Studio - Public Engagement

NORTH JERSEY TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AUTHORITY PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PLAN
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PLAN
NORTH JERSEY TRANSPORTATION
PLANNING AUTHORITY
December 2015
Prepared by: Dan, Yu-Po, Jonathon, Nicole
One Newark Center, 17th Floor
Newark, NJ 07102

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Page Intentionally Left Blank

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PURPOSE
How can you get involved?
There are many ways you can influence the transportation planning decisions that will shape the future.
o Ask to be included on the NJTPA’s mailing list by
calling 973-639-8400, faxing 973-639-1953 or by
emailing njtpa@njtpa.org to receive newsletters,
publications, updates and other information.
o You can sign-up for the NJTPA electronic mailing list
or E-List to receive regular updates about events and
news, including meeting notices and agendas.
o Follow the NJTPA on Facebook and Twitter.
o Attend meetings of your county’s transportation board
or committee. The NJTPA or your county’s planning
department can provide you with contact information.
o Visit this web site at njtpa.org to keep abreast of
meetings, schedules and public comment periods and to
review and download reports and other information
o Attend NJTPA Board meetings (held every other
month) and committee meetings (held on alternate
months). A calendar is posted in the NJTPA website.
o Request a speaker for a meeting of your community
organization, club or school.
o Visit designated State Documents Depository Libraries
and other select libraries throughout the region which
keep major NJTPA documents on file.
BACKGROUND
Our families are made up of individuals who have different roles; they work, go to school, get groceries,
attend leisure events, the list goes on and on. Accomplishing our daily goals would be impossible without
The purpose of this document is to document the target audiences, the strategies, and the evaluation
process NJTPA uses in conducting its public participation and outreach.
To prepare this updated Public Participation Plan, the NJTPA has looked to other MPOs to determine
best practices in engaging and informing the public and has incorporated many of those techniques into
this document. It will periodically monitor best practices in order to maintain a high and effective level
of public participation.
Want to learn more?
Check out NJTPA’s Citizen Guide
Want to sign-up for our mailing list?
Please visit njtpa.org/get-involved/e-list-
subscription for more information
Do you have a public comment?
Please visit njtpa.org/get-involved/public-
comment for more information
Would you like to provide feedback?
Email us at njtpa@njtpa.org

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our system of roads, trails, sidewalks, transit and paratransit services, bridges, ports and airports that form
our region’s transportation infrastructure. This document addresses the complexity of our transportation
network and the importance of involving members of our community like YOU. The following serves a
guide for policy-makers, stakeholders, and residents of North and Central Jersey on how they can get
involved and help plan for the future transportation needs of the region. We discuss what the role of a
Metropolitan Planning Organization and the New Jersey Transportation Planning Authority is and we
describe the various ways you can get involved to influence the transportation planning decisions that will
shape the future.
What is an MPO?
Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) plan for the transportation needs of regions throughout the
country. MPO’s were established and mandated by the federal government in the early 1970’s for areas
with populations over 50,000 people in order to centralize and efficiently plan for the complex
transportation needs of large regions. An MPO plans transportation improvements, oversees the
investment of federal funds in the region and serves as a central forum for stakeholders, policymakers and
members of the public to achieve consensus on the various issues that an MPO is tasked with addressing.
The requirements for MPO’s have changed over the years, but critical to the success of regional MPO’s
throughout the country is participation from the public and stakeholders from different backgrounds. To
that extent, the most recent federal transportation bill, entitled the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) requires MPO’s to continuously update
and expand their public participation plans to increase and promote participation of residents and
stakeholders throughout a region. Increasing avenues and opportunities for public participation is critical
to MPO’s across the nation. Transportation planning considers the movement of travelers; key to the
success of planning is input from the travelers themselves!
Who is NJTPA?
The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) is the
Metropolitan Planning Organization for the thirteen (13) counties in
northern and central New Jersey. The NJTPA is one of three MPO’s in
New Jersey and oversees approximately 1.2 billion dollars a year in
federal transportation investments that serve over 6.5 million people
living in the region (75% of the population of NJ). The transportation
network in the region support’s people traveling millions of miles each
day on roads, rail, foot, bike, and ferry throughout the thirteen
counties.
The Board of Trustees of the NJTPA is made up of elected officials
that represent the thirteen counties and the cities of Newark and Jersey
City. These thirteen counties and two cities are referred to as
“subregions” of the NJTPA’s region. NJTPA also works closely with
the seven (7) Transportation Management Authority’s (TMAs) within

