Use of Crowdsourcing Tools to Analyze First- and Last-Mile Bus Stop Accessibility in Delaware

PROJECT SYNOPSIS

As part of the Mobility in Motion outreach process to update the State of Delaware’s Coordinated Public-Transit–Human Services Transportation Plan, IPA developed three map-based crowdsourcing tools on first- and last-mile bus stop accessibility in Delaware. The purpose of developing these tools was to obtain information from DART First State transit riders on first- and lastmile accessibility barriers for walking, biking, or rolling to/from a transit stop or hub in Delaware. Map-based crowdsourcing tools such as WikiMap, Geoform, and GIS Story Map were disseminated via the Mobility in Motion website (MobilityDE. org) and social media platforms and active over a ten-month period from December 28, 2018 to October 31, 2019. Over the course of those ten months, only 21 respondents utilized these tools. Analysis, however, suggests that these tools demonstrate strong potential to glean crowdsourced input from DART First State bus riders on their accessibility experience related to eight factors, including (1) connectivity, (2) ADA accessibility, (3) walkability, (4) bikeability, (5) bus stop conditions, (6) crossing, (7) signals, and (8) maintenance. It also indicates that the GIS Story Map was the crowdsourcing tool of choice by respondents. The high prevalence of responses reporting concerns with conditions of bus stops, connectivity, and walkability suggests that future assessment of transportation routes should focus on the ability to walk, bike, or roll safely to and from bus stops.