STATEWIDE TRAFFIC ENGINEERING AND SAFETY INFORMATIONAL SERIES SURVEY: THE RESULTS

Effective communication with decision-makers and the general public is a vital task of state, county, and local transportation professionals. Questions must be answered in a clear and consistent manner and based on accepted engineering reference material. During the past year, the Iowa Department of Transportation, the Center for Transportation Research and Education at Iowa State University, and the University of Iowa developed and distributed a traffic and safety informational series survey. The objective of the survey was to determine the 20 most commonly asked traffic and safety questions in Iowa. The survey was sent to approximately 300 transportation professionals and was also available on the worldwide web. It requested that respondents estimate, on a scale of 1 to 5, how often the public asked them 12 specific questions. The survey also asked the respondents to add and rank questions they thought should be considered in the series. About 100 responses were received, and 77 questions were suggested by the respondents. Two-page answer sheets are being prepared and reviewed for 10 of the 12 questions included within the survey and 10 questions that summarize those suggested by the respondents. This paper discusses the objectives and tasks included in the informational series project. The survey and its results are summarized, and the format of the proposed answers is described and presented. The status of the project and its scehdule are also provided. The informational series project should provide a useful and understandable public information and education tool for transportation professionals.