Communications and Outreach Support for the Minnesota Council on Transportation Access

Project summary:

Community transit in Minnesota is continuing to evolve and improve. Some key reforms have been implemented, others are in the works. Continually improving lines of communication helps publicize innovations so that others can make use of them. Most importantly, major stakeholders are talking to each other formally and on an ongoing basis, and starting to develop a common agenda for addressing the types of major reforms that require the cooperation of many organizations.

Communications needs exist at two levels. The first is at the operational level; for providers, how to best operate their fleet, and for users, how to find the services they need. The second level of communication is between the various stakeholders that have a role in making policy. The creation of the Interagency Committee on Transit Coordination (ICTC) by Governor Pawlenty in 2005 was a key step in addressing stakeholder communication, and its transition to the Minnesota Council on Transportation Access in 2010 is another step toward advancing transportation coordination initiatives throughout the state.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) asked the Center for Transportation Studies to provide communications and outreach support and implementation for the Minnesota Council on Transportation Access, in order to assist the Council in meeting its objectives for improving transportation coordination throughout the state.