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Northern and Central Jersey in order to identify issues and projects at the local level. Also part of the
Board is the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), NJ Transit, the Port Authority of New
York and New Jersey, the Governor of the State of New Jersey and a Governor-appointed citizens’
representative. Agencies, organizations, and stakeholders throughout the region provide input to the Board
on a regular basis and the Board and its standing committees meet regularly at publicized meetings where
the public is not only welcome, but also encouraged to attend.
The NJTPA employs a professional staff of planners, economists, programmers and engineers who
analyze and understand the complexities of the region on a number of issues – all aspects of
transportation, economic development, land use, the environment and air quality. You can learn more
about the NJTPA by visiting our website at njtpa.org.
NJTPA’S ROLE IN INVOLVING YOU!
NJTPA’s role in involving the public requires using specific outreach strategies in an increasing level of
public impact, from informing you about our projects to collaborating with you on certain projects.
Increasing Level of Public Impact
Inform

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NJTPA will provide you with objective information in order to keep you informed of current problems,
alternatives, opportunities and/or solutions.
Consult
NJTPA promises to keep you informed, listen to and acknowledge concerns and aspirations, and provide
feedback on how your input influences decisions. We will take your feedback on analysis, alternatives
and/or decisions.
Involve
NJTPA vow’s a public promise to work with you to ensure that your concerns and aspirations are directly
reflected in the alternatives developed and provide feedback on how your input influences decisions. We
will directly with you throughout the process to ensure that your concerns and aspirations are consistently
understood and considered.
Collaborate
The NJTPA will look to you for advice and innovation in formulating solutions and incorporate your
advice and recommendations into the decisions to the maximum extent possible. We see you as partners
in each aspect of the decision process, including the development of alternatives and the identification of
the preferred solution.
TARGET AUDIENCES
Stakeholders
Stakeholders are organizations and advocacy groups with a specific planning priority. These groups
represent interests of various parts of the General Public.
Municipal Officials and State Legislature
Considering the complexity of our transportation network, it is important to consult local and state elected
representatives who have knowledge of on the ground local issues. It is critical to have feedback from
these elected officials on local citizen issues and concerns regarding significant projects and programs in
their region.
General Public
The General Public are people like you. Citizens who use any part of the transportation network or
infrastructure within NJTPA’s 13-county region. It is important to hear form the general public because
they are the eyes and ears of the everyday issues this region faces. They are essential in the decision-
making process. Within the general public is a sub-population of those who are traditionally under-
represented and deserve special attention during the public participation process. These populations are
determined to be under-represented or disadvantaged either because of economic circumstances, language
barriers, low literacy, age, disability, or color of skin.
OUTREACH STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES

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Below are specific strategies and approaches NJTPA uses to both disseminate and collect information to
and from stakeholders, county and municipal officials, and the general public in order to make successful
transportation decisions for the region. Theses strategies include meetings, informal outreach, traditional
media, digital media, social media, mailings, speaking engagement, sub-regional meetings, publications,
surveys and focus groups, and visualizations.
Summary of Engagement Strategies
Stakeholders
Elected
Officials
General
Public
Meetings
Informal Outreach
Traditional Media
Digital Media
Social Media
Targeted Mailings
Speaking Engagements
Sub-Regional Meetings
Publications
Surveys and Focus Groups
Visualizations
Meetings
Public meetings are publicized through mailings, paid public notices, media advisories, and the NJTPA
website. The schedule and agendas for these meetings are held twice monthly during the day at the
NJTPA headquarters in Newark. NJTPA’s Standing Committees will hold one of its two monthly
meetings at one of the regional TMAs on a rotating basis. NJTPA will live-stream committee meetings
and archive the recordings in a digital library.
Other meetings could include workshops and charrettes.
Informal Outreach

