Public Participation Plan 2007: Guiding Principles
III. Guiding Principles and Federal Regulations
BRTB Public Involvement Principles
This Participation Plan assists the BRTB in carrying out its mission by providing an open process that offers complete information, timely public notice, full public access to key decisions, and support for early and continued involvement of stakeholders. This plan lists the activities and procedures that are applied to provide public access to the planning process.
In particular, the BRTB believes that:
- Public involvement is an important element of a high quality transportation planning process, not a simple "add on" to meet federal requirements;
- Effective transportation planning must include the participation of those whose everyday lives are critically affected by how they are able to get to work, home, school, stores, and services;
- It is essential to ask for public participation, not just wait for it. It is essential to respect and seriously consider input that is received, not just collect it;
- Informing and educating the public about transportation planning issues and the transportation planning process is key to obtaining good quality public input; and
- Additional emphasis should be placed on involving persons and groups typically under-represented in transportation planning or with special transportation needs, including low-income, minority, elderly, and disabled populations.
Federal Regulations Guiding Public Involvement: SAFETEA-LU
In addition to the principles highlighted above, new proposed federal regulations emerging from the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) require the BRTB, as the MPO for the Baltimore region, to do the following in regard to public involvement*:
- Provide adequate public notice of activities, particularly as it relates to the BRTP and TIP;
- Provide timely notice and reasonable access to information about issues and the process;
- Employ visualization techniques in the planning process for the BRTP and TIP;
- Offer information in electronically accessible formats;
- Hold public meetings at convenient and accessible locations and times;
- Demonstrate explicit consideration and response to public input on the BRTP and TIP;
- Seek out and consider the needs of those traditionally underserved;
- Provide additional opportunity for public comment on the BRTP and TIP, if significant changes are made to document originally released for review;
- Coordinate with the statewide transportation planning public involvement and consultation processes; and
- Periodically review the Participation Plan for effectiveness.
*The full text of relevant Metropolitan Planning regulations can be found in Appendix B.
The principles and activities described above are intended to apply to and involve all community and business interests. However, the proposed regulations specifically cite the following groups that the BRTB, as the MPO, will engage with reasonable opportunities to be involved in the metropolitan transportation planning process:
- Citizens;
- Affected public agencies;
- Representatives of public transportation employees;
- Freight shippers;
- Providers of freight transportation services;
- Private providers of transportation;
- Representatives of users of public transportation;
- Representatives of users of pedestrian walkways and bicycle transportation facilities;
- Representatives of the disabled;
- Agencies or entities responsible for safety/security operations;
- Providers of non-emergency transportation services receiving financial assistance from a source other than Title 49, U.S.C. Chapter 53; and
- Other interested parties.
This Participation Plan includes activities and procedures designed to meet the principles and regulations defined above. In addition, there is a set of additional tools that the BRTB will employ as needed to help ensure that these principles are adhered to. These are listed in Chapter V.
The following plan identifies those activities and procedures that provide opportunities for public involvement for each of the BRTB’s major transportation planning responsibilities.
Links within this web site: 2007 Public Participation Plan (pdf, 1.11 MB)
Other Parts of the Public Participation Plan
Letter
I. Introduction
II. About the BRTB
III. Guiding Principles
IV. Participation Plan V. Toolbox
Appendix A: Federal Requirements
Appendix B: CFR Excerpts
Appendix C: Lingo
Appendix D: Guide to Making Comments
Links to other web sites:
Last Updated on Thursday, 15 January 2009 08:25