Colour coded postcards and door hangers will be the new way the City of Cambridge notifies residents and business owners about upcoming road construction, water shut offs and scheduled tree trimming.
City council approved a new template design and distribution system for public notices as part of its Public Notice Policy to promote clearer communication with residents.
“It’s important that residents have access to accurate and timely information about what is going on in their community,” said Mayor Jan Liggett in a news release.
“I’m looking forward to hearing feedback from the public about how this new standardized system works for them, as we work to continually improve the Cambridge experience.”
The city said the new public notice format will promote consistency in messaging and will give the city the ability to reach more people when providing information to the public.
For example, instead of a letter mailed and addressed to the registered property owners, the city will provide a postcard style mailer or door hanger notice to all residents within the required notification area.
This, the city said, will help make sure occupants and tenants, not just landlords, are aware of any changes that might affect them - such as construction work on their road.
The new public notices are colour coded, with red and yellow for notifications that may have a more immediate impact on residents. The colour codes are:
• Red – Emergency related door hanger notices of high priority and time sensitivity, where there is a risk to public safety.
• Yellow – Notices related to construction work, including road work, local improvements, water/wastewater work.
• Green – Notices related to Forestry matters, including tree trimming and planting.
• Light Blue – Planning related notices, including heritage matters.
• Dark Blue – Notices related to General City of Cambridge matters where notice is required, such as elections.
The notices have been designed using colours, font size, wording, and formatting for enhanced accessibility and will use plain, condensed language so residents can be quickly informed of the key information they need.
Each notice will also have a QR code to the city’s website for more information.
The new policy ensures consistency when reaching out to the public, making them more aware of issues affecting them and the ways in which they can engage with their local government and in the decision-making process, the release said.
It also aligns with Inclusion by being designed with accessibility in mind.
The new system is anticipated to be implemented in January 2025, once staff have been fully trained.
