A summer research project by urban studies and planning graduate student Emmanuel Boateng for the Montgomery County Department of Transportation has laid the groundwork for the county to improve pedestrian access to its extensive Ride On bus service by strengthening connectivity and conditions for potential riders.
Developed as part of the Montgomery County Council Summer Fellows Program, Boateng employed skills he’s learned through UMD’s Urban Studies and Planning Program—including GIS and spatial analysis, transportation equity, policy research, and data interpretation—to craft his set of findings, tracing the walking routes from over 105,000 homes to over 3,000 stops in the county’s 56 equity priority areas.
While 2 out of the 3 homes targeted are located within a quarter-mile of a Ride On stop, less than 1 out of every 3 homes can reach the stop comfortably. Difficult crossings, missing sidewalks, and other impediments can be a barrier to access, employment and other public services. Boateng’s report offered the county a working list of 727 candidate stops to examine, narrowing it further to a priority list of 175 and a top tier list of 50.
“Every Ride On trip begins before the bus arrives,” he told the county council during a hearing in August. “It begins on the walk from one’s front door to the bus stop. One missing sidewalk or crossing fails the entire route for the resident.”
Watch a video of Boateng’s final presentation here.
