The Reading Area Transportation Study (RATS) is the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for all of Berks County and is responsible for regional transportation planning activities. RATS communicates with interested parties to ensure effective and innovative transportation planning that is representative of and responsive to the needs of the entire region. To achieve this goal, RATS provides the public with an active role in the development of transportation plans, programs, and projects, beginning in the early stages of and throughout the planning processes.
The Public Participation Plan (PPP) ensures that the public involvement activities of RATS transportation planning processes comply with the proactive public involvement requirements of Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 450.316, also known as the Participation Plan requirements of the federal Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)[Title 23 United States Code, Section 134(i)(5)], and other applicable federal regulations and guidelines on metropolitan transportation planning and programming.
The PPP details strategies and procedures RATS will use to achieve its long-standing commitment to participation in regional transportation planning efforts. The Draft PPP applies to transportation planning activities for which participation by interested parties is a required component, and outlines RATS transportation planning activities that comply with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and other applicable standards for collecting and addressing public comments.
This Public Participation Plan provides a framework to ensure that RATS’ transportation planning process include a proactive participation process and complies with federal participation plan requirements. This PPP identifies current and previous outreach efforts and outlines steps to be taken to improve.