The research found an overwhelming consensus to involve citizens from the very beginning of the decision making process. Depending on the project or decision, the exact format of participation will vary as will the duration of involvement. A second major recommendation for the timing of citizen participation is that it occur throughout the decision making process. The agency incorporates public involvement before the goals, objectives and strategies are formulated in draft by the agency and then during formulation of alternative plans, goals, objectives, etc., and at the public review stage of plans, goals, objectives and strategies. The number one recommendation with regard to techniques and strategies for public involvement is that they must be diverse.
Different techniques serve different purposes in soliciting and gauging to public opinion.
An agency ought to independently analyze each situation to determine what techniques would be most effective for that particular context. While public meetings are the most common form of communication, they are also the least effective. Citizens are much more likely to participate in transportation issues at the local level and a regional citizen's committee will be more successful at communicating with local citizens. The use of large citizen surveys has also proven to be a successful technique although they must be truly representative of the public. In addition, the authors recommend that large scale citizen surveys be matched with citizen focus groups to follow up on the important trends found in the large scale surveys.