Data could be the key to shifts in funding.
To engaged transportation professionals, the urgent necessity of increased funding for public transit is obvious. To others, namely politicians and state- and federal-level transportation administrators who hold the key to budget appropriations, the need isn’t so visible. And while qualitative methods and storytelling are proving to be more effective at expressing planning disparities than big data, there are few ways to translate these modes to grant applications and legalese. Thus, data could be key to shifting funding from auto-oriented projects to transit. Below are some potential data measures and examples of their implementation:
Expected growth in older adult population
Employment trips: StreetLight Data bus and rail metrics tools, American Public Transportation Association (APTA) economic impact tool
Healthcare trips: CDC transportation health tool, CDC Health Impact Assessments (HIA) how-to
Equity impact: NYC equity data project, StreetLight Data equity tools, Urban Habitat transportation equity grants
With that said, interlocutors expressed that deficiencies in technology and data experience are barriers to optimal performance. Other studies have included more detailed documentation of such deficiencies in rural areas. The National Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP) offers online trip planners and a General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) builder and information on how rural transit agencies can assess their impact.
