The Public Participation Program for preparation of the updated Countywide Master Plan of Transportation reflects the fact that, while the General Plan addressed broad policy issues, the updated Countywide Master Plan of Transportation must necessarily focus on specific strategic transportation policies, facilities and services. Because many of these issues are technical, the transportation professionals involved will need to prepare analyses for the stakeholder discussions, which are proposed as focus group sessions, followed by public workshops.

Public participation is an important element in the preparation of functional master plans. The public participation process for this plan encourages a balance of participation by stakeholders affected by the plan. Stakeholders include citizens, local business groups, the building industry, municipalities, and advocacy groups for transportation as well as environmental issues.

The Public Participation Program for the updated Countywide Master Plan of Transportation consists of focus group sessions, stakeholder interviews, on-going community outreach, and public workshops.

Public Workshops - Public workshops were conducted to inform the larger community and receive as broad a range of citizen comments as possible on ideas and solutions developed after the focus group sessions that were conducted in November 2007, and the development of the baseline scenario earlier this year. Participants and invitees included a range of citizens and stakeholders with an interest in strategic transportation planning in and for Prince George's County.

The first two workshops - on March 31st at Suitland High School, and April 2nd at Roosevelt High School - summarized the Master Plan of Transportation process and goals, presented a baseline scenario and then involved break-out discussion groups to better solicit public and stakeholder comments on it. The baseline scenario - Report to the Community (click here for the presentation) - compared the development and growth pattern envisioned in the Approved 2002 General Plan on the one hand with the transportation network recommended in the current (1982) Master Plan of Transportation, as amended by subsequent master plans since 1982, on the other.

MPOT project staff are reviewing the information gathered at the public workshops and will post the results here. The information will be the basis for development of the Draft Preliminary Countywide Master Plan of Transportation.