Using Technology to Build and Manage a Two-Way Public Conversation on Transportation Issues

Abstract

The Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) has pioneered a new approach to involving the public in transportation policy by using online surveying and survey panels. To broaden outreach to Washington State residents and improve public engagement with government, WSTC created the Ferry Riders’ Opinion Group (FROG) survey panel in 2007. WSTC, whose responsibilities include setting ferry fares and highway tolls, began by surveying ferry riders’ views on customer service, ferry fares, and fare policies. After discovering how eager ferry riders were to share ideas and opinions, WSTC created an online survey panel of ferry riders to listen and communicate with them about more detailed, focused topics such as ferry service levels, assessment of mode shift potential, and system investment priorities. In 2012 WSTC took this two-way, dynamic interaction with the public to the next step, launching the Voice of Washington State (VOWS) online survey statewide panel. The FROG and VOWS programs elicit citizen views on transportation policy and funding, generating unique data that WSTC then shares with state and local decision makers. These survey panels engage the silent majority in policy making in a manner never before offered. This paper describes the development of the FROG and VOWS survey panels, the recruitment and retention of panel members, and how survey results are analyzed and reported to decision makers and panel members. The many participants and the real and responsive policy changes resulting from the survey data demonstrate the success of these programs.