The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) has released an online map to help disabled riders determine the accessibility of every bus stop in the region.
The NIRPC recognises that small challenges for disabled riders like the size of a doorway or the softness of the gravel at a bus stop “can throw a wrench in their plans”.
The Northwest Indiana Transit Map provides Google Map directions to the location of a stop, photos and a physical description. It also includes pavement measurements, kerb types for wheelchair access, and amenities like covered or heated structures and the proximity to nearby bus routes in the counties of Lake, Porter and La Porte.
The map also provides information on the presence of a shelter, the interior space available and the width of its entryway.
Other details contained within the map include connections to adjacent transportation such as a bus route or train station within two blocks of the bus stop and connections like park and ride and transit facilities.
Kevin Polette, technical assistant with NIRPC, says: “The Northwest Indiana Transit Map is a place to view all bus stops from every transit agency in Northwest Indiana."
"We collected data on every stop, with pictures and the conditions of the bus stops. While collecting the data, we were also able to take public comments from the riders about the bus stops and routes.”
The NIRPC passed public feedback about the bus stops on to transit operators.
The commission's urban planners hope the map will contribute to municipal and county transportation planning and will influence the decisions of municipal transit operators.