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An effective way to glean information from the public is to have an informal conversation with them.
Example strategies include pop-up kiosks, passive social media engagement tools, voluntary crowd-
sourcing, and on-the-spot interviews.
Traditional Media
NJTPA is committed to educating the public about
relevant NJTPA activities through local newspapers and
radio public service announcements in multiple
languages where appropriate. The NJTPA will also
expand efforts to involve local media in reporting major
work programs, sub-regional events, and meetings.
Digital Media
Advanced media websites like NJ.com are contacted to
both educate and inform the public of transportation
trends, major projects and work programs for the region.
The NJTPA website, njtpa.org/, is the primary source for
data, reports, project summaries, upcoming products and
meeting announcements in a user-friendly and interactive
format. The website currently allows visitors to sign on
to its mailing list, provide feedback and express
concerns. Additionally, the NJTPA utilizes video clips,
interactive tools to improve household transportation decisions, email and electronic documents to
disseminate project information, meeting opportunities, and data about transportation trends in the region.
NJTPA will create and maintain a visual encyclopedia of planning concepts available to the general public
and subregional partners. This will include short video clips, interactive maps, and a visual dictionary of
planning terms.
The NJTPA will continue to examine how best to use emerging internet technologies to present
information and seek comments from the public.
Social Media
Everyday people are using social media sites to
socialize and to consume media entertainment and
information. Currently, NJTPA is on Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. NJTPA will
continue to adapt to emerging social media
applications in order to remain relevant in today’s
digital world and build upon a network for
engagement.
Public Meetings
njtpa.org/get-involved/calendar
 NJTPA’s Board of Trustees
 Planning and Economic
Development Standing Committee
 Project Prioritization Standing
Committee
 Freight Initiatives Standing
Committee
 Regional Transportation Advisory
Committee
Follow us on Twitter @NJTPA
Follow us on Facebook
Watch our videos on YouTube

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In an effort to both educate and gather data, NJTPA will host a monthly “Ask Me Anything” campaign on
specific transportation planning themes in the northern and central New Jersey to encourage interaction.
NJTPA will also create Instagram and Snapchat accounts in an effort to be inclusive all user types.
Target Mailings, Newsletters and Brochures
A large part of reaching stakeholders, county and municipal officials, and the public is maintaining
NJTPA’s mail and e-mail list. NJTPA looks to its partners in its sub-regions and Transportation
Management Associations (TMAs) to continually expand its list of contacts. The NJTPA will seek
opportunities to utilize its mailing list to disseminate information to community centers, libraries, senior
centers and English as a Second Language (ESL) centers, recognizing that there are still many residents
without access to internet.
Speaking Engagements
NJTPA Central Staff will coordinate and schedule speaking engagement opportunities for the Board of
Trustees, which many include transportation conferences, meetings of interest groups, and other relevant
groups on regional transportation and planning issues. Please contact a NJTPA staff member in order to
have a member of the Board of Trustees come speak at your event.
Sub-Regional Meetings
Members of the Board of Trustees are encouraged to actively participate in sub-regional meetings,
including regular meetings of Transportation Coordinating Committees and Advisory Boards, as well as
meetings for area-specific corridor studies and other project-specific studies. NJTPA will work with
communities to decide the best time, day of the week, place and language for meetings to maximize public
participation on corridor specific plans. NJTPA will coordinate with TMAs to interact with their
communities more effectively through the internet, graphic displays, online surveys and interactive online
and in person events. To find out more about sub-regional meetings in your area, please visit your local
subregion website for more information.
Publications
To accomplish its goal to become the lead technical and
informational resource for transportation planning in the
region, the NJTPA recognizes its need to use easily
understandable language to present information. One such
document is NJTPA’s Citizen Guide. NJTPA will continue
to translate select documents as appropriate and it will
display as much information as possible in simple graphics
for ease of understanding. It will also explore innovative
methods to distribute its publications to a broader, more
inclusive audience, using traditional, digital, and social
media.
Visualization
Publications
njtpa.org/newsroom/publications-reports
 Citizen’s Guide
 Biennial reports
 Newsletters
 Flyers, Brochures and Fact Sheets
 News Releases and Media
Advisories

