Public scrutiny and agency accountability are at an all-time high. Agencies are looking for a better understanding of the issues that are important to their customers. In an era of strained financial resources, it is necessary to order priorities that are important to the people that support the transportation system through taxes and fees. The Public Engagement Planning (PEP) program at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) provides research innovations and coordinated support to sponsors in the areas of public engagement planning and public opinion research.

1. Saving Lives, Time and Resources tti.tamu.edu
Public scrutiny and agency
accountability are at an all-time
high. Agencies are looking for a better
understanding of the issues that are
important to their customers. In an era of
strainedfinancialresources,itisnecessary
toorderprioritiesthatareimportanttothe
people that support the transportation
system through taxes and fees. The Public
EngagementPlanning(PEP)programattheTexasA&MTransportation
Institute(TTI)providesresearchinnovationsandcoordinatedsupport
to sponsors in the areas of public engagement planning and public
opinion research.
Expertise
• Public Engagement Planning
• Virtual Forums/Open Houses
• Qualitative Research
• Turnkey Public Opinion Survey
Design and Implementation
• Travel Behavior Research
• Geographic Analysis
• Social Media
• Using Technology to Enhance Engagement
• Customer Satisfaction Programs
• Workshop Development and Facilitation
Selected Sponsors
• Battelle Memorial Institute
• Bi-State Regional Commission
• Colorado Department of Transportation
• Denver Regional Council of Governments
• Federal Highway Administration
• Michigan Department of Transportation
• Ohio Department of Transportation
• Oregon Department of Transportation
• Texas Department of Transportation
• Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Real-time Ridesharing Technology to Support
Differential Tolling by Occupancy
The field of transportation is increasingly relying on effective
communication with citizens, particularly using new technologies.
TTI’s work in real-time ridesharing reflects this change, in a
first-of-its kind project testing use of a smartphone social carpooling app
called Carma with toll road discounts. Sponsored by the Federal Highway
Administration and locally managed by the Central Texas Regional
Mobility Authority, participants are using the system to find carpooling
drivers and riders to share trips, and saving money on tolls as well. This new
form of crowdsourcing mobility through sharing information holds promise
as a way to increase the efficiency of our transportation system.
Selected Projects
Core Functions and Services
• Public engagement and outreach;
• Public opinion data collection
and analysis,
• Travel behavior research survey
design consultation;
• Investment prioritization;
• Establishment and assessment of
performance-based measures; and
• Targeted messaging.
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PLANNING
The mission
of the Public
Engagement
Planning program
is to advance the
practice of public
engagement
through research
and innovation.

2. Selected Projects
Blanco, Lee and Llano County Transportation
and Economic Development Plans
Meeting the public engagement needs of a
rural populations poses specific challenges, such as lack of Internet
access, citizen experience with planning processes, and potential distrust
of outsiders. TTI worked with the Capital Area Council of Governments
(CAPCOG) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to
find public engagement solutions to the challenges facing development of
new plans for the rural Texas counties of Blanco, Lee and Llano County.
Researchers developed Community Involvement Strategies, recommend-
ing local advisory committees, cohesive project branding, websites, local
presentations, press releases, social media outreach, a regional survey dis-
seminated at public meetings, local libraries, businesses and online.
Bridging the Transportation Knowledge Gap in Five Simple
(but not so easy) Steps
Recent quantitative and qualitative research by TTI demonstrates that
Texans understand little about their transportation system and how it is
paid for, which limits their ability to participate in policy decisions that
affect their future. To bridge this understanding gap, TTI is developing
an outreach effort, beginning with a character-driven, five-part video
series, to explain the state’s transportation problem and potential solu-
tions, entitled The Road Fairy: A Tale of Transportation in Texas. The
video series will form the foundation of a broader public engagement
effort in future years.
Public Outreach for the Interstate 35
(I-35) Corridor
As part of a larger effort to develop a comprehensive
approach to meet the needs of the I-35 statewide now
and into the future, a series of listening sessions and
focus groups were held with the business community
and the general public. TTI researchers leading this
effort organized and facilitated five listening sessions
withthebusinesscommunitythroughoutthecorridor,
andconducted14focusgroupswiththegeneralpublic.
For a full list of featured projects, visit
http://tti.tamu.edu/group/pep/projects/.
Texans Talk Transportation: Devel-
opment of an Online Community
In order to develop transportation
policy effectively, legislators should be
provided with the opportunity to tap
into the views of a broadly representative group of citizens who reflect
the expansive range of political, demographic and geographic charac-
teristics that define the state of Texas. Input from this representative
group of Texans can be achieved through developing an online com-
munity, a communication model that is being explored in other states.
