Abstract

Innovative Mapping Procedures for Better Transit
Track: Transportation
Authors: Caitlin Doolin, Darryl dePencier

In many US cities, public transit is underutilized and unreliable. This is often because transit planning is traditionally based mostly on theory and assumptions rather than quantifiable measures that act as the basis for developing successful transit routes and schedules. New efforts in transit data collection have made it possible to improve the planning process, especially when combined with readily available census data.

This presentation demonstrates the usefulness of GIS in transit analysis as well as the diverse applications of it through two unique example projects in Washington, D.C. and Southeast Florida. The Washington study maps important demographic information for the revitalization of the D.C. Street Car by creating indexes of multiple GIS layers. The Southeast Florida project leverages employment, housing and existing ridership data to rank regional corridors for premium service ridership potential.

Both studies culminated in results that could be mapped and easily interpreted by decision makers.