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Visualization is a universal language. NJTPA aims to disseminate information and educate viewers
through visualization techniques. As appropriate, the NJTPA will incorporate the expanded use of
geographic information systems (GIS) mapping techniques into its website and presentations. These maps
and map tools will allow the public to better understand the region’s existing transportation network,
demographics, and topics of concern. The NJTPA will also examine expanded use of simulation software
to demonstrate the impacts of potential future investments and scenarios in a clear, understandable
manner.
Surveys and Focus Groups
To gather updated information on concerns and issues surrounding transportation at a regional or project-
level, the NJTPA will continue to perform digital and face-to-face surveys and use focus groups. At every
survey opportunity, NJTPA will request respondents’ contact information in order to expand its mail and
e-mail lists for future communications.
Traditionally Under-Represented Populations
Outreach to the general public also includes outreach to traditionally under-represented or disadvantaged
populations. These populations warrant special attention due to economic circumstances, language
barriers, low literacy, age, disability, or historical biases. The NJTPA will use the following strategies to
increase participation with all of these populations, with specific emphasis on Limited English Proficiency
and Low Literacy populations, Senior and Disabled Populations, and Low Income and Minority
Populations.
All Under-Represented Populations

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The NJTPA will create a Community Outreach Committee to engage with Traditionally Underrepresented
Populations. This committee will be made up of members from local advocacy and community
organizations and be headed by NJTPA's Citizen's Representative. The Community Outreach Committee
will meet once monthly to discuss planning initiatives.
The NJTPA will provide telecommunication access to meetings upon request for citizens who may require
special assistance or are otherwise unable to physically attend.
The NJTPA will practice advocacy planning by forecasting the anticipated impacts of transportation
decisions on Traditionally Underrepresented Populations. The NJTPA will plan with the intent of
maximizing access for these populations while minimizing harmful land-uses. The NJTPA will publish
these forecasts with each update of the Transportation Improvement Plan.
Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and Low Literacy
The NJTPA will continue to provide selected translated materials to non-English speaking participants, as
appropriate, and will use increasingly more graphic and visualization techniques to communicate
information more effectively to the low literacy populations. Publications will primarily be translated to
Spanish and other languages as appropriate for corridor and area-specific studies. NJTPA will also
identify print and broadcast media that reach these populations.
The NJTPA will set aside funds to provide and advertise in-person translation services at meeting with
reasonable notice. Reasonable notice will be no less than 1 week (5 business days) prior to the meeting.
The NJTPA will update their website to be compatible with Google Translate in order to reach all
constituents within it's planning area online.
Senior and the Disabled Populations
When appropriate, the NJTPA will partner with paratransit providers and the state’s Department of Health
and Human Services and county-level Offices on Aging to better include the populations in transportation
decision-making.
Low-income and Minority Populations
The NJTPA has identified a list of minority stakeholder organizations - including agencies and
organizations serving the Hispanic, African-American, and Asian communities. The NJTPA will continue
to communicate with identified community leaders and organizations by including them in the
Community Outreach Committee.
The NJTPA will continue to identify new stakeholders and media outlets to broaden its reach within low
and minority communities.
The NJTPA will create a Community Leadership Institute to educate Low-Income and Minority citizens
on how transportation planning decisions are being made and become involved stakeholders in the
process. This Institute will focus upon training attendees to be community leaders and touchstones for
future planning projects.

