Project Details

Abstract

A lack of access to transit stops (due to safety concerns, poor first and last mile connections, a lack of shelter to protect from weather elements while waiting, etc.) often presents a significant barrier to using transit services, even when the service itself is well designed. However, for most bus transit projects, the feasibility study at the project planning stage only focuses on a buffer zone of 250 feet around any bus stop, as mandated and required by National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Such feasibility studies suffer from two drawbacks: (i) because of the limited spatial extent, they fail to capture the infrastructure gaps that may prevent people from utilizing the services; and (ii) because of limited interaction with current and potential users of the system, they fail to identify user-focused solutions to these gaps. Thus, such feasibility studies may overestimate the potential ridership while also lacking support from the local communities. As Colorado DOT (CDOT) starts implementing its planned bus rapid transit (BRT) services along some of the most heavily traveled corridors within the Denver Metro area, it is important to understand the infrastructure gaps and identify potential solutions to deliver the most benefit possible from our transit infrastructure dollars.

The aim of the proposed project is to identify how and what infrastructure gaps need to be considered before evaluating the success of a transit-related investment. It also aims to create a set of potential solutions for those gaps, through user input of preferences and cost considerations. We use one of the five proposed bus rapid transit projects within Denver Metro area as case study for this proposed project, complementing CDOT’s ongoing work towards the BRT projects. Federal Boulevard BRT, the proposed case study BRT, is planned along one of the most heavily used travel corridors in Denver. The objectives of the project are: (i) to understand the current infrastructure needs to facilitate transit use, such as a lack of bus stop infrastructure, safety concerns, first and last-mile connectivity issues, etc.; and (ii) to identify solutions that best address the needs of the current and potential users. The proposed project will address these objectives through targeted data collection using surveys and app-based travel diary for the BRT catchment area larger than the required feasibility study (using a half-mile buffer around the bus stops instead of 250 feet as done in the NEPA study).

Project Word Files