FLASH Transit Outreach Program

About the Program

Category: Transportation (Best in Category)

Year: 2019

As part of the planning effort for Montgomery County Maryland’s new FLASH transit service, opening in 2020, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) employed a robust and innovative public outreach effort to effectively communicate important information to and gain feedback from the public. These efforts included a comprehensive website, social media posts, email newsletters, and listservs, which all provided information about general aspects of this new service as well as specific information and updates. Additionally, the project team attended numerous public events, such as open houses, community events, focus groups, and presentations to major employers and neighborhood associations along the corridor. By engaging in dialogue with members of the public who may not have initially known about or supported the project, MCDOT was able to ensure that the project would receive substantial buy-in from residents along the US 29 corridor. The outreach program not only helped build support for the project, but by also interacting directly with people who live and work along the corridor, MCDOT was able to better understand some of the mobility challenges on the corridor and design the project to best address those problems.