Colorado DOT Launches MetroQuest Survey to Involve the Public in Statewide Transportation Planning
We are thrilled to welcome the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) as the newest member of the MetroQuest community.
CDOT is responsible for the transportation network in the eighth fastest growing state. With so much change occurring, CDOT takes public involvement seriously and is wasting no time in making use of MetroQuest. The team has already collected informed input from over 1,225+ people in less than a week and anticipate that many more thousands will follow. The agency is seeking public input on how to spend taxpayer dollars to plan for rapid growth by prioritizing transportation investments that will move more people and goods, safely and efficiently.
CDOT started its MetroQuest subscription with a BANG by launching its first public survey for a project called “Your Transportation Plan”
Watch this 1-minute YouTube video to learn about agency’s new 10-year strategic transportation planning effort:
Public input collected with this MetroQuest survey will help inform which investments are made over the next 10 years across all modes of transportation, including trains, planes, automobiles, bikes, pedestrians, freight, and more. CDOT Executive Director Shoshana M. Lew described the project in a press release:
“This process builds on Colorado’s tradition of grassroots engagement to take a fresh look at our transportation investment priorities and ask people across Colorado what matters to their lives and what infrastructure can do to get them there … Thank you for joining us as we think broadly and build a plan that provides connections, choice, and a Colorado for all.”
A clever video, press release, and press conference have kickstarted the promotional campaign. During the press conference, Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera addressed residents,
“This is an incredible opportunity for Coloradoans to join us at the table, and identify specific transportation projects for CDOT to consider that will directly improve your community. With your engagement we can create your transportation plan, ensuring that Colorado has the connections and choice that help our state thrive.”
Let’s take a look at the highly engaging public survey they customized using MetroQuest! You can either explore the screenshots that follow or try the DEMO survey here (note that your responses will not be included in final survey data).
After a short description of the project on the first Screen, CDOT is using the MetroQuest Priority Ranking Screen to educate the public about the state’s top transportation issues, while asking Coloradans which should be prioritized.
“Part of the reason we’re doing this is to have an active conversation with people about the challenges they have and how you can solve them with different types of transportation,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew at Friday’s press conference.
In the next MetroQuest Screen, Coloradans are rating their preferred goals and transportation strategies. When the survey closes in August, CDOT will have a clear understanding of how residents across the state would like to see transportation options evolve. The CDOT team will know whether residents would like to see investments made in infrastructure to support electric vehicles, or to extend travel options for cyclists, pedestrians, transit users, or to fund a host of other transportation priorities.
On the last interactive Screen, participants are zooming into a map of Colorado and adding map markers to identify areas of concern. They are informing CDOT of safety issues, poor pavement conditions, missing rail or transit options, and areas that could benefit from bicycle and pedestrian options.
The last MetroQuest Screen is collecting demographic information. This data will empower CDOT to ensure that it has reached a broad audience by age, ethnicity, and geography before the survey closes. We look forward to keeping an eye on the growing engagement numbers until then.
CDOT joins a long list of State Department of Transportation (DOTs) that subscribe to MetroQuest to offer both educational and engaging online public involvement experiences. The list includes Texas, Maryland, Maine (and all its MPO’s), Oklahoma, South Carolina, Kansas, and North Carolina (with all 36 of its MPOs and RPOs).