Rockdale County Citizen Involvement Process
The Project: A good example of policies for public involvement in transportation projects is Rockdale County Citizen Involvement Process. Citizen involvement is a significant component of Rockdale County government operations. The Board of Commissioners encourages residents to participate in the decision-making process by serving on citizen advisory panels.
Location: Rockdale County, Georgia.
Context Setting: Urban
The CAC Process: The MPO Board schedules frequent town hall meetings to talk with citizens about various issues impacting the County. Town hall meetings are scheduled in the evenings at various locations throughout the community and are publicized in the local newspapers, as well as on Rockdale Cable Channel 23.
Rockdale County participates as a member of the Atlanta Region Commission (ARC) and representatives meet on a monthly basis via the Transportation Coordinating Committee.
The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a short range (three year) listing of Federally-funded projects in the Atlanta Metro area. Rockdale County works with the GDOT and the ARC on the Rockdale County projects in the TIP, which is updated every year
Rockdale County will be working with ARC, the City of Conyers, and others to encourage citizens to utilize alternate modes of transportation. The recently completed Park-N-Ride Lot on Sigman Road is now open for use. Carpool and vanpooling will be promoted.
Rockdale County is developing additional tools to reduce speeds in various neighborhoods and subdivisions. The County has in place a Speed Hump Policy. A speed hump district may be established within the county if 85% or more of the property owners in the district signs a petition. The Public Services and Engineering Department would then determine if the street(s) are eligible for speed humps. The County is in the process of developing additional means of slowing traffic in various neighborhoods, such as the easeabouts on newly-paved McCalla Road.
Lessons Learned: The picture below shows how public involvement is an integral part in the development of a transportation project.
By constantly engaging citizens in the transportation projects like in Rockdale County, the support and public acceptance of the project is increased.
Rockdale county’s CAC process is aimed at increasing public participation. Public Involvement is an effective way to navigate towards a successful project.
Additional information on the project can be found at Rockdale County’s Website: http://www.rockdalecounty.org/rock.cfm?pid=15
or the Atlanta Regional Commission website: http://atlantaregional.org/