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MONITORING AND EVALUATION PLAN
Based on the below measures of effective pubic outreach and public participation, the NJTPA Public
Affairs Staff will record and evaluate the NJTPA public participation effort annually. These evaluations
will monitor the overall performance of public participation by the NJTPA, allow for the comparison of
like events for insight, and will help contribute in selecting strategies for the future. NJTPA is aware that
some techniques are better-suited for some communities and projects than others and must look at
expanding the use of effective techniques and adapting those that work less well to better suit the needs of
the region. Additionally, NJTPA will partner will the subregions as well as with NJDOT and NJ Transit
to share information on outreach techniques for those that have been both successful and not as effective.
NJTPA will measure its public participation effectiveness by looking at the below quantitative and
qualitative analytics.
Quantitative Measures
NJTPA must measure the effectiveness of achieving successful
outreach and public participation and analyze this information
in order to further better its outreach. Quantitative measures
for social media may include the number of likes, shares,
comments, clicks mentions, or website visits the NJTPA
receives on its social media networks. Quantitative measures
for traditional media and other strategies listed above may
include the number of meetings that are held on an annual
basis, the number of participants at each meeting, the number
of press releases issued, the number of public comments
received, the number of speaking engagements Board of
Trustee members participate in, the amount of coverage
NJTPA receives in the media, and how big and how often those
in the mailing list are contacted. NJTPA will utilize web
analytics and the aforementioned quantitative measures to
create monthly reports for its Board of Trustees.
Qualitative Measures
Not everything can be evaluated by simply looking at the
numbers. NJTPA must ask itself important questions regarding public participation and quality concerns:
 How valuable are the comments received in informing the specific product or study in question?
 What direct, identifiable impact does public involvement have on the planning process and
regional transportation decision-making?
 Has the NJTPA been effective in helping the public understand the planning process?
Likes
Shares or
Retweets
Comments
Clicks
Website
Visits
Mentions

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 What more can/should the NJTPA be doing to further involve the public?

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OUTCOMES
The purpose of the NJTPA Public Participation Plan is accomplished through the above listed outreach
and participation strategies in order to precipitate the following outcomes.
If you have any questions about the above content, please contact njtpa@njtpa.org.
APPENDIX
State and Federal Requirements
General Requirements
Meetings with the NJTPA Board of Trustees and its standing committees are open to the public and a
schedule of its meetings is distributed in January of each year and is additionally posted to the NJTPA
website. A public comment period is provided prior to the meeting date. Materials distributed to the
Board of Trustees are available upon request and additional copies are available at the meeting. Meeting
minutes are available upon request and are placed on the NJTPA website. In accordance with American
with Disabilities Act, NJTPA holds all public meetings in locations that are accessible to the physically
Working Together
The NJTPA Brand
o Broader distribution of NJTPA data and project information
o More public awareness of the NJTPA’s mission and products
o Identification of the NJTPA as the source of technical and informational resources
o Heightened awareness of the NJTPA at the sub-regional and local levels
Inform and Engage
o A better informed public and a more fully informed Central Staff and Board of Trustees
o More engaged members of the public, elected officials and other stakeholders in the
NJTPA planning process
o A Central Staff and Board of Trustees more fully engaged with the public
o More understanding by the public of the importance of the NJTPA’s work
o More trust and credibility in the transportation decision-making process by the public
o A stronger connection between the public and members of the NJTPA Board of Trustees
o Recognition of how input shapes the outcome of products and studies
o Consensus around long-term planning direction and project funding choices
o Tracking of enhanced outreach techniques at the regional and sub-regional level
o Opportunities to revisit and refine techniques
o Involvement of the entire Central Staff in promoting effective public participation
o The NJTPA serving as a leader in implementing best practices for public participation
o A greater degree of public influence on transportation planning and decision-making in
the region
o A better chance to build consensus around tough decisions for the region
o Established an ongoing partnership for working together in the future

