---
title: Effective Communication and Engagement
url: "https://www.systra.com/uk/expert_insights/effective-communication-and-engagement/"
type: expert_insights
date_published: 2022-10-10
date_modified: 2023-09-14
schema:
  @type: WebPage
language: en-GB
word_count: 462
reading_time: 3 min
canonical: "https://www.systra.com/uk/expert_insights/effective-communication-and-engagement/"
featured_image: "https://www.systra.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2022/10/effective-communication-header.jpg"
type-insight:
  - Local Transport Planning
---

# Effective Communication and Engagement

![Effective Communication and Engagement](https://www.systra.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2022/10/effective-communication-header.jpg)

**The new era of Local Transport Plans (LTPs) will require increased focus on addressing the challenges associated with climate change, economic growth and new technologies.**

Successful delivery of the New Era LTPs will require effective communication and
engagement because to be successful they are likely to involve significant
adjustment in people’s day to day travel habits including modal shift, frequency
of travel and changes in travel destinations.

With all significant change there will be sections of society that need to be
convinced that the way forward is the right one and that the changes in their
day-to-day habits are justified. Effective, inclusive communication and
engagement will be required throughout the development and implementation of the
LTP strategies and policies to ensure they are both deliverable and effective in
addressing the future environmental, societal, and economic needs of UK.
Addressing different segments of society, who have distinct beliefs and
priorities in relation to transport, will also be crucial to influencing
behaviour – a one size fits all approach to this challenge is unlikely to be
effective.

Areas where effective communication and engagement are likely to be required
during the LTP process include:

- **Robust, quantifiable research** – early engagement with all groups in
  society, including those who are under-represented, to understand their
  current travel behaviours, barriers and motivations to changing travel
  behaviour and their priorities for local transport to inform strategy
  development.
- **Strategy/policy development **– consultation to involve stakeholders in
  development of a range of policies, strategies and schemes, to ensure all
  stakeholder groups are included in the decision-making process.
- **Final strategy preparation** – detailed public consultation on the final
  strategy to understand the impacts and benefits of the schemes and policies,
  as well as providing people with the opportunity to provide feedback on the
  proposals to inform refinement of the final strategy .
- **Behavioural change **– engagement and communication about local transport
  policies needs to be tailored to concerns and priorities of different groups
  in society to be most effective in bringing about behavioural change.
  Understanding the motivation for change through engagement will aid in the
  design of effective initiatives and targeting of investment for the
  implementation of the strategy.
- **Post implementation monitoring & evaluation** – detailed evaluation of the
  impacts of the LTP proposals, including the impacts on carbon, the economy and
  behavioural change, will be required to ensure targets are being met and, if
  required, allow adjustments to the strategies to enhance the impacts of
  schemes to meet the targets.

Communication and engagement will be an essential part of the next generation
LTPs and therefore detailed planning of how this is to be achieved throughout
the LTP period should be developed and adhered to at an early stage of its
development.

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