This presentation tackled recent public opinion polls and discussed the overall context for transportation messaging.

1. Talking About
Transportation
Crafting a New Message
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Lloyd Brown
Director of Communications
Joint Meeting of the Standing Committee on Planning
and the Subcommittee on Transportation Finance Policy
August 13, 2013
Minneapolis, Minnesota

2. Transportation as ‘national’ issue
• I-5 Bridge in
Washington State
• President
proposes $50
billion for
infrastructure
• States step up to
fund transportation

3. Public opinion on the issue
• North Capitol Region Focus Groups
(January 2013)
• Gallup Poll (April 2013)
• ARTBA Poll (May 2013)
• Mineta Transportation Institute (June
2013)

4. Gallup Poll:
Opposition to gas tax
increase cuts across
party lines, income
and regional
variations

5. ARTBA Poll:
Few respondents
could identify how
much they paid in
gas taxes each
month (an average of
$46 per household

6. Mineta Survey:
Trends in
Support
(2010-2013)
Public support for
gas tax increases
when tied to
specific usage.

7. NCHRP study
Words that Work (2010)
Research overview
• Examined successful efforts to raise
transportation funding in Los Angeles, Oregon,
and Kansas
• Using these messages as a base, conducted
focus groups in four cities
- Orlando, Denver, Charlotte, Washington, DC

8. A changing environment
• What are the words that work?
• What’s the best way to communicate what state DOTs are
doing?
• In 2009 the words to use were:
- Accountability
- Community based
- Performance-driven – on-time and on-budget
• However, it’s a new day!
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9. Two key principles:
# 1: It’s not what you say that matters,
it’s what your audience hears
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10. #2: Decisions are personal
“It’s bigger than you and me. It’s all
about ME.”
-Stephen Colbert
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12. Alternate view

13. Language matters
• The same thing can be interpreted very
differently depending on how you talk
about it How should the government make it
easier to build new power plants?
26%
56%
Relax
government
regulations
Relax
environmental
standards

14. More language matters
• The right language can transform how the
public looks at policies and actions
Which of the following is more important
to you personally?
29%
68%
“balanced
diet”
“eating in
moderation”

15. Here’s what we learned:
What do drivers want to hear?
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mobility
Mobility: it’s the freedom to move where
you want to, when you want to, and how
you want to
[ ]

16. What else do drivers want?
sustainable
Sustainable: we can keep it going for the
long-term
[ ]

17. Maintenance doesn’t sell
Maintenance and upkeep…they already pay for
these
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your truth their truth
We’re running a multi-
billion dollar deficit in the
Highway Trust Fund.
You’ve wasted the
money we’ve already
given you. Why give you
more?
Without more funding,
we won’t be able to keep
up with population
growth.
You should have had a
plan for population
growth.

18. Current state of the system?
your truth their truth
We always expected to have to
expand roads and highways as
needs dictated
You’re just playing catch-up by
adding more lanes. It’s a broken
system.
It’s all due to lack of planning:

19. What people will pay for
• People are willing to pay up to $100 a year for
 new technology
 that makes our infrastructure smarter
 and more efficient.
• They’re most interested in
 Synching traffic lights
 Real time information on congestion, accidents, and road
conditions
 Interconnected road, bus, and train systems
 Clearing stalled cars and accidents faster
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20. Q. “If I could promise you
synchronized traffic signals, a
smarter traffic system, and
technology that clears accidents
off the roads faster, would you be
willing to pay an extra $100 a year for
that?”
A. “I’ll write you a check right now!”
-Orlando Participant
Technology triad
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21. 21
Some language to LOSE:
Commissions =
Bureaucratic Red Tape

22. How to talk about investment
 Build a state and local strategy – not one that
appears to come from Washington, DC
 Start with a message that centers around
something the people in your communities find
most important – not what YOU think is most
important.
 Stress approaches you are taking to ensure
accountability and transparency.
 Use all communications platforms.
 Repeat, repeat, repeat.
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23. Who Is the Best Messenger?
• The Governor and State DOT
should lead the conversation
• The control over money and
project selection should be as
close to the communities using
them as possible
 They have no faith in Washington to
tax, spend responsibly
 But states, municipalities know what
they need
• “Who knows better
than the people
who use it? And
pay for it?”
• -Charlotte Participant
• “Local groups are
closer to the
source. They can
be more specific.
They can tailor the
money to the
problem.”
• -DC Participant
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24. Putting it all together
• Using and promoting “words that work” – a
set of words and phrases that resonate with
our target audiences.
• Developing tools and resources that member
states can use to influence “grass tops”
• Connecting and showcasing the benefits of
what we do to the consumer (not what we
say, it’s what they hear).
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25. Messaging reports
• The New Language of Mobility
• Strategies and Messages:
Three Case Studies of Successful
Campaigns to Raise Revenue for
Transportation
• A New Way to Talk About Transportation
• Available at http://bit.ly/TalkingTransportation
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26. Transparency
• Demonstrate that funds will be spent on transportation
• Provide assurances they can track where their money
is going
 They like – but don’t need – a list that “locks in” particular
projects
 Lists can protect their money from bureaucratic
manipulation
 Money disappearing into a “black hole” of political
maneuvering is a big worry
“If that’s what we gave them the money for, they better damn well use it for that.” –
Orlando participant
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27. 27
Interactive mapsThe Plan: they want to be able to
click here and get more details, like
lists of contractors hired.
Route info: being able to click around a
map helps them visualize where projects
are planned in relation to them.
Budget and timing: they want to
know what it’s costing, and exactly when
construction will begin and end. TBD is
not acceptable.

28. Game changers:
It’s all about showing benefits
• Small, tangible advancements can be game
changers
 They don’t need big shiny techno-promises
 They’re most interested in technology
available today
• It’s not about bringing roads and highways
into 2050, it’s about bringing them into
2013
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29. For more information …
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Lloyd Brown
(202) 624-5802
lbrown@aashto.org