ITS4US Deployment Program Phase 2 Webinar: Accessible Routing – Pedestrian Impedance Factors and Application

Presented by Georgia Department of Transportation – Safe Trips in a Connected Transportation Network

Accessible Routing - Pedestrian Impedance Factors and Application

Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) - Safe Trips in a Connected Transportation Network (ST-CTN)

The ST-CTN project seeks to enhance the travel experience for underserved communities, including people with disabilities, older adults, and travelers with limited English proficiency (LEP) through the development of an open-sourced application called the Georgia Mobility and Accessibility Planner (G-MAP). The application will allow travelers to create a personalized trip plan to navigate physical infrastructure, resolve unexpected obstacles, and ensure visibility, and accessibility throughout their travel. This webinar will focus on the method by which the G-MAP application will identify accessible routes based on their unique needs and preferences.

In transportation modeling, impedance is akin to resistance to travel along a roadway or pathway. Travel-time impedance is traditionally calculated as a function of link distance and average travel speed. However, distance and travel speed do not reveal the full picture. There may be pathway characteristics, such as lack of curb ramps or obstacles, that impede the path more severely for certain users. The webinar will discuss the following topics:

• Pedestrian Impedance Factors
• Mobility Modes
• Field Inspection
• Accessible Routing
• Applied Impedance Factors
• Impedance Calculation and Calibration

Date: 12 March 2024
Time: 2:00 to 3:30 pm ET
Presenters: Norah Ocel, Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO)/Federal Highway Administration (FHWA); Dr. Randy Guensler, Georgia Tech, ITS4US ST-CTN Pedestrian Impedance Lead, Dr. Angshuman Guin, Georgia Tech, ITS4US ST-CTN Pedestrian Impedance Lead, Jon Campbell, Arcadis, ITS4US ST-CTN Application Developer Lead, Bennett Foster, Atlanta Regional Commission, ITS4US Co-Deployment Lead, Polly Okunieff, GO Systems and Solutions, ITS4US ST-CTN System Engineering Lead

To register for this ITS JPO webinar, please visit: https://gdotphase2webinar.eventbrite.com

The ITS4US Deployment Program, led by the ITS JPO at the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), expands access to transportation for all travelers with a specific focus on underserved communities, including people with disabilities, older adults, veterans, individuals of low income, people in rural communities and those with LEP. This program embodies the Administration's priorities of transportation equity, economic growth, sustainability, and most importantly, compassion and inclusivity. The program funds multiple large-scale replicable deployments in three phases:

• Phase 1: concept development
• Phase 2: design and testing
• Phase 3: operations and evaluation.

In June 2022, the deployment sites completed the concept development phase of each of their projects. The U.S. DOT awarded four teams with Phase 2 funding to support the design and testing of their projects based on their Phase 1 concepts. The four deployment sites are:

• GDOT
• Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency
• Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority/Buffalo
• University of Washington

For more details on the ITS4US Deployment program, see the program's website at: https://its.dot.gov/its4us/.

ITS JPO is hosting a series of free, public webinars to allow each of the four Phase 2 deployment sites to publicly share topics and experiences that would be of interest to deployers considering innovative technology solutions to solve mobility challenges of underserved communities. These webinars will be an opportunity for each site to discuss their experiences during the Design/Build Test/Phase and engage the broader ITS4US Deployment Program Community about their efforts so far in Phase 2. At the end of the presentation, there will be an opportunity for the audience to ask the site questions about their project. Future deployers can benefit from lessons learned and experiences from the ITS4US deployment teams.

Please use the link above to register for the webinar. Live closed captioning will be provided for all webinars. When registering for the webinar, you will be able to request additional accessibility accommodations to participate. The deadline to request accommodations for each webinar will be 5 business days prior to the live event.

Posted 2/7/24