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handicapped and that are accessible to public transportation where feasible. In accordance with the New
Jersey Open Public Meetings Act, adequate notice of NJTPA board meetings is advertised in regional
daily newspapers and notice is also posted on the Secretary of State in Trenton and in the county clerk’s
office of the county hosting the meeting.
The NJTPA maintains a library of current and past public documents that can be reviewed by the public
during regular working hours. Public documents produced by the NJTPA are available upon request.
Reasonable public access is provided to NJTPA data and policy information. Fees to cover costs may be
charged for data requests. Applicable Federal and State laws govern access to other files and documents
maintained by the NJTPA. Such requests can be made in writing to the NJTPA Executive Director.
Specific federal or NJTPA public participation requirements for NJTPA major works are listed below.
Public Participation in the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and Transportation Improvement
Program (TIP)
o Hold at least one public meeting, workshop or forum.
o Institute a 30-day comment period on the draft documents during which written comments can be
submitted.
o Place notification in the legal section of the regional daily newspapers. The notification will
include information on how to obtain copies of documents, any public meetings, workshops or
forums scheduled, the schedule for the public comment period, how to submit written comments
and a Central Staff contact for additional information. Notification will also be placed on the
NJTPA website with an option for submitting comments via email.
o Provide notification to a listing of representative interest groups, stakeholders, and agencies in the
region.
o Post documents on the agency’s website.
o Distribute documents to select State Documents Depository Libraries and other libraries
throughout the region.
o A summary of oral and written comments received during the course of the above procedures are
furnished, with responses and Central Staff summaries, to the voting members of the NJTPA
Board of Trustees prior to taking action to finalize the work product. The complete comments and
staff summaries with responses are made available to the public upon request and posted on the
NJTPA website.
o If a final major work product differs significantly from the one made available for public comment
by the NJTPA, an additional opportunity for public comment is provided. A summary report
including the disposition of significant comments is made part of the final document. This report
will include documentation of any direct impact of public comments and other public participation
activities on the planning process and the final product.
o All documents are on file and available for public review during regular office hours at the NJTPA
offices.
Public Participation procedures for for expedited TIP amendments
o A 10-day public comment period on the proposed TIP amendment.
o Notice posted on the NJTPA website and legal notices places in the regional newspapers.

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o A letter stating that the TIP amendment is being considered is mailed to the list of representative
agencies and interest groups, prior to consideration by the NJTPA’s Project Prioritization
Committee. The letter includes a project description and a copy of the amendment, TIP page, and
instructions on how to comment. A summary of comments along with staff responses are provided
to NJTPA Board of Trustees prior to their vote on the amendment.
Public Participation for the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) and Project Development
Work Program (PDWP)
o Distribute the documents to representative groups and stakeholders for review and comment.
o Advertise the documents’ availability in the regional newspapers.
o Post the documents to the NJTPA website for review and comment.
o Distribute the documents to the libraries in the NJTPA region.
Public Participation Plan
o The Public Participation Plan was drafted in consultation with interested parties. To prepare this
Plan update, interviews were conducted with Central Staff, subregional representatives, and
members of the Board of Trustees. AS required by SAFETEA-LU, there was a 45-day comment
period for its review from XXXX to XXXX. NJTPA sought input for this Public Participation
Plan in the following ways:
o Notice of the Plan’s availability was published in local newspapers
o This plan (and its Spanish version) was made available on the agency’s website and at local
libraries
o A post card announcing the availability of the draft Plan were made available upon request
o Three stakeholder roundtables were held to obtain input. One stakeholder roundtable was
specific to Hispanic stakeholders.
o The final draft plan and comments received were presented to the Planning and Economic
Development Committee, and the final plan, reflecting any additional input from the
actions above, was presented to the Board of Trustees for their adoption.
NJTPA Requirements for Public Participation at the Sub-regions
The NJTPA offers support to the subregions to help them establish and enhance public participation
mechanisms. Funding is provided to the subregions to institute procedures for providing opportunities for
local public input into transportation planning activities funded through the NJTPA. These subregional
public outreach efforts will include regular meetings of groups. The purpose of this funding is to actively
foster citizen awareness and encourage citizen input on transportation issues, projects, and programs.

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