Take the survey: How is public input working in your neck of the woods?

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In Austin, the city is going through a process to reconsider all of its boards and commissions, including consideration of ending the Pedestrian Advisory and Bicycle Advisory Committees, which have been the fulcrum of many profound reforms in Texas transportation policy we have seen in the last decade.

In Amarillo, the Metropolitan Planning Organization has recently grown into a more significant role, with the region reaching a larger population size. There have been some discussions at the Amarillo MPO Policy Board about how to have meaningful citizen input, with some advocating for creating a citizen advisory committee.

Similar discussions are happening across the state. How do we ensure such structures are set up fairly and equitably and that they can efficiently actually help improve policies and optimize spending to do a better job of giving every Texan better safe, multimodal options to live how they want?

If you had meaningful interactions with multiple levels of government, please fill this form out multiple times, one time for each level of government that you had input into transportation planning, policy, or funding decisions. Also, please feel free to answer as much or as little of this survey as you have time to do. Your experiences and thoughts are very valuable to whatever extent you can share. Thanks!

Farm&City staff intend to use this survey to explore these issues further, develop recommendations and improve conversations across the state to optimize our transportation decision-making system. We may publish a report soon using input from this survey. We will strive to keep all responses to this survey confidential. If we want to use an example you explain, we may edit your words to remove any details and generalize the comment to any part of Texas. If you indicate that you are willing to discuss more or to be quoted, we may contact you to follow up and will run it by you before any attribution of a quote.

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What is your home zip code?

What is your work zip code?

In 2024, which level of government were you able to interact with in any manner where you theoretically had some input into transportation planning, policy, or funding decisions - even if you believe they didn't care what you said?

Please fill out this form once for each level of government you have engaged with. Once you hit submit, you will have the opportunity to do the survey again for another level of government. (Feel free to skip the broader questions for any additional levels of government that you fill out this form).

If you feel you haven't been able to engage at any level, then please select "Other" and explain that, then fill out the rest of the survey.

Neighborhood

Management District, Tax Increment Financing District or other local area entity

City

County

Metropolitan planning organization

Council of governments

Public transit agency

Regional mobility authority

Toll road agency

The Texas Department of Transportation

The Texas Legislature

The Governor

Other:

Clear selection

Does this government have:

a government-designated body for citizen leadership on transportation

an organization that tracks government actions and routinely comment on those actions as a body

highly active members of the community who routinely comment on their own behalf

Clear selection

If this government has an official designated body for citizen leadership on transportation, how do people join this body?

Appointed by the governing body of elected officials (such as a city council)

Appointed by a higher level of appointed commissioners (like the Texas Transportation Commission or a City Planning Commission)

The designated body is self-replicating, meaning that existing members appoint new members

Clear selection

Please explain one or two examples of the planning, policy, or funding choices that you tried to engage in.

How effectively did you feel you were able to contribute to transportation planning, policy or funding decisions?

Not effectively

Very effectively

Clear selection

For the government input committee or process you participated in, how well do you think marginalized groups or underserved people could participate?

Not very well at all

Very well

Clear selection

How well do you feel that any government staff or consultants that you interacted with respected your role in transportation planning, policy, or funding decisions?

I felt disrespected

I felt respected

Clear selection

Given your experience with participating in this way, how confident are you in that government's ability to provide a safe, multimodal transportation system?

Not confident at all

Very confident

Clear selection

In your ideal world, how should a citizen input committee be appointed?

Appointed by the governing body of elected officials (such as a city council)

Appointed by a higher level of appointed commissioners (like the Texas Transportation Commission or a City Planning Commission)

The designated body is self-replicating, meaning that existing members appoint new members

Randomly selected residents of the area are invited to join and staff affirm enough interested people to build a body generally representative of the age, race, gender, and economic diversity of the area

Such committees should be open to all those who show up

All input should simply be done through statistically valid representative surveys, not a committee

Other:

Clear selection

What are some of the kinds of input most commonly coming from the groups or people in your area on transportation?

What type of input do you think would be most useful for these people or groups to provide?

What is working well in your neck of the woods in terms of public engagement in transportation planning, policy, and funding decisions?

What is not working well in your neck of the woods in terms of public engagement in transportation planning, policy, and funding decisions?

What would you like to see changed about how this government or any government in Texas works with the public to have input on transportation planning, policy, and funding decisions?

After you finish this survey are you interested in any of the following? (Please click all that apply)

I would love to schedule a zoom or phone meeting to discuss my experiences and suggestions

I would be happy if you quoted me in the report or blog posts. (We will confirm with you if we select a quote from you)

Please add me to the Farm&City email newsletter.

I'm interested in learning more about Farm&City.

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