The Every Day Counts round five (EDC-5) team on virtual public involvement offers technical assistance, peer exchanges, and workshops to help agencies adopt digital tools to engage people in transportation planning and project development processes.
These virtual tools include mobile applications for sharing information about projects, particularly large or long-term projects. Apps reduce engagement barriers by enabling individuals to participate anywhere and anytime and submit comments and photos as they experience the transportation system, fostering two-way communication.
Another option are low-cost, do-it-yourself videos. Often produced on mobile phones, they can communicate project information to diverse audiences through many media channels. This technique is effective for engaging people who prefer to watch a short video rather than read a report or visit a website.
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) explains its approach to using videos in "DIY Video for Public Involvement." UDOT spent an average of $340 per video to develop updates on a major project and promote the videos on social media. At an average of 11,600 views per video, the cost per view was 3 cents.
