Evaluating Access: An Instrument to Measure Accessible Transportation

Public transportation ridership has grown tremendously in the United States in the past 15 years, and millions of public transportation trips are taken each weekday. Increasing the accessibility of transportation choices will increase the number of people who will be able to maintain their mobility, with or without the ownership of or ability to drive a car. Not only will accessible transportation options increase the independence of people with disabilities and older adults, but the additional passenger trips will also contribute to the sustainability of transportation providers. Yet, today, there is no agreed upon set of accessibility indicators or standardized national/international survey instrument that measures accessibility. A number of researchers have tried to develop such an instrument, but to date, more work is needed. This project sought to develop and test an accessibility survey instrument over a two year period. Findings suggest assessing accessibility is possible and that much can be learned about a community. However, it is a complex topic requiring specific training across myriad transportation modes and accessibility characteristics both within modes and in the infrastructure that surrounds various types of transportation services. Results of this pilot project point to the need for such an instrument, but just as importantly, to train on the use of such a tool and on how to communicate the results in order to accomplish positive change in furthering accessibility in a particular country or community.