Methods and Messages: An analysis of messaging strategies for transportation funding

Many state and local governments are struggling to adequately fund transportation systems. To address this, several governments recently attempted to increase their transportation funding. With this often difficult political proposition, success can depend on the effectiveness of a public outreach campaign. TTI researchers reviewed the literature on public outreach campaigns for increasing transportation funding and surveyed six recent attempts by state and local governments to increase funding. The research team synthesized the information into case studies and lessons learned. Selected lessons include focusing messages on the economic benefits of transportation, highlighting the value in investing sooner rather than later, and linking funding increases to specific projects.