC made a particular effort this year to ensure that its outreach involved communities with high percentages of minority and low-income residents, co-hosting workshops with groups serving those communities. Interactive displays and public discussions at each workshop highlighted transportation issues such as funding, land use and development patterns, environmental concerns, and social equity. Attendees circulating through a nine-station display were encouraged to use sticky dots to "vote" for various alternatives for dealing with these issues.

The virtual survey posted on MTC's Web site, dubbed the "RTP Challenge," simulated the nine survey stations at the community workshops. The results of the Web survey were combined with those from the community workshops and the public opinion poll to guide MTC planners in their creation of the Draft 2001 RTP, which was released in August 2001.

Even if you didn't take the RTP Challenge, stick your dots on the board at a community workshop, or have your evening interrupted by a dinnertime call from a public opinion pollster, you will have another chance to contribute to the RTP after the draft plan is released in August. An additional round of public participation is scheduled for September and October, with the final RTP slated for adoption by the Commission in December 2001.