This research effort would develop such an online community. The
community would allow for the development of tools such as online
surveys and group discussions to determine what public opinion is
regarding certain transportation policy initiatives. The interactions
between researchers and the community and among community mem-
bers with each other will identify knowledge gaps and misperceptions. Tina Geiselbrecht
Public Engagement Planning Program
Texas A&M Transportation Institute
505 East Huntland Drive, Suite 455
Austin, TX 78752
(512)467-0946 Ext. 12116
t-geiselbrecht@tamu.edu
http://tti.tamu.edu/pep
To solve transportation problems through research, to transfer
technology and to develop diverse human resources to meet the
transportation challenges of tomorrow.
TTI1726.3896.1116
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute, estab-
lished in 1950, seeks solutions to the problems
and challenges facing all modes of transportation.
The Institute works on over 700 research projects
with over 200 sponsors in the United States and
abroad at all levels of government and in the pri-
vate sector. TTI is recognized as one of the finest
higher-education-affiliatedtransportationresearch
agencies in the nation. TTI has saved the state and
nation billions of dollars through strategies and
products developed through its research program.
TTI research has a proven impact — resulting in
lives, time and resources saved.
Contact
TTI’s Mission
About TTI
1
1) Where is your primary residence?
q Johnson City q Rural unincorporated
Blanco Countyq City of Blanco q Outside Blanco Countyq Round Mountain
2) If rural area, please specify which area of the
county in which you live (refer to map)
3) Do you commute to work or school?
q Work q School q Both q Neither
4) To which county do you commute?
q Commute within Blanco County
q Bexar
q Gillespie
q Burnet
q Hays
q Comal
q Kendall
________________________________________
5) To further clarity, to which zip code do you commute?
(If you do not know the zip, please state the city or town name)
________________________________________6) How many miles is yourone-way commute towork or school?
______________
7) How do you make your commute the majority of the time?
q Drive Alone q Walk
q Ride Bicycleq Carpool
q Take Transit q Do not commute
8) If you do not commute for work or school, how many
miles do you typically drive in a singleday for other trips such as shopping?
______________9) Which best describes the primary industry focus of the
company you work for?
___Aerospace
___Information technology
___Agriculture
___Life sciences___Business & professional services ___Manufacturing___Construction
___Mining___Distribution & warehousing
___Renewable energy
___Education
___Retail___Conventional Energy
___Tourism & hospitality
___Finance & insurance services
___Wholesale trade
___Government
___Other___Healthcare
___Not applicable
10) How many vehicles (in workingcondition) are in your household?
______________11) How many licensed
drivers are in your household?
______________12) How many children inyour household
are attendinggrades K-12 in Blanco County?
______________13) (IF Q12>0) How do they travel to school? (check all that apply)q Walk/bike
q Bus q Driven to school q Drive self to school14) How could we make transportation
routes to
schools safer? (Mark all that apply)q More sidewalks
q Routes are safe now
q More school zone enforcement
q Better signalsq More crosswalks
15) Using a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is poor & 5 is excellent,
please rate the following aspects of the local transportation
system. (Circle your choice)
poor
excellent
Availability & width of shoulders
1 2 3 4 5
Availability of sidewalks & bike paths
1 2 3 4 5
Ease of travel to neighboring counties
1 2 3 4 5
Ease of travel within county
1 2 3 4 5
Maintenance of roads & road conditions
1 2 3 4 5
Traffic Congestion
1 2 3 4 5
Traffic lights & timing of lights
1 2 3 4 5
q Travis
q Williamson
q Other (please specify)
Blanco County has undertaken an effort to complete a comprehensive
transportation
plan to guide the transportation
planning for the future.
Your input is important and we hope that you will take the few minutes
necessary to complete and return this questionnaire.
Your answers will be anonymous
.
Public Meeting
Blanco County and the Capital Area Council of
Governments are working with local stakeholders, government officials
and the public to create a vision for economic growth and transportation
improvements to guide Blanco County through the year 2040.
• 1st of two public meetings planned to receive input either verbally or in
writing to help guide development of the plan
• Light refreshments will be served
Anyone interested in learning or providing input to the
Blanco County Transportation and Economic Development Plan.
April 25, 2013 at 6 p.m.
Pedernales Electric Cooperative Auditorium,
E. Babe Smith Headquarters Building,
201 S Avenue F,
Johnson City, TX 78636
Project contact:
David Fowler, AICP
Senior Planner
Capital Area Counc
il of Governments
512-916-6165, dfow
ler@capcog.org
Stay Involved in the plan on the Internet at
http://www.blancocountyplan.org/
What:
Who:
When:
Where:
You’re Invited to a