Learning to Drive the Transportation System: Study of Training Needs of Metropolitan Planning Organization Participants in Florida

Members of a key set of players in the transportation planning process achieve positions of influence, not by virtue of training or experience in the field, but by virtue of popular election. These individuals often begin their service on metropolitan planning organization (MPO) governing boards with little or no background in transportation planning. What would it take to provide these 'lay' governing board members with the knowledge they need to be effective decision makers in the transportation planning process? A study of MPO planning participants in Florida sought to answer this question. A combination of focus groups and survey research was used to develop a priority ranking of broad subject areas and a critical short list of key concepts for training MPO governing board members. While MPO structures and practices vary from state to state, MPO staff and other transportation professionals from across the country will find the research results described in this paper valuable when considering the probable training needs of their own MPO participants.