As part of its strategy to support accessibility across all modes of transportation for all travellers, the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) is providing US$27 million to four projects that will incorporate innovative business partnerships, technologies and practices to promote independent mobility.
The funding supports the implementation of Phases 2 and 3 of the Complete Trip – ITS4US Deployment Program. The program is helping to modernise the US transportation system to provide safe, affordable and equitable access to opportunities and services for all travellers while reducing adverse community impacts.
“By bringing together public-sponsored and private-sponsored research, the program will enable communities to build local partnerships that develop and deploy integrated and replicable mobility solutions to achieve complete trips for all travellers,” says Dr Robert C Hampshire, deputy assistant secretary for Research and Technology at the US DOT. “For the first time, DOT has centred equity as a department-wide strategic goal. The ITS4US program is a critical step towards reducing inequities across our transportation systems and the communities they affect.”
In 2020, the US DOT selected five awardees for Phase 1 of its Complete Trip – ITS4US Deployment Program. The three-phased multimodal program identifies ways to provide more efficient, affordable, and accessible transportation options for underserved communities that often face greater challenges in accessing essential services, including people with disabilities, older adults, low-income individuals, rural residents, veterans and limited English proficiency travellers.
The four awardees for Phases 2 and 3 are:
Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency (HIRTA)
Location: Dallas County, Iowa
Project: Health Connector for the Most Vulnerable: An Inclusive Mobility Experience from Beginning to End
Award: US$2,872,549
This project will implement a scalable and replicable solution that enables inclusive access to non-emergency medical transportation for all underserved populations and their caregivers by resolving access to barriers with the use of advanced technologies. The solution will include information and wayfinding services to guide users for every step of their trip. This deployment will provide enhanced access to healthcare options for all travellers in Dallas County.
Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)
Location: Gwinnett County, Georgia
Project: Safe Trips in a Connected Transportation Network (ST-CTN)
Award: US$8,051,200
GDOT leads this project with support from the Atlanta Regional Commission. The ST-CTN system will provide Gwinnett County residents with detailed information and step-by-step navigation tailored for users’ specific needs along with a range of other features geared to improve trip efficiency and safety. This concept is comprised of an integrated set of advanced transportation technology solutions including connected vehicles, transit signal priority, machine learning, and predictive analytics to support safe and complete trips, with a focus on accessibility for those with disabilities, ageing adults, and those with limited English proficiency.
University of Washington (UW)
Location: Washington, Oregon, and Maryland
Project: Transportation Data Equity Initiative
Award: US$9,659,000
This project aims to create the foundational data tools necessary for both public and private entities to collect, share, manage and use transportation data that provide equitable outcomes to all travellers regardless of location, income, or disability.
Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA)
Location: Buffalo, New York
Project: Complete Trip Deployment in Buffalo, NY
Award: US$6,666,981
This project will improve mobility to, from and within the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) by deploying new and advanced technologies focused on addressing existing mobility and accessibility challenges. The project integrates an accessible trip planning tool with current transit services, indoor/outdoor wayfinding, community-based on-demand shuttle services that include a fleet of fully autonomous shuttles, and intersection pedestrian safety technologies aimed at providing complete trip support to travellers with disabilities in BNMC and neighbouring communities.
New documents available
The Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office (JPO) has published new documents on the Complete Trip – ITS4US Deployment Program website. The slide decks and recordings from the Complete Trip Deployment Plan webinars for all Phase 1 sites (Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency, ICF/Buffalo, University of Washington, California Association of Coordinated Transport, and Atlanta Regional Commission) are now available.
These webinars are the last of a series of three webinar topics that each Phase 1 awardee presented on, including Concept of Operations, Performance Measurement, and Deployment Plan.
As the Complete Trip – ITS4US Deployment Program Phase 1 awardees advance through Phases 1, 2, and 3, they will yield a variety of documents, including webinars and reports that may be of value to other early deployers of innovative technologies to conduct similar planning and design activities
