 Public Outreach & Roundabout Implementation: Overcoming Challenges
Modern roundabouts produce challenges for implementation related to controversy caused by misconceptions, the inherent fear of the unknown, and other concerns regarding what effects they may have on business and economic growth. These issues can come from agencies, stakeholders, elected officials, the business community, decision makers, or the general public. Addressing the depth and breadth of the public's concerns about a proposed roundabout in their community is challenging.
Keys to successful public outreach include:
- Building trust and ownership through open communication and transparency with key stakeholders and community to include:
- Problem identification
- Alternative solutions development
Open house style public meetings, while an important tool, are often insufficient to adequately address community concerns. Below is a recent example of an effective public outreach event format.
Successful Community Education Workshop
 Essential to this successful one-day workshop titled "Embrace the Roundabout." was attendance by a broad cross section of key stakeholders, including agency engineers and planners, elected officials, bicycle and pedestrian advocacy representatives, chamber of commerce, local TV and media.
This workshop proved very successful allowing the community to confidently move forward in taking the next steps towards roundabout implementations.The workshop included site visits, presentation materials on contentious issues, and ample time to allow the participants ask questions.
MTJ Roundabout Engineering’s Mark Johnson has 18 years of experience communicating information about roundabouts in an easily understood, in-depth manner that has proven very effective for implementation of hundreds of controversial and successful projects across the US.
"Mark Johnson's presentation to over 70 participants was widely applauded and I can only add my enthusiastic endorsement to his depth and breadth of knowledge as well as a direct and straight forward ability to transfer his knowledge to others of all skills and backgrounds."
Tony Redington
Burlington, Vermont
Please contact us if you are interested in developing a similar workshop in your community!
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MTJ NEWS
 MTJ to Present at 2016 Tri-Party Transportation Conference
Mark Johnson will be presenting project highlights with the City of Red Deer and Stantec, Inc. regarding the roundabout project at 67 St. and 30 Ave. in Red Deer, at the 2016 Tri-Party Transportation Conference. The conference will take place March 21-22 in Red Deer, Alberta.
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