SECTION: INTRODUCTION
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION & OUTREACH ––
Public education and participation are key to understanding our local communities' concerns and making effective decisions on their behalf.
With that in mind, HATS' Public Participation Plan accomplishes the following:
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encourages citizens and groups to participate and influence decisions in the development of regional planning processes such as the RTP and the four-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP);
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assists Limited English Proficiency (LEP) individuals as well as other underrepresented and underserved communities;
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maintains a list of agencies that work with traditionally underserved populations so they can be included in all outreach activities (HATS utilized the outreach work performed by the State Transportation Commission [STC] as part of the 2021 Twelve Year Program [TYP]. These results helped to identify an array of transportation issues that exist across the Tri-County region.);
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provides an ongoing, proactive approach to public involvement and outreach.
Recognizing there is a growing Amish and Mennonite community in the region, HATS has initiated an effort to actively engage members of these communities.
With the RTP as the focus, meetings have been held in all three of the region’s counties.
Discussion topics included horse-and-buggy, bicycle and pedestrian incidents; road and highway conditions; facilities repair and replacement; detours; and other topics.
Amish buggy in Blain, Perry County
OUTREACH & ACTIVITIES SUMMARY ––
PLAN DEVELOPMENT
Throughout the development of the 2045 Regional Transportation Plan, regular updates, including draft chapters, were provided to members of HATS Technical and Coordinating Committees, as well as both stakeholders and the advisory groups established during the development of the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan update.
Flyers were distributed to the region’s municipalities and non-profit organizations throughout the fall and winter of 2020/2021 to make these entities aware of the transportation planning process and seek their assistance in the outreach effort. Additionally, the TCRPC/HATS website and social media was routinely used to solicit both general comments and submissions of transportation needs to be considered for inclusion on the Project Pipeline.
As part of the development of the Project Pipeline, meetings with municipalities were held to discuss transportation needs to be added and considered. This process involved the following meetings:
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Carlisle Borough (9/9/2020)
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Halifax Borough (9/17/2020)
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Shippensburg Borough (9/17/2020)
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Susquehanna Township (9/22/2020)
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Hampden Township (9/23/2020)
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South Middleton Township (9/23/2020)
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Lemoyne Borough (9/24/2020)
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Middletown Borough (9/29/2020)
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Derry Township (10/2/2020)
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East Pennsboro Township (10/2/2020)
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Tyrone Township (10/5/2020)
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Lower Allen Township (10/8/2020)
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Harrisburg City (10/29/2020)
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Penn Township (11/3/2020)
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Swatara Township (11/9/2020)
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Duncannon Borough (11/17/2020)
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East Hanover Township (11/19/2020)
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Middle Paxton Township (12/2/2020)
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Silver Spring Township (12/3/2020)
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Marysville Borough (12/10/2020)
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North Middleton Borough (12/10/2020)
WEBSITE ANALYTICS (SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 - APRIL 1, 2021):
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Visitors: 10,277
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Sessions: 14,872
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Page Views: 30,720
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Average sessions per user: 1.45
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Other PA cities represented: Philadelphia, Lancaster, Pittsburgh, York, Chambersburg, Lebanon, Elizabethtown, Ephrata, State College, Lewistown
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Other U.S. cities represented: Washington, DC; New York, NY; Portland OR; Columbus OH; Chicago IL; San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose CA; Cheyenne WY-Scottsbluff NE; Spokane WA; Boston MA-Manchester NH; Los Angeles CA
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Foreign visitors: Philippines, India, Canada, Tanzania, Ethiopia, United Kingdom, China, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Argentina
OFFICIAL PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
The official public comment period for the 2045 Regional Transportation Plan was held from July 1, 2021 - August 31, 2021. During that time, public outreach consisted of notifications sent via email and public meetings/information sessions held with various stakeholder groups in the region.
PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSIONS
As part of the official public comment period, HATS staff will host online public information sessions at the following dates and times:
Details on how to participate will be posted here when available. Recordings of the public information sessions will be posted here for those that cannot attend.
NOTIFICATIONS
In addition to the public information sessions, notifications were also sent via email that included as attachments the RTP brochure and an overview of the updated Project Development process. Emails were sent to the following entities throughout the HATS region:
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TO BE UPDATED
WEBSITE
The online format used for the RTP has enabled HATS to supplement the direct outreach measures summarized above through the website and other online approaches to significantly increase awareness to the public and transportation stakeholders. A summary of the online outreach activities conducted through the public comment period is provided below. Online access to the RTP continued throughout the planning period.
ANALYTICS (SPECIFY REVIEW PERIOD):
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Visitors: TO BE UPDATED
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Sessions: TO BE UPDATED
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Page Views: TO BE UPDATED
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Average sessions per user: TO BE UPDATED
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Other PA cities represented: TO BE UPDATED
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Other U.S. cities represented: TO BE UPDATED
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Foreign visitors: TO BE UPDATED
COMMENTS
Comments received through the various outreach methods outlined above prior to July 1, 2021 were incorporated into the draft RTP, as appropriate. As indicated above, the formal public review and comment period occurred from July 1, 2021 to August 31, 2021.
A summary of the comments received during this time frame, and the official HATS responses, are available here.