The project study team has developed an outline for focus group discussions regarding the Prairie Parkway Study. Participants of these focus groups will represent a diverse cross-section of viewpoints among groups of people sharing common characteristics.

For example, one focus group may be area business representatives, while another may be landowners. Regardless of the type of group, participants will be diverse in age, gender, the location of their home and work, the length of their commute, and the amount of time they have lived in the region.

The primary objective of these focus groups is to identify issues and perceptions about transportation in the region. The focus groups will be confidential and will gather unbiased opinions about transportation conditions in the region. The information gathered from these focus groups may be used in the future to validate or further explore opinions. Future research methods could include random telephone surveys, questionnaires, workshops, or polls.

The focus groups were conducted in late September and early October and the results will be available in November.