Innovative Approaches to Public Involvement Pauletta Tonilas Regional Transportation District Senior...

Innovative Approaches to Public Involvement

Pauletta TonilasRegional Transportation District

Senior Manager of Public Relations

February 24, 2014

RTD FasTracks Program

• 1 rail line open

• 5 rail lines in construction

• 1 bus rapid transit (BRT) line in construction

• Denver Union Station redevelopment in construction

Public Information/Involvement Program• Multi-faceted PI program

– Public meetings– Email blasts– Website– Social media– Informational materials– Special events– Public opinion surveys– Newsletters– Videos

– Telephone Town Hall Meetings

Former Director Newsletters• Previous way to

connect with the public

• 15 quarterly Director newsletters

• Major time investment

– 100 staff hours per issue

• Little ROI

• Time to try something new!

Telephone Town Hall Meetings• Large conference call; live radio show

• Moderator facilitates meeting

• Calls pushed out to thousands of numbers

• Call-in number available

• Keypad polling with immediate results

• Screened caller questions

• Opportunity to inform, educate and get input

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Telephone Town Halls vs. Newsletters

15 Telephone Town Halls 15 Director Newsletters

450,000 touches 6,500 touches

74,000 participants 1,300 opens

.12 per contact $1.03 per contact

.73 per participant $5.17 per open

Mobility Study Public Involvement

• Tested town hall meetings in lieu of public meetings

• Two town hall meetings held

• 10,500 participants• Received input on:

– What’s important when riding transit

– How they’d like to get information about the study

Meeting Control Panel

Post-Meeting Reports

Tele Town Hall Lessons Learned• Keep recorded messages short

• Provide script for participants, but don’t over-script everyone

• Encourage dialogue and interaction among participants

• Provide staff support during meetings, but don’t over-staff

• Have info resources on hand during meetings for reference

• Prepare questions and key messages for filler

• Check and double-check call-in number and ID code

• Hold a briefing to run through format and share tips

• Provide food and beverages

• Check voice mail box and respond to questions/comments in a timely manner

Flyover Video Maps

http://www.rtd-fastracks.com/ec_22

Videos• Annual videos• Time lapse videos• Smart phone videos

Thank you!

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