5. PROGRAM EVALUATION (continued)

Both the Phoenix Street Transportation Department and the City of Peoria Engineering Department sponsored a mail survey to assess awareness of the program by residents of each of the study neighborhoods. Specifically, answers were sought to the following research questions:

• What program activities did the residents notice?
• What activities were noticed most?
• Did they notice a change in vehicle speeds in their neighborhoods compared to six months ago?
• Who noticed the activities or changes in vehicle speeds?

The identical one-page survey was mailed to all residents of the six study neighborhoods in two waves – pre-program and follow-on. The survey was printed on the back of a letter from a city official requesting cooperation (see Appendix D). A reply envelope with a postage stamp was included.

The survey sample was drawn from the available city mailing lists. Approximately 500 households were selected in each neighborhood by choosing the addresses closest to the test segment roads⁷. Thus, for example, households in the Bell Park neighborhood of Peoria were selected along the 84 th Avenue test segment first. Then, if needed, additional households closest to the test segments were added until the sample needs were fulfilled. The available databases only contained addresses, not the names of the owners or tenants. Thus, the envelopes with the questionnaires were addressed to “Resident.” The return envelope was addressed by name to the city official signing the letter.

One month prior to the start of program activities, the pre-program survey was sent to half of the residents in each of the Peoria and Phoenix neighborhoods. This was accomplished by selecting every other label on the sheets of labels containing the names for each neighborhood. For Peoria , the follow-on survey was sent to the remaining residents of each of its neighborhoods in the week following the completion of program activities in that city. Therefore, for Peoria , the time span that the residents had for observing program activities was three months. For Phoenix , the follow-on survey was mailed to the remaining sample of residents of each of its neighborhoods four months after the program started in that city. The differential timing was occasioned by the delay in the implementation of roadway treatments in Phoenix . The extra month ensured that all planned roadway treatments were in place. The special enforcement program in Phoenix continued for almost an additional two months after mailing of the follow-on survey. Therefore the follow-on survey was actually sent out while the program in Phoenix was still in process.

⁷As of July 1, 2004, there were slightly over 500,000 households in Phoenix and approximately 40,000 in Peoria .