Have you ever asked: Who’s the idiot that planned this road? What idiot chose this street for the bus?
That idiot is me…well, not exactly. I work as a transportation planning consultant; my job entails assisting government agencies in making transportation decisions by recommending projects that address identified problems cost-effectively and with minimal impact. Public involvement is by far the most interesting aspect of what I do.
Whether its 3 or 500 people that attended, the common thread in public meetings I’ve planned is little to no participation by persons of color. A colleague explained it best: how do you convince people who have been historically disenfranchised that their opinion suddenly matters?
Maybe this statement applies to our parents and grandparents, but what about us? It’s discouraging that in my years of experience I have not seen a young black professional at a public meeting. It’s disappointing as I would hope our four years in the ivory tower of education have taught us, if nothing else, that our opinion matters.
Why is it so important for you participate? For starters, your voice doesn’t end at the voting booth. Transportation projects comprise a significant portion of our nation’s spending. A key tenet of President Obama’s economic recovery plan is funding transportation projects that generate jobs. As of September 2010, $38.1 Billion has been obligated to transportation projects as part of recovery efforts; billions of dollars are still in the pipeline. Projects being proposed under the transportation program are pivotal and will collectively change our transportation landscape. Additional money is going towards improving our existing infrastructure and implementing progressive programs, like high speed rail, in hopes of making us more competitive with other nations. By not showing up, you empower the few that do to wield greater influence. If you don’t represent your interests, no one else will.
It seems unfathomable that your single opinion can effectuate so much change, but major decisions are not made without public input. It’s the law! Know that people like me painstakingly document public comments, discussing them at length with the sole purpose of making sure everyone’s opinion is addressed and considered in decisionmaking. In fact, I have been involved in projects (admittedly not all) that were swayed by the public.
Perhaps you’re too busy being the fierce young professional you are to attend a meeting. In the spirit of D.I.V.A. Rules, however, I challenge you to exercise your civic duty. Even if you’re not interested in attending transportation-related meetings, attend one for your local school district, planning commission, or City Council. We need your educated opinion – give an hour of your time and shape how your community will look in 2, 20, 50 years. You may thank yourself for it when you’re 70 and need to ride the bus to bingo.
.......A great starting point for finding meetings is to sign up for email updates at your local transit agency, planning department, and metropolitan planning organization. There are routine monthly meetings as well as project specific meetings, the latter of which the author believes are generally more interesting.
Crystal Cummings is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (MCP ’08, BA ’07) and currently works as a Transportation Planner in Raleigh, NC. For questions or additional guidance on locating a public meeting in your community, you may contact her at crystal_cummings@urscorp.com or msccummings@gmail.com.
Thank you for your post Crystal! I have this conversation so many times with people about the importance of getting involved at the local level. It's important that we continue to educate everyone about how important their opinion is in shaping their communities and the nation through attending those meetings, speaking out, and better yet, voting for what they believe in.
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Thanks for your post..it's very informative. This is definitely something young people should be aware of and out into action!
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