Residents and businesses along the route of California's proposed high-speed rail network are getting fed up with the project's repeated failure to communicate.
As reported by the Bay Citizen, cities claim that project engineers have designed the project without any input from the communities it would impact.
Stakeholders have found themselves unable to find basic documentation, and in some cases were not informed that entire train stations were slated for removal.
It's not the first time such problems have popped up. A quarter century ago, California's first high-speed rail attempt was strangled by community advocates who'd been shut out of the planning process.
At first, community outreach was handled by engineers. That proved to be a disaster, and soon responsibility for communication was shifted to a PR firm.
But unfortunately, a smattering of regional engineering contractors continue to operate in a "rogue" state, avoiding the PR firm's control. Those contractors continue to conduct outreach and express policy, leading to ongoing confusion.
