We Love Public Participation!

We love public participation! Feedback from the public has been integral in decisions made by the project team. In April 2015 after our last Public Meetings we received requests for more meetings. We continue to meet with businesses, neighborhood associations, and other interested groups upon request in between Public Meetings. Here is a recent Q&A about how to request meetings, what constitutes a Public Meeting by rule, and how to remain informed. Of course, this blog is one way we are expanding public outreach!


Q: Can I request a public project presentation meeting?

A: You can request public project presentation meeting for interested parties of the project, however, with public comment it would be classified as a “Public Meeting,” which must follow FTA rules. This requested meeting is different from an informal neighborhood or group neighborhood meeting where specific neighborhood associations invite GRTC to attend.

The most important FTA requirement for a Public Meeting by GRTC is that notice of the meeting must be “published in the newspaper of general circulation in the urbanized area. The notice must be published at least fourteen (14) days prior to a scheduled meeting. The notice must contain a basic description of the contemplated service changes…and the time and place of any planned face-to-face or electronic Public Meeting.” The date, time, location, content and ADA information must be included as well. The next statement is not legally required, but we do it: “To ensure that all segments of the community are included in the process of sharing information, GRTC and the applicable jurisdiction will use some or all of its available communication tools to publicize Public Meetings aggressively. Communication tools can include e-mail campaigns, media relations, paid advertising, on-board communication, and others (e.g., social media, website, etc.).”

We are working on all of those things described above right now. For example, we will record a voice announcement of the July Public Meetings to air on all of our buses beginning one month before the meeting. We will also, as we did for the April Public Meetings, advertise the Public Meeting notice in the following papers at least 14 days prior to the dates: Richmond Times Dispatch, Richmond Free Press, Chesterfield Observer, Henrico Citizen and The Progress Index.

GRTC holds quarterly Public Meetings for the GRTC Pulse (BRT) project. The previous Phase I quarterly Public Meetings were January 26 and 27, 2015, and April 6 and 7, 2015. The next quarterly Public Meetings will be held at 626 East Broad Street, Suite 100. Save the dates, but note the different times, which are in response to requests for both mid-day and early evening opportunities to attend:

Monday, July 27 at Noon - 1:30PM

Tuesday, July 28 at 6PM - 7:30PM

As soon as the next quarterly Public Meeting venues are secured, it will be posted online here: http://www.ridegrtc.com/brt/brt-now/ and also posted updates on Facebook and Twitter. We will continue to remind followers through social media leading up to the Public Meetings.

You can find a list of all the Public Meetings we held, and informal neighborhood meetings we were invited to attend, here: http://www.ridegrtc.com/brt/public-outreach/ . We also encourage you to continue the ongoing Public Comment process in writing. The Public Comment Form is here: http://www.ridegrtc.com/media/news/Comment_Form_BRT.pdf and can be mailed or emailed (brt@ridegrtc.com) to GRTC. Whenever you have new input in between the formal Public Meetings, please submit it in writing. This ongoing process allows the lines of communication to remain open, and we can efficiently receive, document and respond to comments in a timely manner. Even though we are nearing the end of Preliminary Engineering Phase I and moving soon onto Semi-Final Design Phase II, there will still be time in this next phase (30% to 60% design) to try to incorporate some changes, based on Public Comment. However, any recommendations must also be considered with the alignment impacts, utilities, access, safety, etc. Informal meetings will also continue, when GRTC is invited.

Another important aspect in between Public Meetings is Public Outreach. Ashley Mason and Carrie Rose Pace are new employees, and it is their initiative right now to personally meet with businesses and people along the corridor. This outreach began shortly after they started their jobs, and continues. You can view the Public Outreach schedule here: http://www.ridegrtc.com/brt/public-outreach and also follow us on social media to find out where and when we go out. Twitter and Facebook have been tested for this “street beat,” and will grow and be a useful tool. As they go door-to-door, they are learning what information is most often requested, and what visuals are most essential for the information folder they present. Their goal is to provide the most up-to-date information on a block-by-block basis and facilitate connections.

Q: Why can’t I request another Public Meeting to be held according to FTA rules before the July Public Meetings?

A: Public Meetings are held quarterly, with continued Public Comment received in between these meetings. This allows at least two months for the Public to comment and also for the design team to digest those comments. As explained above, preparation for the July Public Meetings continues. This is a multi-month process, not a quick two-week turn around.

Q: Why can’t I request another informal neighborhood meeting?

A: You may! We continue to present when neighborhoods/groups invite us. These are informal meetings, specific to the neighborhood(s) or business associations who invite us. The inviting group is responsible for setting up the venue and coordinating a mutually agreeable date and time, within reason.

Q: Can I request an informal meeting for next week?

A: All invitations for GRTC to present are subject to the presenter’s schedules of availability. But please continue to submit invitations for us to meet! You can email brt@ridegrtc.com, and we will continue to coordinate as we have before. Please note that as we enter the Summer months, some people may take typical Summer family vacations, which may impact some availability.

Q: Why can’t we see a list of all upcoming neighborhood meetings?

A: We are invited on a case-by-case basis, and schedule informal meetings/presentations as requested. As such, and to remain courteous of the hospitality extended to us by their invitation, we do not publicize these individual meetings. They may, at their discretion, publicize to their neighbors. You can find the list of all informal meetings under Public Outreach: http://www.ridegrtc.com/brt/public-outreach

Q: Why can’t the project team change impacts on my block immediately?

A: Any change to one block creates ripple effects outward from your block. This means not only your block must be considered, but also every other block impacted as a result of a design request. When feasible, design requests from Public Comment are very helpful.

Q: How can businesses find out the latest news on the project, and how soon?

A: Website updates are ongoing as well as social media implementation, and a plan to start a Blogger. Once any project decisions are finalized, information will be communicated.

Q: Have there been any changes since the last April Public Meeting and the informal multi-neighborhood meeting?
A: Parking preservation was requested more on the south side of Broad Street by the Savory Grain, based on April Public Meeting feedback. Recent Museum District neighborhood suggestions for left-turn access are being made and considered for feasibility.

Q: What are some of the biggest topics considered recently?

A: Since January, the design team has been working intensively on big safety topics like north-south access across Broad Street (which gets into medians, signals, left-turns, and crosswalks), parking (which gets into medians and left-turns), dedicated left-turn lanes for automobiles (which gets into parking, signals and crosswalks), and travel lane widths (which gets into parking and corridor safety). These were all topics addressed at the April Public Meetings. They continue their work on how the “limbs” of local service will branch into and from the “spine” of the BRT. The team is taking into account as many factors as they possibly can to improve the safety, efficiency and accessibility of the entire corridor. They do take into account specific feedback given from businesses, neighborhoods, advocacy groups, etc. This is why the Public Comment process is so helpful, whether written or at Public Meetings.